Strange Brains And Genius (Hardcover)

~ (Author) "Although few people today recognize the name of Nikola Tesla, his name should be as important as Thomas Edison's in the annals of electrical technology..." (more)
Key Phrases: pykrete ships, strange brains, sprained brain, Oliver Heaviside, New York, Nikola Tesla (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

What is the connection between genius and madness? IBM-based polymath Clifford Pickover approaches the question in a characteristically eclectic way. First he looks at the lives of a collection of eccentric scientists, from Nikolai Tesla to the Unabomber, giving each a name ("The Fly Man from Galway"; "The Rat Man from London") deliberately reminiscent of Sigmund Freud's names for his cases. Then Pickover discusses obsessive-compulsive disorder and the relationship between brain structure and genius. The book is organized less by an overall thesis than by what interests Pickover; thus, it includes descriptions of vaults filled with brains in formaldehyde, what it means to say that we use only 10 percent of our brains, e-mail replies to a poll on what a supergenius might be, and the latest research on the biochemistry of intelligence. Dedicated "to the cracked, for they shall let in the light," the book is engaging, haphazard, thought-provoking, and genial. --Mary Ellen Curtin

From Publishers Weekly

Filled with 200 years of eccentric geniuses, this delightful collection of profiles assembles an eclectic and fascinating sampling of scientists (as well as some artists and writers) with a far-ranging assortment of phobias, compulsions, odd belief systems and extraordinarily weird habits. Chief among the scientists is Nikola Tesla, father of alternating current and countless other electrical devices, who could be seen on New York City's streets covered in pigeons, was obsessed with the number three and repulsed by jewelry, particularly pearls. Then there is Oliver Heaviside, a Victorian mathematician and electrical researcher who painted his nails bright pink, signed his correspondence "W.O.R.M." and cruelly kept the woman charged with his care a virtual prisoner in her own house, later driving her into catatonia. Also explored are the lives of Samuel Johnson, van Gogh and legendary mathematician Paul Erdos, among others. Pickover, a high-tech inventor and researcher at IBM and a prolific author (TimeAA Traveler's Guide; Forecasts, Apr. 20) shows genuine fondness for his subjects and an appreciation of their accomplishments, which he explains clearly and succinctly. More than simply cataloguing unusual traits, Pickover also speculates on causes and diagnoses, such as obsessive-compulsive disorder and Temporal Lobe Epilepsy (TLE). This is lively and immensely enjoyable scientific history. Photos throughout.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 332 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; 1 edition (March 21, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0306457849
• ISBN-13: 978-0306457845
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (37 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,194,583 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 22 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beyond a Beautiful Mind, January 17, 2002

By	Emily Rosen (New Jersey) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives Of Eccentric Scientists And Madmen (Paperback)

Strange Brains and Genius is by far the best book I have read that catalogues numerous examples of the fine line between genius and frailty in a wide range of colorful and influential people. Nikola Tesla had a horror of women's pearl earrings. Oliver Heaviside, the father of modern electric-circuit design, painted his nails cherry pink. Renowned scholar Samuel Johnson had so many tics and quirks that some mistook him for an idiot. Jeremy Bentham, the British philosopher who promoted the idea, "the greatest good for the greatest number of people", fell in love with rats. He also advised rich people to plant embalmed corpses of their ancestors upright along highways. There apparently is a link between extreme genius and madness in certain individuals. Pickover also goes further and discusses the role of the brain in religious and alien abduction experiences.

Pickover points out that in repressive times, strange geniuses have been persecuted, but in more enlightened eras these nonconformists have had the freedom to make great contributions to science and society. Are their minds like our own, or are they so different that these geniuses should be viewed as entirely different beings? What do geniuses have in common, and how can we foster their continued emergence? Is their a link between their obsessions and their creativity?

This book is organized into three parts. In Part I, Pickover discusses several geniuses with obsessive-compulsive (and Asperger's) tendencies. Many of the individuals might have Asperger's syndrome (characterized by an impairment in social interaction and development of restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior, interests, and activities). Part II is smorgasbord of short subjects ranging from IQ to the influence of the brain's structure on behavior. Part III discusses how individuals were selected for this book and describes the effect of other disorders such as bipolar disorder and temporal-lobe epilepsy on creativity, religion, and even the alien abduction experience.

Buy this amazing book and go beyond "A Beautiful Mind"

12 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Probably Pickover's Worst Book, June 9, 2001

By	"starandysmom" (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives Of Eccentric Scientists And Madmen (Paperback)

This is a survey book of Eccentricity and Genius. The first 180 pages are organized into sections on Biographical Fact (Fact Files), Technical Contribution (Straight Dope), and Litany of Eccentricities (Strange Brain) for the following individuals: Nikola Tesla, Oliver Heaviside, Samuel Johnson, Richard Kirwan, Jeremy Bentham, Henry Cavendish, Francis Galton, Geoffrey Pyke, and (?!) Unabomber Theodore Kaczynski.

Pickover's premise is that the personal 'strangeness' of these individuals significantly contributed to their brilliance and accomplishments. If they had been 'less strange' they would have accomplished less.

He also provides 20 pages of mini-biographies of people who missed the first cut, including: Paul Erdos, Richard Feynman, Charles Darwin, Howard Hughes, Edward Leedskalnin, and others.

The shallower parts of this survey include rehashes on topics like Einstein's Brain, the 10% Brain Use Myth, and IQ. He meditates pointlessly on Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (in all of it's varieties), Trichotilliomania, Temporal Lobe Epilepsy, and other aspects of Genius and Strangeness (including Autism, Homosexuality, and Schizophrenia).

There are also 2 other very weird parts of the book. The first is a 'Human Mind Questionnaire' which spends 25 pages reporting on an anonymous (and unscientific) survey which he conducted on the internet. In another part of the book, he spends a dozen pages on extracts from 'Science' and 'Science News' from 1995/1996 to show that neuroscience and psychological issues are topical.

The book has some lackluster footnotes, a skimpy biblography, and a Table of Contents.

Pickover has written some wonderful, insightful, original books and technical articles over the years. It's hard for me to believe that the same guy wrote this book. Perhaps he didn't ... it seems more like the work of a summer intern or inexperienced research assistant. If this book was 150 pages shorter and better edited, it could have been extraordinary.

19 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Sloppy Writing and Scholarship: An Insult to Great Figures, November 20, 2003

By	"tobyrobb" (Montpelier, VT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives Of Eccentric Scientists And Madmen (Paperback)

It is hard to imagine that a book with such promising and interesting subject matter could be executed in a poorer fashion. Pickover repeatedly blows his credibility with unsubstantiated speculations and personal comments. He writes the book in a first person sense with frequent interjections of "I think..." and "What interests me...". Within the first few pages, not only are his research methods and facts called into question, but one starts to wonder if even his personal credentials are legitimate.

The content of the book, kindly refered to in the editorial review as "eclectic", is a scattershot collection of Pickover's ramblings as muddled as the books front cover. Apparently, the title "Strange Brains and Genius: The Secret Lives of Eccentric Scientists and Madmen" was neither vague nor general enough for Pickover who, midway through the book, drifts off into such varied subjects as cryonics and UFO abduction.

The unforgivable disgrace of this book comes from Pickover's reduction of intellectual giants to "Strange Brains" as he revels in the dirty little details of great scientist's lives. Frequently the narrative takes the tone of mocking these men and women of history for their personal habits. Pickover writes in the schoolyard manner (and quality) of singling people out because of their differences and ridiculing them. This vice is then combined with a tabloid sense of sensationalism and sold behind a glossy cover.

If, after reading these reviews, you are still set on buying this book - more power to you. If you are interested in a more scholarly and objective examination of creativity and genius, however, consider "Creating Minds" by Howard Gardner