I perused the book but it was bought for my son who just grduted ASU in creative writing - poetry.

My only dissapointment was emailing the author to no avail

George Sudduth

"The grass is a uniform hieroglyphic." - W.W.

Some books will simply not go away.

I am glad this one has endured.

Through its many sub-title revisions, The Gift has retained its place as a prime interpreter of gift and commodity societies, and their relation to a culture of creativity. The connections Hyde constructs between art, science and literature are capable of provoking limitless discussion, increasing frustration, and possess enlightenment potential.

Hyde weaves modernity and tradition, and succinctly sums economy and philosophy at the close of chapter five where he states, "both anarchism and gift exchange share the assumption that it is not when a part of the self is inhibited and restrained, but when a part of the self is given away, that community appears."

I was initially drawn to the author by his second non-fiction prose work Trickster Makes The World: Mischief, Myth and Art. A year later, this earlier work captured my attention because of an ongoing search for contemporary sources that contain chapters on Whitman. The Gift's ninth chapter is where Hyde's genius became vivid for this reader, and as a bonus, in concert with another reviewer, my whole view of Pound shifted, especially in view of the Ginsberg story.

It is striking to see a book categorized as Literary Criticism/Sociology on the back cover of the original Vintage edition, and then noted on the copyright page as 3. Economic Anthropology, and 4. Art and Society, with three major poets' testimonies cited to Hyde's credit on the back cover. Why, because this is not the sort of crossover, or fusion (to use the music industry term) you expect to find. Reading any of the ten chapters, conclusion, new introduction, or afterword to the 25th Anniversary Edition individually is worthwhile. Especially the afterword for artists and arts communities. Reading the book in toto is deeply satisfying in a disturbing sort of way.

What led me to write this brief review was not an earnest desire to spread my Whitmananian obsession. What I discovered after finishing the ninth chapter and returning to the first in order to read the entire text, is an ethnologist's collection of tales, history, and economics, with an omniscient POV for the present. As the reader follows Hyde's stories and reasoning to the end, there will be sufficient exposure to a mind-altering view of the arts and the world. What is most gratifying is how The Gift has retained its currency, in spite of a few dated references from an earlier generation.

There are five things in particular that make Hyde's work worth reading.

1. His eloquence as he combines seemingly tangential sources. Nevertheless, as with poetry, reader patience and stamina are required.

2. The author possesses an ever-aware connection with the now, no matter how much history or philosophy he challenges readers to absorb.

3. It is apparent that Hyde maintains a capacity for change and growth within the scope of 385 pages. Note the beginning of his conclusion: ". . . Such, at any rate, were my assumptions when I began to write." I like experts who admit to being human. One expects this quality of judgment suspension in good scientific writing; to find it in a book purported to be literary criticism is heartening.

4. Hyde demonstrates a finely tuned understanding of Whitman in chapter nine, which efficiently explains the mystery of the greatest American Poet's creative awakening.

5. The Gift offers (albeit some 20 years in advance) a balance for Richard Florida's Rise of the Creative Class. Although, some may see it as a corollary work, or even a substantiation of Florida.

In order to conduct my own experiment, and add a witness to those of Bly, Zweig and Sarton found on the back cover of the original Vintage edition, I have introduced Hyde's book to the members of the Village Book Club in the form of a gift.

Whether conscious of our quest along the fabled lines of The Gift, or not, we will continue to act out the drama of Hyde's most provocative and enduring dilemma: "How, if art is essentially a gift, is the artist to survive in a society dominated by the market?" One other reviewer answered it by saying "art will outlast the market." How will you answer the question?

Again, caveat lector: this book of Hyde's is not beach reading.

The gift is to the giver . . . it cannot fail. - W. W.

There are nothing but gifts on this poor, poor Earth. - Czeslaw Milosz

I had quite a few problems with this book. Let me start by saying that he obviously knows how to put words together. However the first part of the book about the anthropological aspects of the gift culture is not anything new, as he takes excerpts from various works in the field and strings them together. His contemporary example of the scientific community is innacurate. I know from 1st hand experience that the scientific community is highly competitive, and often requests for material from fellow scientists is ignored, or refused. I also could not tie it all together to understand his message. I got lost in the words. The second half is more satisfying but I am puzzled by his choice of Ezra Pound. Pound was obviously mentally ill, and the forgiveness bestowed on him by Ginsberg for his part in encouraging the Holocaust is a pathetic joke. First of Ginsberg was about as Jewish as the pope, and secondly who is he to forgive him? He cannot speak for 6 million dead souls.

well so far so good, I have not finished this book yet. it is a bit long for me, not being much of a book finisher. But it is a nice slow read if you keep with it. it makes me think alot and it takes me a while to apply some of his persectives to my life. Ah but when I do! it is a very rewarding experience and truly gets me far more excited about the digging through the rest of this book. It is a bit to filled with old world tales or obscure facts about the unusual scitzophrenic rate in scottland for my tastes. Yet these stories do work and I am reminded of my philosophy 101 teacher who said, "you can tell by how well someone can illustrate something, how well they understand what they are tallking about", so over illustration is not a bad thing to me, because I do sense and feel how deeply this author believes in what he is talking about. You get the feeling he spent his whole life thinking about it. The tone reminds me of listening to my beloved father inlaw who grew up driving tractors at 11 yrs old Nebraska. The authors heart like my Father inlaws heart is the real gem of this book. I did not major in philosophy, but this feels like my kind of philosophy. the book does stick to its promise to encourage bedroom musicians and artists struggling with their place in a capitalistic world.

If you need some wholesome optimism, I can say it is working for me.

"Freely you have recieved, Freely give" maybe easier than you think.