The Genius Myth

£12.99

The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist. The tech disruptor. You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate. Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Floridian rocket launches of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Helen Lewis unravels a word that we all use – without really questioning what it means. Along the way, she uncovers the secret of the Beatles’ success, asks how biographers should solve the Austen Problem, and reveals why Stephen Hawking thought IQ tests were for losers (before taking one herself). And she asks if the modern idea of genius – a class of special people – is distorting our view of the world.

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Scheduled for publication on 18th June, 2026
The book will be available on or after this date. If you would like to preorder a copy, we will notify you when it is ready to collect.

SKU: 9781529967661 Category: Tag: Publisher/imprint : Vintage
Page count : 352
Published on 18th June, 2026

Description

‘This is the book we need right now’ CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ

‘Lucid, funny and fascinating’ ADAM BUXTON

The tech disruptor. The tortured poet. The rebellious scientist. The monstrous artist.

You can tell what a society values by who it labels as a genius. You can also tell who it excludes, who it enables, and what it is prepared to tolerate.

Taking us from the Renaissance Florence of Leonardo da Vinci to the Floridian rocket launches of Elon Musk’s SpaceX, Helen Lewis unravels a word that we all use – without really questioning what it means – and asks if the modern idea of genius is distorting our view of the world.

‘Brilliant, timely and compulsively readable’ OLIVER BURKEMAN

‘A provocative, witty book’ TLS

Additional information

Weight 0.5 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 3.5 cm
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