[.ca] Encyclopedia of Creativity, Two-Volume Set (ISBN 0122270754)

From Amazon.com:
Those wishing to study or provoke the creative process know that it is by nature elusive. Academic Press designed the Encyclopedia of Creativity, edited by Mark Runco and Steven Pritzker, to help pin it down by presenting the state of the art in social-science research and theory in a comprehensive, yet accessible, two-volume set. Nearly 200 entries, including important concepts such as Problem Finding and Serendipity, and biographical sketches of creative geniuses such as Sylvia Plath and Charles Darwin, fill 1,400 pages with insights and ideas for people working on the theory or the practice of creativity. Be warned: Though it is accessible, it isn't pleasure reading. The biographies are occasionally enlightening (if somewhat arbitrary), but most entries are written with the social-science professional in mind and are consequently rather dry. This is no weakness for the serious researcher, however; in fact, the definitions and bibliographies are very helpful for focusing the reader's thinking about difficult subjects. The serious-minded student will find plenty to play with in the Encyclopedia of Creativity. --Rob Lightner

Nice work:
Wonderful work. Comprehensive and varied. It is "Academic," for the most part, but NOT highly technical. Best of all it has articles by everyone who is anyone in the field. All of the major figures in this field contributed. Not light reading, but if you want to know what the experts say, this is the book.

Highly Disappointing:
This is a highly disappointing encyclopedia on creativity. I had looked forward toward receiving it for a long time. In the end, it's nothing but a collection of articles written by academics, most of whom have no credibility or standing in the field. Why the editor did not consult with the leading practioners of creativity and creative thinking is beyond me. Don't waste your money, as I did. Read it in the library.

Creativity, academic style, mixed results:
I have been a student of creativity for quite some time, so I ordered these books with very high hopes of it bringing together emerging thought from the enormous variety of work on the subject (admittedly, a very lofty task)...I found, however, that the presentation of the book was very flat, especially considering the nature of this exciting and dynamic field (THIS IS CREATIVITY WE'RE TALKING ABOUT, USE IT! ). Articles are presented in traditional academic style, mostly by (and consequently for) academics, with no evident interweaving of common themes or archetypes, betraying the essence of any holistic treatment of the subject... Many, including C.G. Jung, say that creativity develops from the generative interplay between intuition, the senses, feeling and thinking functions. The irony is that the presentation of this book captures one or two of these functions at best.

An Academic book for other academics:
This is not worth anything close to the price that I, unfortuneately paid for it. Unless, of course, you love reading the kind of thing academics love to write to impress other academics and relatives. I cannot begin to tell you how so far off the mark everything in this book is. Suffice it say, it is not an encyclopedia of creativity. It is a collection of accademic papers which rehash the same old things. One has to wonder if any of the contributors have ever read any of the classic books on creativity that are out there. They, I think, could learn a lot.

A Vital Resource about Creativity:
This is an essential set of books for people who are seriously interested in learning what is known about creativity today. The writers are academics who have spent many years investigating and writing about creativity. They carefully avoid "you can do it" cheerleader type material based on half-baked ideas and unproven notions. That said, some of the entries could be clearer and better written. Nevertheless, I found many inspirational ideas and resources from both a personal and business perspective.