--- product_id: 344453252 title: "The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag" price: "NZ$69" currency: NZD in_stock: true reviews_count: 11 url: https://www.desertcart.nz/products/344453252-the-polymath-a-cultural-history-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to store_origin: NZ region: New Zealand --- # The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag **Price:** NZ$69 **Availability:** ✅ In Stock ## Quick Answers - **What is this?** The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag - **How much does it cost?** NZ$69 with free shipping - **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship - **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.nz](https://www.desertcart.nz/products/344453252-the-polymath-a-cultural-history-from-leonardo-da-vinci-to) ## Best For - Customers looking for quality international products ## Why This Product - Free international shipping included - Worldwide delivery with tracking - 15-day hassle-free returns ## Description From Leonardo Da Vinci to Oliver Sacks: the first history of the western polymath, from the Renaissance to the present "An absorbing group portrait and intellectual history."— Kirkus Reviews "An admirable mixture of industry and erudition."—Robert Wilson, Wall Street Journal From Leonardo Da Vinci to John Dee and Comenius, from George Eliot to Oliver Sacks and Susan Sontag, polymaths have moved the frontiers of knowledge in countless ways. But history can be unkind to scholars with such encyclopedic interests. All too often these individuals are remembered for just one part of their valuable achievements. In this engaging, erudite account, renowned cultural historian Peter Burke argues for a more rounded view. Identifying 500 western polymaths, Burke explores their wide-ranging successes and shows how their rise matched a rapid growth of knowledge in the age of the invention of printing, the discovery of the New World and the Scientific Revolution. It is only more recently that the further acceleration of knowledge has led to increased specialization and to an environment that is less supportive of wide-ranging scholars and scientists. Spanning the Renaissance to the present day, Burke changes our understanding of this remarkable intellectual species. Review: Why do some people excel in more than one area? - This was an interesting review of people who qualify as polymaths. It is well referenced, so follow up questions can be addressed by readers. The author (Peter Burke) spends some time describing individuals as generalists or specialists (he uses foxes and hedgehogs as descriptors). I wish that he had also discussed the difference between specialists and experts. In my sarcastic sense I think of a specialist as: Somebody who knows more and more about less and less until he or she knows everything about nothing. An expert needs more than branching logic and lots of facts. A grandmaster chess player can play times simultaneous games and win. I postulate that this may be more related to pattern recognition (like machine learning) than brute memory or logic. Are polymaths better are perceiving patterns, and thus able to use this talent in multiple fields? Review: An interesting study. You will find it thought provoking. - “The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag,” by Peter Burke, Yale Univ Press, New Haven, CT, 2020. The dictionary defines polymath as one with encyclopedic knowledge or those with expertise in three or more fields. In this 327-page paperback Peter Burke elaborates. He collects a list of 500 polymaths and presents them with brief biographies in chronological order. His list is based on their writings especially in academic terms. He notes that until about 1850, it may have been possible for an individual to know “everything.” After about 1850 the explosion of knowledge made that impossible. He attributes that to the expansion of universities and surprisingly to the development of cheap paper from wood pulp. He does not mention the printing press. Burke then characterizes polymaths from his data. His portrait section lists key aspects as curiosity, concentration, memory, speed, imagination, restless energy, work, timeliness (in a hurry), competitive, and playful. In the work section there is suggestion that Protestant work ethic may be part of it, but then discounts that notion as Catholics, Jews and others also qualify. He cites Leonardo Syndrome as an aspect. That seems to be procrastination. The inability to complete projects. There always seems to be another better idea to examine. He explores many other characteristics. Early exposure to knowledge as in an encyclopedia is often a factor. Groups as in families or groups of friends contributes. Especially in the sciences groups that review new developments, scientific societies that hold meetings, and journals that publish results are pluses. His list of polymaths includes many we know. Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps best known. Others include Copernicus, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Voltaire, Samuel Johnson, Adam Smith, Joseph Priestly, Thomas Jefferson, Lavoisier, Goethe, Wilhelm and Alexander von Humbolt, Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Freud, HG Wells, John Maynard Keynes, Aldus Huxley, Buckminster Fuller, Leo Szilard, Linus Pauling, John Von Neumann, Peter Drucker, Alan Turing, and Richard Feynman. No doubt this list is subject to much discussion. Exactly what criteria are used and who was overlooked. This is an interesting study. You will find it thought provoking. Photos. References. Index. ## Technical Specifications | Specification | Value | |---------------|-------| | Best Sellers Rank | #328,117 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #217 in Renaissance Literary Criticism (Books) #241 in Philosopher Biographies #1,309 in Author Biographies | | Customer Reviews | 4.3 out of 5 stars 101 Reviews | ## Images ![The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/61KPSeXq7tS.jpg) ## Available Options This product comes in different **Media Language, Media Format** options. ## Customer Reviews ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Why do some people excel in more than one area? *by F***. on January 6, 2021* This was an interesting review of people who qualify as polymaths. It is well referenced, so follow up questions can be addressed by readers. The author (Peter Burke) spends some time describing individuals as generalists or specialists (he uses foxes and hedgehogs as descriptors). I wish that he had also discussed the difference between specialists and experts. In my sarcastic sense I think of a specialist as: Somebody who knows more and more about less and less until he or she knows everything about nothing. An expert needs more than branching logic and lots of facts. A grandmaster chess player can play times simultaneous games and win. I postulate that this may be more related to pattern recognition (like machine learning) than brute memory or logic. Are polymaths better are perceiving patterns, and thus able to use this talent in multiple fields? ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ An interesting study. You will find it thought provoking. *by P***R on October 20, 2023* “The Polymath: A Cultural History from Leonardo da Vinci to Susan Sontag,” by Peter Burke, Yale Univ Press, New Haven, CT, 2020. The dictionary defines polymath as one with encyclopedic knowledge or those with expertise in three or more fields. In this 327-page paperback Peter Burke elaborates. He collects a list of 500 polymaths and presents them with brief biographies in chronological order. His list is based on their writings especially in academic terms. He notes that until about 1850, it may have been possible for an individual to know “everything.” After about 1850 the explosion of knowledge made that impossible. He attributes that to the expansion of universities and surprisingly to the development of cheap paper from wood pulp. He does not mention the printing press. Burke then characterizes polymaths from his data. His portrait section lists key aspects as curiosity, concentration, memory, speed, imagination, restless energy, work, timeliness (in a hurry), competitive, and playful. In the work section there is suggestion that Protestant work ethic may be part of it, but then discounts that notion as Catholics, Jews and others also qualify. He cites Leonardo Syndrome as an aspect. That seems to be procrastination. The inability to complete projects. There always seems to be another better idea to examine. He explores many other characteristics. Early exposure to knowledge as in an encyclopedia is often a factor. Groups as in families or groups of friends contributes. Especially in the sciences groups that review new developments, scientific societies that hold meetings, and journals that publish results are pluses. His list of polymaths includes many we know. Leonardo da Vinci is perhaps best known. Others include Copernicus, Francis Bacon, Robert Boyle, Robert Hooke, Isaac Newton, Voltaire, Samuel Johnson, Adam Smith, Joseph Priestly, Thomas Jefferson, Lavoisier, Goethe, Wilhelm and Alexander von Humbolt, Charles Babbage, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Freud, HG Wells, John Maynard Keynes, Aldus Huxley, Buckminster Fuller, Leo Szilard, Linus Pauling, John Von Neumann, Peter Drucker, Alan Turing, and Richard Feynman. No doubt this list is subject to much discussion. Exactly what criteria are used and who was overlooked. This is an interesting study. You will find it thought provoking. Photos. References. Index. ### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ An invaluable read *by P***S on September 20, 2020* An excellent book, well written and well cited. 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