The Geography of Genius

A Search for the World's Most Creative Places from Ancient Athens to Silicon Valley

By: Eric Weiner

Narrated by: Eric Weiner

Length: 14 hrs and 10 mins

Publisher's summary

Travel the world with Eric Weiner, the New York Times best-selling author of The Geography of Bliss, as he journeys from Athens to Silicon Valley - and throughout history, too - to 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: Darwin's theory of evolution gelled while he was riding in a carriage. Freud did his best thinking at his favorite coffeehouse. 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 jump-start a national conversation.

©2016 Eric Weiner. All rights reserved. (P)2016 Simon & Schuster, Inc. All rights reserved.

Not groundbreaking, but worthwhile nonetheless

Love the way the author writes, he takes you on the journey around the world with him. From his hangovers to his discoveries, you really feel like a part of his journey of discovery.

The best audible purchase ever

Really enjoyed this book. I've bought hundreds of audible books but this was the best. Ive tried several sources to understand why the Greeks did so much in such a short span and this book answers that and many other questions. Will listen again

fascinating book!

Excellent research and review on the topic of genius! it really got me thinking about what I could do to inspire genious in my own environment!

Fun Journey of Global Genius

Thoroughly enjoyed this book and learned a great deal of history along the way. Mr. Weiner takes the listener to the places and people he is describing in an enjoyable and light-hearted manner. I have recommended it to many friends already.

Another great one

Not quite as satisfying as The Geography of Bliss... But very very good. I'm hoping he keeps writing books like this and that there is another new geography to find.

Historically entertaining, presently useful

The eloquence of words and artistry of story wraps the lessons of history like a warm blanket on a cold winter night.

Spoiler Alert Review

What an amazing book. I wish he would have spent more time with Silicon Valley. I hope a new edition comes out soon with more information on Silicon Valley

Travel through times past.

If you could sum up The Geography of Genius in three words, what would they be?

Eclectic, Irreverent, Humerous

What did you like best about this story?

It reminded me of the travel stories of Bill Bryson all be it these locations were displaced in time as well as in space.

What’s the most interesting tidbit you’ve picked up from this book?

Reading this with the current political slogan of "Make America Great Again" shows how hopeless and counter productive those policies are.

Any additional comments?

The selection of locations and times for ages of genius was highly skewed by the author. No clear definition of what is genius nor why the periods that he picked were better examples than other times and places. Certainly the time of Elizabethan England was missed.

Strained conclusions

An interesting romp trough some of the global nexuses of brilliant work. Lots of historical perspective but also lots of hasty conclusions, perhaps driven by the author' s preconceptions. A case in point. Presumption: The church (or religion in general) squelched creativity. No genius could develop in its "shadow". The author coveniently disregards Copernicus, Mendel, Bacon, Ockham and many others. Might the church also be a super-geographic locatiom of genius? Another example is the concept of "phase transition" as a brilliancy driver. Increase the population density and a non linear dramatic change will happen. The analogy to states of matter is unfortunate. Yes, water will transition to ice under pressure but only under enormous pressure thousands of times atmospheric (or all the ocean bottoms would be solid ice). A lot easier to just slow a sparse population down a little (cool) to get the same effect...

A rambling collection of interesting musings...

A rambling collection of interesting musings, reasonably entertaining, but not a particularly nourishing read.

Mr. Weiner gadflys from one far-flung center of historical creative flowering to another, and on to our own contemporary Silicone Valley. Along the way he interviews not-necessarily-authoritative or compelling people, and generally brings us anecdotal, almost stream-of-consciousness considerations, as to possible correlations between geography and genius; and / or any other arguably plausible environmental prerequisites thereto.

Mr. Weiner is an articulate fellow, and tells pleasant anecdotes. The stories of the people he meets on his travels are reasonably amusing if not altogether to the point. His ponderings on genius and it's underpinnings are interesting if not definitive. The narration is surprisingly good given that the author reads the book himself (usually a big mistake). Weiner has an excellent voice and reads very well.

Still and all, there isn't all that much "there" there in this book. The author's reveries are somewhat entertaining, but the conclusive suggestions and pronouncements he dribbles and drabbles along the way seem much subjective, and not much authoritative; --again this book comes off more or less as a compendium of the author's meandering meditations under the influence of travel. It occurred to me more than once when listening to this book, that it reads like an author's erudite excuse for tax-deductible world travel.

In sum, unless you're looking for a very light listen, you can better allocate your time and expense elsewhere among audible's extensive offerings.