SKU: 88745269733

The Story of Stories: The Million-Year History of a Uniquely Human Art

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The Story of Stories: The Million-Year History of a Uniquely Human ArtAn irresistible and enchanting journey through human history from mankind's earliest fires to the latest smart phones that tells the surprising and untold story of storytelling. Joan Didion told us, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." And yet, the story of stories has never been told until now. MIT technology pioneer Kevin Ashton was at the forefront of the digital revolution that led to the invention of the smartphone, the ultimate

An irresistible and enchanting journey through human history--from mankind's earliest fires to the latest smart phones--that tells the surprising and untold story of storytelling.

Joan Didion told us, "We tell ourselves stories in order to live." And yet, the story of stories has never been told until now. MIT technology pioneer Kevin Ashton was at the forefront of the digital revolution that led to the invention of the smartphone, the ultimate storytelling device. This latest technology in the long arc of human storytelling allows anyone, for the first time in history, to tell stories to everyone. In The Story of Stories, Ashton tells the untold story of storytelling. The result is an eye-opening, compelling journey through the eight great revolutions of storytelling, all of which follow a simple pattern: each major new storytelling tool increases the number of people who can share stories and the number of people with whom those stories can be shared.

Our first night-fires created the earliest audiences for spoken stories. Language did not lead us to stories; stories led us to language. In time, the development of rhyme, song, and other mnemonic devices allowed those spoken stories to be preserved for generations; pictures drawn on cave walls turned preservation into permanence, telling stories we still experience thousands of years later; writing enabled storytellers to spread tales to faraway places; the Chinese invented printing with moveable metal type around 700 CE; the Toltecs independently invented it at about the same time; 750 years later Gutenberg independently invented it again, adding a converted wine press to create the mass production of mass communication. Over time, printing presses increased the number of storytellers and the size of their audiences by many orders of magnitude, a trend which led us to great revolutions, and electric, then electronic, then digital storytelling and all our storytelling tools of today--and tomorrow's.

In this remarkable book, more than twenty-five years in the making, Ashton looks at the development of human storytelling to help us understand where we are in the latest iteration that is the digital era. Drawing on examples from art, literature, music, and pop culture, from the Bible to Bon Jovi, Aristotle to Artificial Intelligence, Frederick Douglass to Facebook, and cave paintings to cinema, The Story of Stories is a passionate and crucial exploration of how stories and the tools we use to tell them continue to change us, cause revolutions, and connect us to each other and give our lives meaning.

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SKU: 88745269733

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Yuneysi Sarmiento
Charlottesville, US
★★★★★ 5
I used them to divide a space in my house and it really turned out spectacular.
Size: 4 Panel-88‘’Wide, Color: Black, Size: 4 Panel-88‘’Wide, Color: Black
I used them to divide a space in my house and it really turned out spectacular.
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Reviewed in the United States on May 12, 2026
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Sandra S
Birmingham, US
★★★★★ 3
Perfect size, good privacy
Size: 4 Panel-88‘’Wide, Color: Black
This is a good divider. The dark, thick panels provide blockage from the light. Assembly was not very hard, but it wasn't simple. I ordered this product two times in the past couple of weeks. The first time I assembled it, I noticed that the picture assembly directions aren't completely accurate. The labeled parts don't match the labels on the instructions. The wrench included in my box is too big for any of the bolts or screws used for assembly. After getting the right tools and matching against the instructions, I finally got it assembled. The divider I ordered this week is missing two wheels and there is no number for calling the supplier; thus, I seem forced to return it, instead of easily getting the two wheels. Once assembled, I am pleased with the end product and I consider it a good value.
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Reviewed in the United States on February 6, 2024
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Joseph boodoo
Dallas, US
★★★★★ 5
Good but missing canopy
Size: 4 Panel-88‘’Wide, Color: Black
But I still haven’t recieved my canopy
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Reviewed in the United States on May 17, 2026
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884EVER
West Palm Beach, US
★★★★★ 5
Great privacy screen
Size: 4 Panel-88"W, Color: Grey
Nice item, easy to assemble.
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Reviewed in the United States on January 15, 2026
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cara
Chelsea, US
★★★★★ 5
Great privacy screen
Size: 6 Panel-119"W, Color: Beige
I have a studio apartment and the bathroom is in my bedroom. I bought this to section the area off so guests can use my bathroom without seeing my entire bedroom. This is perfect for that! It looks very nice and offers alot of privacy. The screen is fabric and good quality! I’m a middle aged woman and put it together myself in about 2 hours. Love this!!!
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Reviewed in the United States on September 27, 2025

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