With contributions from a multi-disciplinary group of expert contributors, this is the first handbook to discuss all aspects of genius, a topic that endlessly provokes and fascinates. * The first handbook to discuss all aspects of genius with contributions from a multi-disciplinary group of experts * Covers the origins, characteristics, careers, and consequences of genius with a focus on cognitive science, individual differences, life-span development, and social context * Explores individual genius, creators, leaders, and performers as diverse as Queen Elizabeth I, Simon Bolivar, Mohandas Gandhi, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Leo Tolstoy, John William Coltrane, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Martha Graham. * Utilizes a variety of approaches-from genetics, neuroscience, and longitudinal studies to psychometric tests, interviews, and case studies-to provide a comprehensive treatment of the subject