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The Geography of Genius
The Geography of Genius: A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley | Eric Weiner
17 posts | 8 read | 12 to read
An intellectual odyssey, a travelers diary, and a comic novel all rolled into one. Smart, original, and utterly delightful. Daniel Gilbert, Harvard professor and bestselling author of Stumbling on Happiness A charming mix of history and wisdom cloaked as a rollicking travelogue. Walter Isaacson, bestselling author of Steve Jobs Travel the world with Eric Weiner, the New York Times bestselling author of The Geography of Bliss, as he journeys from Athens to Silicon Valleyand throughout history, tooto show how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times. In The Geography of Genius, acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. 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. And, with his trademark insightful humor, he 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? This link can be traced back through history: Darwins theory of evolution gelled while he was riding in a carriage. Freud did his best thinking at this favorite coffee house. Beethoven, like many geniuses, preferred long walks in the woods. Sharp and provocative, The Geography of Genius redefines the argument about how genius came to be. His reevaluation of the importance of culture in nurturing creativity is an informed romp through history that will surely jumpstart a national conversation.
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melissajayne
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My final selection for #12booksof2022. This was a library #bookclub pick and despite my reservations about the book, I quite enjoyed it. My favourite chapters were the ones on Florence and the two chapters set in Vienna. My only complaint was that the chapter on Athens was much too long for my liking.

Andrew65 Excellent. Thanks for playing along. 1y
23 likes1 comment
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melissajayne
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Pickpick

4.5⭐️ I really enjoyed this book and really liked the concept of a place being the reason for genius. He mainly focuses on men and Europe, but the gist I think for anyone who is considered to be a genius there has to be someone who mentors the individual, that they have to be able to exchange ideas w/ those who have different views and ideas, and that they have to have time to think over those ideas in order to make the proper connections.⬇️

melissajayne Also there is truth that ideas are spurred on by exercise (Freud was noted for his daily walk that he took in Vienna), that open plan offices actually are a deterrent to the creative process and that you should have interests outside of your specialty (Darwin apparently loved to read books and that Mozart loved to gamble and entertain) #2022 #bookreview #bookstagram #nonfiction #travel 1y
Bbbbbbbb This sounds like an interesting book, would love to read it! 🤓 13mo
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Blueberry
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1. Trauma and Recovery
2. The Geography of Genius
3. The Recovery Agent by Janet Evanovich

@rachelsbrittain #WeekendReads

KristiAhlers 1 Born Wrong 2 Out of Africa 3. Lessons in Chemistry or The Book of Cold Cases. It‘s a toss up. 2y
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Hooked_on_books
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Pickpick

From Vienna to Huangzhou to Silicon Valley, Eric Weiner travels to places know for cultivating genius at various moments in time to get to the heart of why and how those particular places accomplished this. This is a fun book and a good NF pick for those who may avoid NF, as it balances the lighter travel narrative well with accessible history and social science.

kspenmoll Like your review! 2y
keithmalek I have this book but haven't read it yet. 2y
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TheSpineView
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#QuotsyJul20 @TK-421
#Tropical

I want to go somewhere tropical! 💚🌴🌼

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Naya
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Pickpick

I wish I could travel through the places presented now, looking for creativity.

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WanderingBookaneer
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k.reads Cute bag! 😍 7y
Qemorio Where did you get this book haul banner? I keep looking for them and can't find them. Did you make it? 7y
WanderingBookaneer @Qemorio : Here in the Litsy photo editor. Look in "stickers." 7y
Qemorio @WanderingBookaneer wow I had no idea! 7y
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Leelee08
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Ahhh!! I'm so excited!! These ebooks are on sale today for $2.99....I've been wanting both of these for over a year!😍😍😍📚📚📚

BookishMarginalia 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 7y
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Cookierooks
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😂😂😂😂😂

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alotofsuperfluous
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alotofsuperfluous
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alotofsuperfluous
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alotofsuperfluous
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Fully agree

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alotofsuperfluous
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I just really like this idea about family culture. Thinking about my own

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Breakdownhat

If the proliferation of foodies foreshadows the downfall of a civilization, then America's goose is well and truly cooked.

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Downtonabbeyroad394
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Pool side reading :)

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megt
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"The Renaissance, one of the high points of Western civilization, a historic swerve that created all we consider modern and good, began with a world-class pissing contest."

Love the insights and sass in this book. Great reading experience so far!