Notebooks of the Mind: Explorations of Thinking

How do creative people think? Do great works of the imagination originate in words or in images? Is there a rational explanation for the sudden appearance of geniuses like Mozart or Einstein? Such questions have fascinated people for centuries; only in recent years, however, has cognitive psychology been able to provide some clues to the mysterious process of creativity. In this revised edition of Notebooks of the Mind, Vera John-Steiner combines imaginative insight with scientific precision to produce a startling account of the human mind working at its highest potential. To approach her subject John-Steiner goes directly to the source, assembling the thoughts of "experienced thinkers"--artists, philosophers, writers, and scientists able to reflect on their own imaginative patterns. More than fifty interviews (with figures ranging from Jessica Mitford to Aaron Copland), along with excerpts from the diaries, letters, and autobiographies of such gifted giants as Leo Tolstoy, Marie Curie, and Diego Rivera, among others, provide illuminating insights into creative activity. We read, for example, of Darwin's preoccupation with the image of nature as a branched tree while working on his concept of evolution. Mozart testifies to the vital influence on his mature art of the wondrous "bag of memories" he retained from childhood. Anais Nin describes her sense of words as oppressive, explaining how imagistic free association freed her as a writer. Adding these personal accounts to laboratory studies of thought process, John-Steiner takes a refreshingly holistic approach to the question of creativity. What emerges is an intriguing demonstration of how specific sociocultural circumstances interact with certain personality traits to encourage the creative mind. Among the topics examined here are the importance of childhood mentor figures; the lengthy apprenticeship of the talented person; and the development of self- expression through highly individualistic languages, whether in images, movement or inner speech. Now, with a new introduction, this award-winning book provides an uniquely broad-based study of the origins, development and fruits of human inspiration.

About the Author :
Vera John-Steiner is Presidential Professor of Psycholinguists and Director of the Santa Fe Graduate Center at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque.

Review :
"Offers provocative insights about creative thinking and emphasizes how important it is to encourage and support children in their creative endeavors."--Psychology Today "A good book might be measured by the degree to which a reader is inclined to converse with it or with its author through the writing. It should provoke ideas, instigate argument, trigger a run of fantasy or memory of one's own....This, indeed, is such a book."--Bruce Woodford, Santa Fe Reporter "A wealth of testimony...wonderfully illuminated by Vera John-Steiner's analytic skill."--Vivian Gornick, author of Women in Science "This book offers a lucid, articulate discussion of creativity, various thought processes, and a way for students to explore their own in a readable and engrossing manner."--Nancy King, Phd, University of Delaware "Throws new light on the origins and nature of creative minds."--Fred M. Hechinger, The New York Times "Offers provocative insights about creative thinking and emphasizes how important it is to encourage and support children in their creative endeavors."--Psychology Today "This superbly readable book leads the reader through the labyrinthine visual and verbal minds of some of the major creative thinkers of the twentieth century. Future students of linguistics, psychology, literary theory and cultural history will have to take account of Notebooks of the Mind."--Shirley Brice Heath, Stanford University "A fascinating exploration."--Courtney Cazden, Harvard University "Gives you a feeling of 'being there' in some creative person's study talking things over."--Howard E. Gruber, Rutgers University "A good book might be measured by the degree to which a reader is inclined to converse with it or with its author through the writing. It should provoke ideas, instigate argument, trigger a run of fantasy or memory of one's own....This, indeed, is such a book."--Bruce Woodford, Santa Fe Reporter "A wealth of testimony...wonderfully illuminated by Vera John-Steiner's analytic skill."--Vivian Gornick, author of Women in Science "A rich repository of information and insights concerning the thinking processes of creative individuals."--Frederic L. Holmes, Yale University