Genius - a Very Short Introduction

Drawing on his major work Sudden Genius, Andrew Robinson has produced a very readable account of the nature of genius and its many dimensions. The work ranges across science and the arts, exploring the nature of genius in such paradigmatic figures as Leonardo, Mozart, Shakespeare, Einstein and Newton. It turns out that perseverance and determination are critical, not simply intellectual ability. The author dissects received ideas, finding them oversimplified and is always probing to find a more subtle and comprehensive explanation. The book makes a good introduction to his longer study.