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  • Ishmael

  • An Adventure of the Mind and Spirit
  • Written by: Daniel Quinn
  • Narrated by: Anthony Heald
  • Length: 2 hrs and 54 mins
  • 4.6 out of 5 stars (138 ratings)

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Ishmael

Written by: Daniel Quinn
Narrated by: Anthony Heald
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Publisher's Summary

One of the most beloved and best-selling novels of spiritual adventure ever published, Ishmael has earned a passionate following. This special 25th anniversary edition features a new foreword and afterword by the author.

“A thoughtful, fearlessly low-key novel about the role of our species on the planet ... laid out for us with an originality and a clarity that few would deny.” (The New York Times Book Review)

Teacher Seeks Pupil. Must have an earnest desire to save the world. Apply in person.

It was just a three-line ad in the personals section, but it launched the adventure of a lifetime.

So begins an utterly unique and captivating novel. It is the story of a man who embarks on a highly provocative intellectual adventure with a gorilla - a journey of the mind and spirit that changes forever the way he sees the world and humankind’s place in it.

In Ishmael, which received the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship for the best work of fiction offering positive solutions to global problems, Daniel Quinn parses humanity’s origins and its relationship with nature, in search of an answer to this challenging question: How can we save the world from ourselves?

Explore Daniel Quinn’s spiritual Ishmael trilogy: Ishmael • My Ishmael • The Story of B

Praise for Ishmael

“As suspenseful, inventive, and socially urgent as any fiction or nonfiction you are likely to read this or any other year.” (The Austin Chronicle)

“Before we’re halfway through this slim book ... we’re in [Daniel Quinn’s] grip, we want Ishmael to teach us how to save the planet from ourselves. We want to change our lives.” (The Washington Post)

“Arthur Koestler, in an essay in which he wondered whether mankind would go the way of the dinosaur, formulated what he called the Dinosaur’s Prayer: ‘Lord, a little more time!’ Ishmael does its bit to answer that prayer and may just possibly have bought us all a little more time.” (Los Angeles Times)

©1992 Daniel Quinn (P)1995 Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, Bantam Doubleday Dell Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

What the critics say

“Deserves high marks as a serious - and all too rare - effort that is unflinchingly engaged with fundamental life-and-death concerns.” (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“[Quinn entraps] us in the dialogue itself, in the sweet and terrible lucidity of Ishmael’s analysis of the human condition....It was surely for this deep, clear persuasiveness of argument that Ishmael was given its huge prize.” (The Washington Post

What listeners say about Ishmael

Average Customer Ratings
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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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Does not disappoint

This was my first true audiobook experience. I have not read Ishmael previously. So, although it's been on my to-buy list on Amazon for a long time, when it came time, instead of buying Ishmael in a physical format, I selected the audible version. The story is compelling and does not disappoint. Narrator is top notch.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fantastic

Captivating performance that kept the narrative interesting from start to finish.

This is a relatively short and sweet type of story that offers a new perspective into human culture for those who have not extrapolated to think beyond what we have been told.

Well worth the listen, or perhaps two...

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  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars
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    1 out of 5 stars

Deconstructionist Post Modern Intellectual Drivel

Great book for “I’m 14 and this is deep” enjoyers.

Great performance despite the simplistic message.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

I bought this book intending to return it.

I heard about it from listening to Will Smith’s biography. I thought I’d track it down and listen to it. When I discovered how short it was, I balked, thinking that there couldn’t be enough value to justify my spending a precious credit for such a merger amount of time. After a time, I relented and bought it, and after another, shorter time, I listened to it.

I am keeping this book.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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I think everyone needs to hear this

it says this part is optional n n b b b b n b b b

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Narration is INCREDIBLE

The story is great, the narrator makes it phenomenal. Great and thought provoking read, would recommend to anyone

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Awesome book

Great book that makes you rethink about life and human civilization. highly recommend you give this a shot. Best book I've read.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Fascinating!

Loved it so much! So knowledgeable and full of insights.
Tryly everyone would benefit from reading it!

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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an inconvenient truth meets the republic

short story shorter: quit destroying the planet so we can have badass further evolved creatures.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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That explains it...

An evocative commentary on our socio economic fiasco, with hope for a noble ending. I am certainly going to give it my best effort. I am now looking forward to reading the print version of the book.

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