The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley
(Adobe EPUB eBook, Kindle Book, OverDrive Read)
In this "intellectual odyssey, traveler's diary, and comic novel all rolled into one" (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A "superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating" (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this "big-hearted humanist" (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as the geniuses who flourished in these settings to see if the spirit of what inspired figures like Socrates, Michelangelo, and Leonardo remains. In these places, Weiner asks, "What was in the air, and can we bottle it?"
"Fun and thought provoking" (Miami Herald), The Geography of Genius reevaluates the importance of culture in nurturing creativity and "offers a practical map for how we can all become a bit more inventive" (Adam Grant, author of Originals).
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Eric Weiner. (2016). The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. Simon & Schuster.
Chicago / Turabian - Author Date Citation (style guide)Eric Weiner. 2016. The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places From Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. Simon & Schuster.
Chicago / Turabian - Humanities Citation (style guide)Eric Weiner, The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places From Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. Simon & Schuster, 2016.
MLA Citation (style guide)Eric Weiner. The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places From Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley. Simon & Schuster, 2016.
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- bioText: Eric Weiner is author of the New York Times bestsellers The Geography of Bliss (now a docu-series featuring Rainn Wilson) and The Geography of Genius, as well as the critically acclaimed Man Seeks God and The Socrates Express. A former international correspondent for NPR, his work has appeared in The Atlantic, National Geographic, The Washington Post, The Wall Street Journal, and the anthology Best American Travel Writing. He lives with his family and a menagerie of animals in the Washington, D.C. area. For more information, visit: EricWeinerBooks.com.
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- Tag along on this New York Times bestselling "witty, entertaining romp" (The New York Times Book Review) as Eric Winer travels the world, from Athens to Silicon Valley—and back through history, too—to show how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times.
In this "intellectual odyssey, traveler's diary, and comic novel all rolled into one" (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A "superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating" (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this "big-hearted humanist" (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as the geniuses who flourished in these settings to see if the spirit of what inspired figures like Socrates, Michelangelo, and Leonardo remains. In these places, Weiner asks, "What was in the air, and can we bottle it?"
"Fun and thought provoking" (Miami Herald), The Geography of Genius reevaluates the importance of culture in nurturing creativity and "offers a practical map for how we can all become a bit more inventive" (Adam Grant, author of Originals). - reviews
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November 23, 2015
In an ambitious attempt to determine the genesis of genius and the conception of creativity, former NPR correspondent Weiner (The Geography of Bliss) travels to history’s great hot spots of innovation. As he walks the hallowed streets of Athens, Calcutta, Edinburgh, Hangzhou, Silicon Valley, and other storied locales, he investigates the elements and factors that came together to turn these places into centers of cultural and technological advancement. Weiner speaks with resident experts and recounts the stories of thinkers and doers alike to chart the progress of ideas over the centuries. “Do these genius clusters come in one flavor or many,” he asks, “and did the genius of the place evaporate completely, or do trace elements remain?” But in Weiner’s quest to understand what makes genius and what causes certain places at certain times to hit a creative critical mass, he seems to end up with more questions than answers, accepting that there is no one true, predictable way to determine how and where genius will strike. He tackles this thought-provoking topic intelligently and doggedly, but occasionally loses focus and direction. Weiner’s work is definitely more about the journey than the destination. Agent: Sloan Harris, ICM.
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November 1, 2015
Journalist Weiner (The Geography of Bliss) illustrates the power that culture and location can lend to creative efforts. Using a series of well-crafted travel essays, the author propels readers across the globe from Athens to the Song Dynasty in China, Florence during the Renaissance, Vienna, Calcutta, and even Silicon Valley to experience the "origins" of invention in each of these places, illuminating historical figures such as Socrates, Plato, Michelangelo, Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Sigmund Freud. Each essay goes into the depths of the environs that spawned many of the world's great artistic, intellectual, scientific, and philosophical awakenings. Weiner illustrates several of the properties of these innovative events, proving that all arose from the cultural milieu of the time. No two were alike yet many received their initial spark of genius from unlikely places, whether a back street in Calcutta or a coffee shop in Vienna. The author successfully carries to fruition his intentions of providing a well-written compilation of "histories" of renaissance events, proving that imaginative ideas can originate in any place at any time as long as the mind is receptive. VERDICT A welcome read for lovers of geography, history of geography, historical travel, travelogs, and the history of science. [See Prepub Alert, 7/13/15.]--John Dockall, Austin, TX
Copyright 2015 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
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November 15, 2015
In this follow-up of sorts to his best-seller The Geography of Bliss (2008), Weiner explores the concept of the creative golden age, attempting to get to the heart of why certain places produce clusters of geniuses. A former foreign correspondent for NPR, Weiner sets up his exploration as a travelogue, devoting each chapter to a trip through a place where geniuses once thrived (Athens, Hangzhou, Florence, Calcutta, Vienna) as well as present-day Silicon Valley. Weiner is an affable tour guide and a lively, witty writer in the style of Bill Bryson; the connections he makes between places of genius are sharp and sometime unexpected. Though the characters he encounters are engaging and entertaining, they occasionally seem a bit too convenient, showing up with sound bytes of wisdom just when he needs it. Nonetheless, Weiner not only leads readers on an enchanting journey with serious questions at its core, he also thoroughly debunks the myth of the lone genius and makes a provocative case for the three d's of creativity: disorder, diversity, and discernment.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2015, American Library Association.)
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April 25, 2016
In an ambitious attempt to determine the genesis of genius and the conception of creativity, former NPR correspondent Weiner (The Geography of Bliss) travels to history’s great hot spots of innovation. As he walks the hallowed streets of Athens, Calcutta, Edinburgh, Hangzhou, Silicon Valley, and other storied locales, he investigates the elements and factors that came together to turn these places into centers of cultural and technological advancement. In the audio edition, Weiner reads with a clear and articulate voice while also communicating the fun and amusement of his travels. He is most entertaining when recalling the people encounter amid his research. These interactions provide clear cut opportunities to change pace and pitch, which helps not only to clarify who is speaking but also add texture to the performance. Other times, during long bouts of straight prose, his straight forward narration does not keep the listener fully attuned. A Simon & Schuster hardcover.
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In this "intellectual odyssey, traveler's diary, and comic novel all rolled into one" (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A "superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating" (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this "big-hearted humanist" (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as... - sortTitle
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