The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Ansary, Tamim
The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Ansary, Tamim

The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection

In this extraordinary book, an award-winning author tells the story of how humans invented history, from the...
$37.69 USD
$72.99 USD
$37.69 USD
Please hurry! Only 1225 left in stock
Author: Tamim Ansary
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Subtotal: $37.69
The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Ansary, Tamim

The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection

$72.99 $37.69
The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection by Ansary, Tamim

The Invention of Yesterday: A 50,000-Year History of Human Culture, Conflict, and Connection

$72.99 $37.69
Author: Tamim Ansary
Format: Paperback
Language: English
Description
In this extraordinary book, an award-winning author tells the story of how humans invented history, from the Stone Age to the Virtual Age

"Terrific... Tamim Ansary explores the underappreciated ways that empires, nations, and smaller sets of people have responded to their surroundings, influenced one another, and developed stories that give their lives meaning." ―San Francisco Chronicle

Traveling across millennia and cultures, The Invention of Yesterday argues that world history is a narrative we're constantly inventing. Fifty thousand years ago, we roamed the world as countless autonomous bands of hunter-gatherers, each one telling itself a story of the world with itself at the center. We used narratives to organize for survival and explain the unfathomable, and these stories evolved into the bases for cultures, empires, and civilizations. When disparate narratives collided, the encounters produced everything from confusion, chaos, and war to cultural efflorescence, religious awakenings, and intellectual breakthroughs.

In this updated edition with a new postscript, Tamim Ansary uses insightful, vivid stories to illuminate how our propensity to invent a shared symbolic universe has shaped our journey from the Stone Age to the Virtual Age.

Author: Tamim Ansary
Publisher: PublicAffairs
Published: 02/24/2026
Pages: 464
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 0.95lbs
Size: 8.10h x 5.40w x 1.40d
ISBN: 9781541706224

About the Author
Tamim Ansary is the author of many books, including Destiny Disrupted. He has published essays and commentary in the San Francisco Chronicle, Salon, the Los Angeles Times, and more. Born in Afghanistan in 1948, he moved to the US in 1964. He lives in San Francisco.
Shipping & Return

Returns Policy

You may return most new, unopened items within 30 days of delivery for a full refund. We'll also pay the return shipping costs if the return is a result of our error (you received an incorrect or defective item, etc.).

You should expect to receive your refund within four weeks of giving your package to the return shipper, however, in many cases you will receive a refund more quickly. This time period includes the transit time for us to receive your return from the shipper (5 to 10 business days), the time it takes us to process your return once we receive it (3 to 5 business days), and the time it takes your bank to process our refund request (5 to 10 business days).

If you need to return an item, simply login to your account, view the order using the "Complete Orders" link under the My Account menu and click the Return Item(s) button. We'll notify you via e-mail of your refund once we've received and processed the returned item.

Shipping

We can ship to virtually any address in the world. Note that there are restrictions on some products, and some products cannot be shipped to international destinations.

When you place an order, we will estimate shipping and delivery dates for you based on the availability of your items and the shipping options you choose. Depending on the shipping provider you choose, shipping date estimates may appear on the shipping quotes page.

Please also note that the shipping rates for many items we sell are weight-based. The weight of any such item can be found on its detail page. To reflect the policies of the shipping companies we use, all weights will be rounded up to the next full pound.

Review