Now in trade paperback, Beyond Civilization is poised to reach the huge audience that catapulted this author's Ishmael onto the paperback bestseller lists. In his first work of non-fiction to build on the ideas of his "Ishmael" books, Daniel Quinn argues provocatively that civilization - a system to which we cling as it carries us toward global catastrophe - is an idea whose time has past. If humanity is to survive, we must move beyond civilization, not back to the tribal cultures that sustained our species for millions of years, but forward to a new tribal way of life that is right for our age. This new tribal culture is best exemplified by a circus whose members all work toward the same goal. In Beyond Civilization, Quinn argues persuasively that this is no utopian dream. It is a vital necessity that we must begin moving toward today.