WHY THESE MATTER +WTM PRESS · BOOK SIGNAL
A New History of Humanity
David Graeber and David Wengrow
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Social arrangements are choices, not a single inevitable ladder from simplicity to hierarchy.
Graeber and Wengrow revisit familiar accounts of early societies and the origins of inequality. For leaders, the useful question is whether a present arrangement has become mistaken for the only possible arrangement. Read this beside Sapiens to broaden the models available for thinking about institutions and collective freedom.
WTM’s judgement: valuable as a challenge to inevitability. Historical examples do not automatically establish what will work in a contemporary organisation. Separate evidence about past social diversity from prescriptions for present governance; the argument invites further investigation rather than closing it.
ONE PRACTICAL NEXT STEP
Describe three plausible ways to organise one recurring decision before defending the current structure.
Research-based reading note: publisher synopsis; no claim of a full-text review.
Additional WTM editorial selection; not identified in the supplied photographs. No affiliate tracking added.
Linked US edition: ISBN 9780374157357. Other formats are available through the publisher.
David Graeber (1961–2020) was an anthropologist, writer and activist. His books include Debt: The First 5,000 Years and Bullshit Jobs, and he co-wrote The Dawn of Everything with archaeologist David Wengrow.
Official biography or website ↗David Wengrow is an archaeologist whose research examines early civilizations, inequality and human freedom. He co-wrote The Dawn of Everything with David Graeber and is Professor of Comparative Archaeology at University College London.
Official biography or website ↗Catalogue updated: 10 October 2026. The Webflow Press page is the editable editorial record; this portal carries the launch catalogue edition.
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