THE STORY OF STORIES

From fires to phones, this book tells the surprising story of storytelling.

A long-forgotten woman on the edge of the Persian Gulf authored the first written story. A teenager in Tennessee defied social norms to embrace the roots of rock 'n roll. An accountant trying to save a struggling factory in post-Mao Beijing. A family in rural Texas whose lives were forever changed by the algorithms of social media: This book shows how ordinary people, good tools, and the human mind combine to make storytelling the most powerful force that shapes our lives and transforms humanity.

Stories, whether they are published to huge audiences or told in intimate conversations, affect our understanding of ourselves. Different technologies have altered and amplified these effects, redistributed the power of storytelling from the few to the many, and driven revolutions throughout human history.

Examples from art, literature, music, and pop culture illustrate a passionate and immensely rewarding exploration of how the way we tell stories change us and our world.

Kevin Ashton is a technologist, author, and entrepreneur. He coined the term "the Internet of Things". His first book "How to Fly a Horse: The Secret History of Creation, Invention, and Discovery (Doubleday, 2015)" was named Porchlight's "Business Book of the Year" and sold abroad in 13 countries. His writing about innovation and technology has appeared in the New York Times, The Atlantic, The Daily Telegraph and Politico.