The Teachings: That Came Before and After Ishmael Paperback – October 2, 2014

If you're new to Daniel Quinn's books (or have only read Ishmael), then this book is great. If you've read The Story of B, Providence, My Ishmael or the others, then this is not a good version because the story is interrupted by commentary, so you can't lose yourself in the story. It's a bit like reading a documentary about his books except that a good portion of each book except Ishmael is represented.

I bought the Kindle edition and will buy the hard copy next. I enthusiastically recommend it to those, like myself, who have read all of Daniel Quinn's work. It helps to be reminded of the teachings. Even moreso, I recommend this to people who have only read ISHMAEL. You are in for a treat. As always, Daniel Quinn's writing is entertaining, instructive, thought provoking.

If you are a daniel quinn fan this is a must have! Amazing book. It had all the main points of his major books. If i had one book to give tell somebody to read it would be this one. Words do not do it justice.

wonderful author

David Byrne asked, "How did I get here?"Daniel Quinn gives you the tools perspectives to answer the question for yourself.Can't say enough.

After reading Ishmael many years ago, I was hungry for more, full of questions, and desperately wanted the experience to continue. There were new places in my mind after reading Ishmael, and I needed to fill them. So I read The Story of B and My Ishmael. I waited for Random House to release Beyond Civilization. With each book, more of my questions were answered, and those places that Ishmael opened in my mind were not only filled and organized, they got bigger. Things shifted, made more sense, and it was all as exciting as turning the pages of Ishmael for the first time.Most people finish Ishmael with a mix of enthusiasm for the ideas and sadness that the journey is seemingly over. But it isn't over by far. With The Teachings, you can move forward, backward, in and around the mind of Ishmael. Daniel Quinn has compiled key readings from the works that led to and flowed from Ishmael. They show where his journey began and they illuminate the ideas in Ishmael in ways that are as satisfying and surprising as the original experience. Quinn also provides new reflections on each work which guide the reader's progress.In Arthur Schopenhauer's preface to The World as Will and Representation, he wrote that the "single thought" of his philosophy, "however comprehensive it might be, must preserve the most perfect unity. If it is divided up in order to be communicated, the various parts must still be organically coherent, i.e. each part containing the whole just as much as it is contained by the whole, with no part first and no part last, the whole thought rendered more distinct through each part, and even the smallest part incapable of being fully understood without a prior understanding of the whole." With The Teachings that Came Before and After Ishmael Daniel Quinn gives readers the whole (as much as can be given in one volume) so that putting it beside Ishmael, their understanding may be complete. From now on, whenever I give or recommend Ishmael to new readers, it will always be with The Teachings that Came Before and After. And if you are intrigued by any part of The Teachings, which is inevitable, the books from which they were drawn are all still in print.

The Teachings by Daniel Quinn a must read. (Written by Mary Lou Boone, Firefly's mom). Daniel Quinn is my very favorite author and always will be. He is nothing short of a genius and evidently the judging panel thought so too when Quinn in 1991 was awarded the Ted Turner Tomorrow Fellowship Award, which is the largest ever given to a single work of literature. Daniel Quinn's newest book the Teachings That Came Before & After Ishmael covers several of his works and an enormous amount of factual information that includes diverse topics tieing together creative solutions to global problems. Even though the book was an easy read it is compelling, very deep and intense. It is written to be thought provoking not just about the topics but also affords the reader self evaluation bringing one closer to their true character and soul. Daniel Quinn's writing seems to allow the reader freedom of choice and never dictates an opinion with the information presented. I sincerely believe Daniel Quinn will go down in history as having told the entire world the most important information to save our planet. This book is a must read for every person who cares about life and the future of life. The Teachings is such a wonderful book that I want everyone to read, so I plan to gift it to all my family and friends for the coming holidays. I'm sure anyone who reads this book will want to do the same.

“Is it so easy to change a cultural vision? Ease and difficulty are not the relevant measures. Here are the relevant measures: Readiness and unreadiness. If people aren’t ready for it, then no power on earth can make a new idea catch on. But if people are ready for it (and I think they are), then a new idea will sweep the world like wildfire.” ~ from The Invisibility of SuccessDaniel Quinn's canon of intellectual and literary achievements, as encapsulated in The Teachings That Came Before & After Ishmael, represents a fertile, rational, and inspiring indication of the kind of cultural vision-shift we are ready for.For readers like myself who have followed his work since the publishing of Ishmael in 1992, this book is an enjoyable refresher that rekindles the flames that were sparked the first time around. It also represents a perfect introduction to his work for old fans to introduce to new readers.That the various reading selections were both selected and introduced by the author himself has the added advantage of minimizing the chance of misrepresentation by a third party, while also shining a new and intimate light on the pieces themselves, their significance, and their context in Mr. Quinn's ongoing work as a Storyteller with an "earnest desire to save the world."I highly recommend this book -- and all Daniel Quinn's work -- to any Earthling who shares this desire.

As always, another fantastic book by QuinnWould highly recommend

Provate! E provate poi a leggere tutti gli altri libri di Daniel Quinn. Nuova Rivoluzione Tribale su ishmael.org. ( V. D.)