Ishmael: A Novel (Ishmael Series Book 1)

Name: Ishmael: A Novel (Ishmael Series Book 1)
Price: 1.99 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 4.6 (7057 reviews)
Author: Daniel Quinn

by Daniel Quinn

Literary Fiction Religion Spirituality

4.6 (7,057)

4.6 stars from 7,057 reviews. One of the highest rated Literary Fiction books we track.

264 pages~4.4 hr readPublished by Tandem LibraryPublished 1992-01-01

$1.99Deal87% off peak

Last checked: Jun 3, 2026

Price history: $1.99 – $14.99

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Price range: $1.99 – $14.99

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Perfect for you if...

You're questioning the stories you've been told about human progress and want to explore radically different ways of thinking about civilisation.
You appreciate philosophical fiction that doesn't lecture. You'd rather discover ideas through dialogue and narrative than be preached to.
You're drawn to speculative premises that make you reconsider your place in nature. You read to have your worldview gently upended.

Maybe not for you if...

You want plot-driven narrative with conventional story beats. This is a novel built almost entirely on conversation and intellectual exploration.
You're sceptical of anthropomorphised animals or prefer your fiction grounded in strict realism. A talking gorilla is central here.
You're looking for a quick, entertaining read. This requires patience and genuine engagement with dense philosophical ideas.

About this book

A man responds to a three-line personal ad seeking a pupil earnest about saving the world. This launches an intellectual and spiritual adventure with a gorilla that transforms how the protagonist understands humanity's place on the planet. Ishmael explores humanity's origins and relationship with nature, examining how we might save the world from ourselves. The novel received the Turner Tomorrow Fellowship for offering positive solutions to global problems. This twenty-fifth anniversary edition includes a new foreword and afterword by Daniel Quinn. The book is the first in Quinn's spiritual trilogy, followed by My Ishmael and The Story of B.

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Price History

Kindle price over time. Green zones = periods when the book was free.

$1.99 – $14.99

Currently on sale at $1.99 — 87% off peak. Price has dropped 10 times over the last 6 years. Goes on sale roughly every 249 days. Typically stays discounted for 3 days.

Sales Rank

Amazon sales rank: lower number = better selling book. #1 is the bestseller.

Currently around #11K in the Kindle store — a steady mid-list seller.

Rating & Reviews

Purple line = star rating over time. Blue area = total review count growth.

Currently 4.6★ from 7,057 reviews

Gaining approximately 22 new reviews per month. Steady word of mouth growth. Rating has remained stable at 4.6 over the tracking period.

Sale Prediction

Actual Predicted

This book is currently discounted at $1.99. It typically returns to around $14.99.

Prices shown in USD from Amazon US. We continuously pull new data to improve tracking. If dates look old, it usually means there has been no significant change since the last data point.