Peak

Author Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool
Narrator Geoffrey Beevers
Publisher Random House
Publish Date 12 May 2016
Run Time 10 hours and 41 minutes
Format Audio
Genre Cognition and cognitive psychology, Memory improvement and thinking techniques, Popular science.

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What to expect

Mozart wasn’t born with perfect pitch.

Most athletes are not born with any natural advantage.

Three world-class chess players were sisters, whose success was planned by their parents before they were even born.

Anders Ericsson has spent thirty years studying The Special Ones, the geniuses, sports stars and musical prodigies. And his remarkable finding, revealed in Peak, is that their special abilities are acquired through training. The innate ‘gift’ of talent is a myth. Exceptional individuals are born with just one unique ability, shared by us all – the ability to develop our brains and bodies through our own efforts.

Anders Ericsson’s research was the inspiration for the popular ‘10,000-hour rule’ but, he tells us, this rule is only the beginning of the story. It’s not just the hours that are important but how you use them. We all have the seeds of excellence within us – it’s merely a question of how to make them grow. With a bit of guidance, you’ll be amazed at what the average person can achieve.

The astonishing stories in Peak prove that potential is what you make it.

Critics Review

Most “important” books aren’t much fun to read. Most fun books aren’t very important. But with Peak, Anders Ericsson (with great work from Robert Pool) has hit the daily double. After all, who among us doesn’t want to learn how to get better at life? A remarkable distillation of a remarkable lifetime of work

Stephen J. Dubner, bestselling author of FREAKONOMICS

Offer[s] an optimistic anti-determinism that ought to influence how people educate children, manage employees and spend their time.

The Economist

This book is a breakthrough, a lyrical, powerful, science-based narrative that actually shows us how to get better (much better) at the things we care about.

Seth Godin, author of LINCHPIN

The science of excellence can be divided into two eras: before Ericsson and after Ericsson. His groundbreaking work, captured in this brilliantly useful book, provides us with a blueprint for achieving the most important and life-changing work a person can achieve: to become a little bit better each day.

Daniel Coyle, bestselling author of THE TALENT CODE

Ericsson’s research has revolutionized how we think about human achievement. He has found that what separates the best of us from the rest is not innate talent but simply the right kind of training and practice. If everyone would take the lessons of this book to heart, it could truly change the world.

Joshua Foer, bestselling author of MOONWALKING WITH EINSTEIN

An invaluable exploration into the details of what makes the difference between simply going through the motions (for 10,000 hours!) and practising to reap significant improvement. A thought-provoking and extremely useful book.

Harriet Beveridge, author of WILL IT MAKE THE BOAT GO FASTER?

His ultimate message is an uplifting, optimistic one and should be applauded.

Daily Mail

Invaluable.

Learning Spy

The work of the academic psychologist Anders Ericsson has inspired half a dozen popular accounts of the relationship between talent and effort. This year, with the science writer Robert Pool, he produced a book of his own, Peak: Secrets from the New Science of Expertise (Bodley Head), which may be the liveliest and clearest of the lot.

Books of the Year, New Statesman

The clear style helps cast new light on a subject I thought I understood. I found his discussion of mental representations and the distinction between purposeful and deliberate practice especially illuminating

Leaning Spy, Book of the Year

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