In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Library Edition) [Unabridged] [Audio CD]

Matthew E. May (Author), Malcolm Hillgartner (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 1, 2009

This is a fresh, compulsively readable narrative of the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs, in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture. In this thought-provoking exploration, Matthew May defines elegance as the elusive combination of unusual simplicity and surprising power and pinpoints the four key elements that characterize it: seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, physics, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers a surprising array of stories that illustrate why what s not there often matters more than what is.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Advance Praise for In Pursuit of Elegance

“In Pursuit of Elegance is a fascinating intellectual romp that will change the way you look at your surroundings. As he takes readers from Jackson Pollock paintings to Dutch intersections to the secret menu at In-N-Out Burger, Matt May reveals the hidden elements beneath genuine innovation. This book is surprising, compelling, and, yes, extremely elegant.”
—Daniel H. Pink, author of A Whole New Mind and The Adventures of Johnny Bunko

“As elegantly written as it is provocative, In Pursuit of Elegance makes a convincing—nay, worldview-shifting—argument that less is best.”
—Ori Brafman, coauthor of Sway

“Enlightening. Makes a compelling case for doing more with less by optimizing the expenditure of one’s assets and resources. That’s something anyone can and should put into practice.”
—Kevin Hunter, president, CALTY Design Research, Inc., Toyota Design Network

“What a masterpiece! The definitive guide to the ‘less is more’ mind-set. I meant to only take a quick glance at In Pursuit of Elegance, but once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop. In a world where everything keeps getting more complicated and overwhelming, Matthew May shows us that if we start looking for things to take out, things to stop doing, and intelligent shortcuts, we will all be happier, do superior work, and live in a better world.”
—Robert I. Sutton, Stanford professor and author of The No Asshole Rule --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

About the Author

MATTHEW E. MAY, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, is the author of the critically acclaimed The Elegant Solution. A popular speaker, he lectures on ingenuity and innovation to corporations, governments, and universities around the world. He spent nearly a decade advising Toyota, and his articles and profiles have appeared in USA TODAY, Strategy & Business, the Wall Street Journal, and on CNN and National Public Radio. He lives in Lake Sherwood, California.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio CD
• Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.; Unabridged Library Binding edition (June 1, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1433292300
• ISBN-13: 978-1433292309
• Product Dimensions: 6.2 x 6.6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (29 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,246,920 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

MATTHEW E. MAY is the author The Shibumi Strategy: A Powerful Way to Create Meaningful Change (forthcoming Nov. 16, 2010), In Pursuit of Elegance (2009), and The Elegant Solution (2006). A popular speaker, he lectures on innovation strategy, design thinking, and corporate creativity to corporations, governments, and universities around the world, and works confidentially with creative teams and senior leaders at a number of top Fortune-listed companies. He spent nearly a decade as a close adviser to Toyota, and his articles have appeared in national publications such as Design Mind, MIT/Sloan Management Review, USA Today, Strategy+Business, and Quality Progress. He has appeared in The Wall Street Journal and on National Public Radio. A graduate of the Wharton School of Business and Johns Hopkins University, he lives in Southern California.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

47 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars I beg to differ, May 24, 2009

By 

Martin P. Cohen "Seeker" (Langhorne, PA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Hardcover)

I fail to see what is so great about this book. The idea of elegant solutions is nothing new. The author's definition of elegance is anything but elegant. Consider this definition of elegant instead - "simple, intuitive and powerful."

The book did a lot of rambling. It could be cut by at least a third without loss. I found many of the examples to be contrived, like the California fast food joint with the small menu and an additional secret menu. Does this strike you as elegant?

The one thing that I have praise for is the presentation of the concept of symmetry. The author showed how mathematicians came up with a definition for a term that many may initially feel is undefinable. The mathematical definition of symmetry is a good example of elegance. I disagree, however, with the insistence that elegant solutions must always be symmetric.

16 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much better than some of the reviews would imply, October 21, 2009

By 

Mark W. Richards (Charleston, SC USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Hardcover)

First of all, I have well over 2000 biz books in my library and this is one of my favorite books. It takes a very difficult subject, elegance, and does a credible job explaining what it is and what it isn't.

This is not a step by step book to creating elegant solutions or products. Rather, it presents a compelling argument on why subtraction can lead to elegance. Why doing nothing is so difficult for humans and organizations but is many times the right thing "to do". Why in-action or restraining your brain from wanting to add can lead to breakthroughs in elegant design.

The author works hard to give examples from a wide range of disciplines. Because of this broad stroke of the brush, the only complaint would be that he does not delve deep enough into some of these examples. But by leaving some space, it made me want to dig deeper into some of the examples. Engaging a readers curiosity to seek more is exactly what elegance is all about. And I think the author balanced this perfectly.

Do yourself a favor...ignore the negative reviews on here. Under no circumstance does this book deserve less than 4 stars. It is easy to read and engages your brain in a provocative way...what more can you ask from a book?

17 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Inelegance in action, May 28, 2009

By 

Guy in Pants (Houston) - See all my reviews

This review is from: In Pursuit of Elegance: Why the Best Ideas Have Something Missing (Hardcover)

There is a core of good observation lost in a kerfluffle of inelegance in this book. An illuminating presentation would be watching a good editor go over In Pursuit of Elegance in pursuit of some elegance, demonstrating how an excess of adverbs weakens, how sloppy use of adjectives obscures, how whipping up a froth of examples demonstrates the absence of the elegance praised. We would end up with a pamphlet of richness and evocation, but not with this book. What is before us is of publishable book length, I suppose, but is an unintentionally comical example of the opposite of what it extols.