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The Genius Myth

A Curious History of a Dangerous Idea
By Helen Lewis
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Brief Description
The Sunday Times bestselling take-down of the genius myth, exploring the surprising history of invention, inspiration and distortion by which some lives are elevated to 'greatness' - and the unexpected consequences for us all. 'This is the book we need right now' CAROLINE CRIADO PEREZ 'Lucid,... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
$3000
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Releases 20th October 2026 (Approx. Date) Pre-order  "The Genius Myth" now to secure your copy from our first shipment

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The Sunday Times bestselling take-down of the genius myth, exploring the surprising history of invention, inspiration and distortion by which some lives are elevated to 'greatness' - and the unexpected consequences for us all.

'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

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781529967661

Publisher: Vintage Publishing

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 18 June 2026

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Vintage

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 23.0mm

Width: 127.0mm

Height: 197.0mm

Weight: 234g

Pages: 352

Collections

Helen Lewis History & Archaeology History & Military Non-Fiction Non-Fiction Pre-Orders Penguin Books Pre-order Books Pre-orders Pre-orders by Release Date

About the Author

Helen Lewis is a staff writer at The Atlantic, based in London, who writes about politics and culture. Her first book, Difficult Women: A History of Feminism in 11 Fights, was a Sunday Times bestseller and a Guardian, Telegraph and Financial Times book of the year. She is the writer and presenter of the BBC podcast series The New Gurus and Helen Lewis Has Left the Chat, and co-host of Radio 4's Kafka vs Orwell and Strong Message Here. She won the 2024 Kukula Award for excellence in non-fiction book reviewing.

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