The Gift Audiobook By Lewis Hyde cover art

The Gift

How the Creative Spirit Transforms the World

Preview

Try for $0.00
Access a growing selection of included Audible Originals, audiobooks, and podcasts.
You will get an email reminder before your trial ends.
Audible Plus auto-renews for $7.95/mo after 30 days. Upgrade or cancel anytime.

The Gift

By: Lewis Hyde
Narrated by: Stephen Bowlby
Try for $0.00

$7.95 a month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $17.90

Buy for $17.90

Confirm purchase
Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.
Cancel

About this listen

A modern classic cherished by many of the greatest artists of our time, The Gift is a brilliant, life-changing defense of the value of creative labor.

Drawing on examples from folklore and literature, history and tribal customs, economics and modern copyright law, Lewis Hyde demonstrates how our society - governed by the marketplace - is poorly equipped to determine the worth of artists’ work. He shows us that another way is possible: the alternative economy of the gift, which allows creations and ideas to circulate freely, rather than hoarding them as commodities.

Illuminating and transformative, The Gift is a triumph of originality and insight - an essential audiobook for anyone who has ever given or received a work of art.

©1983 by W. Lewis Hyde. Preface © 2019 by W. Lewis Hyde. Afterword © 2007 by W. Lewis Hyde (P)2022 by Blackstone Publishing
Anthropology Creativity History & Criticism Well-being Essentials
activate_Holiday_promo_in_buybox_DT_T2

Featured Article: The Audible Essentials—The Top 100 Well-Being Listens of All Time


We assembled our editors, scoured listener reviews, polled our most-trusted colleagues, and listened our ears off to bring you this list of 100 must-listen well-being titles on Audible. Whether you’re looking to get organized, stay motivated, find creative inspiration, or relieve stress, these audiobooks and podcasts are packed with insights from self-development and wellness experts to help you take the next step—or the first—in your personal journey.

What listeners say about The Gift

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    25
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    2
  • 1 Stars
    2
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    7
  • 2 Stars
    1
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    20
  • 4 Stars
    2
  • 3 Stars
    8
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    2

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

a great reminder

Reread this book via Audible and it felt easier to absorb. Such a great reminder of where we are and where were going. Translates beyond arts to Non-Profits and other service orgs too.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The performance of the reading is very good.

The main thesis on the gift economy is superb. Even more so as we are awash in the crass money driven values of the social media economy.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Revised edition of an already vast treatment

This was a deep dive into a very narrow and focused topic, and if you want to think more intentionally about the value of your work as well as any labor you put into passion projects of any kind… this is for you.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

A 2 hour book crammed into 13.5 hours.

The first hour of this book was interesting. The last chapter was a good recap. The middle 11.5 hours was a painfully belabored treatise on poetic inspiration. I got to a point that I thought to myself "If he mentions or quotes Whitman one more time I am going to kill myself". Don't waste your time.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!