On the Origin of Tepees

Adopting the part of a cultural Darwin, renowned BBC filmmaker Jonnie Hughes heads off to the exotic American Midwest to observe the natural history of ideas. As he dissects what makes some ideas flourish and others die off, he tours the supersized Mall of America, records the variety of Indian tepees, and investigates whether a single man can be blamed for inventing the cowboy hat.

As he journeys to the other side of the planet to make sense of our world, Hughes considers the fashion for mutant lowriding jeans, the wording of successful jokes, the hugely diverse ways in which people tie shoelaces, why Coke wins the cola wars, and other funny bits of cultural survival. Original, witty, and engaging, On the Origin of Tepees will change how you understand the birth of ideas – and how they shape our lives.