When in their lives are innovators most creative, and why? This book summarizes more than two decades of research prompted by this question. The result is an authoritative statement of a new unified theory of creativity, that overturns both popular and scholarly beliefs about the sources of human inventiveness. David Galenson shows that there are two distinctly different kinds of creativity in virtually every discipline.

Conceptual innovators make bold leaps to formulate new ideas. The most radical conceptual innovations are made by brash young geniuses, who often lose their creativity thereafter.

Experimental innovators make discoveries gradually and unobtrusively, through careful observation and generalization. They gain knowledge over time, and make their greatest contributions late in their lives.

From analysis of the careers of scores of artists, scholars, and entrepreneurs, this book provides a new understanding of the creative processes of great innovators, and reveals the systematic patterns that underlie the two life cycles of creativity. It will be of interest to anyone who seeks a deeper understanding of the sources of human creativity.