Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Old Way: A Story of the First People

One of the books on Sam Altman's Bookshelf

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Old Way: A Story of the First People launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   The Old Way▲77

   A story of the first people

   2015 · its alternatives →

2. 2
   Sapiens▲185

   A brief history of humankind

   2015 · its alternatives →

3. 3
   We the People▲63

   The second generation of Founding Fathers

   2016 · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Before the dawn▲66

   Recovering the lost history of our ancestors

   2015 · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Story▲83

   The classic guide to the fundamentals of storytelling

   2015 · its alternatives →

6. 6
   The Shape of Time▲62

   Remarks on the history of things

   2016 · its alternatives →

7. 7
   The Muqaddimah▲56

   An introduction to history

   2015 · its alternatives →

8. 8
   The Gene▲64

   An Intimate History

   2016 · its alternatives →

9. 9
   What the Dormouse Said▲55

   How the Sixties Counterculture Shaped the Personal Computer

   2015 · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Understanding Media▲70

    The Extensions of Man

    2016 · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Originals: How Non-Conformists Move the World▲53

    Take the one less traveled by.

    2016 · its alternatives →

12. 12
    How Humans Learned to Cross the Ocean▲115

    A new story from Hardbound

    2016 · its alternatives →

13. 13
    Wanderlust▲61

    A history of walking

    2016 · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Long Walk to Freedom ▲71

    The autobiography of Nelson Mandela

    2015 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    Animal Farm and 1984▲71

    George Orwell's Classic Tales

    2015 · its alternatives →

16. 16
    The Sovereign Individual▲77

    Mastering the Transition to the Information Age

    2016 · its alternatives →

17. 17
    Man V. Nature▲148

    Stories that illuminate the complexity of human behavior

    2015 · its alternatives →

18. 18
    The Great War and Modern Memory ▲77

    Profound study on how WW1 created our ironic, modern world

    2015 · its alternatives →

19. 19
    The Art of People▲73

    Simple people skills that will get you everything you want

    2016 · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Originals▲66

    How non-conformists move the world.

    2015 · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Doing Good Better▲127

    How effective altruism can help you make a difference

    2015 · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Let Me Tell You A Story▲80

    A new approach to healing through the art of storytelling

    2015 · its alternatives →

23. 23
    A Million Miles in a Thousand Years▲62

    How I Learned to Live a Better Story

    2015 · its alternatives →

24. 24
    The Road to Little Dribbling▲70

    Adventures of an American in Britain

    2016 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →