Range

How Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World

By: David Epstein

Narrated by: Will Damron

'A gold mine of surprising insights. Makes you smarter with every page' – James Clear, bestselling author of Atomic Habits

The essential guide to improving your performance, and a powerful argument for how to succeed in any field: develop broad interests and skills while everyone around you is rushing to specialize.

Instant Sunday Times and New York Times Bestseller
Shortlisted for the Financial Times/McKinsey Business Book of the Year Award
A Financial Times Essential Read

From the ‘10,000 hours' rule to the power of tiger parenting, we have been taught that success in any field requires early specialization and many hours of deliberate practice. If you only dabble or delay, you'll never catch up with those who got a head start.

This is completely wrong.

In this landmark book, David Epstein shows you that the way to succeed is by sampling widely, gaining a breadth of experiences, taking detours, experimenting relentlessly and juggling interests – this is the power of developing range.

Studying the world's most successful athletes, artists, musicians, inventors and scientists, Epstein demonstrates why, in most fields. generalists, not specialists are primed to excel.

In the years since its initial release, Range has challenged the status quo, reshaped career paths and changed lives. Listen it to view the world differently.

'I loved Range' – Malcolm Gladwell, bestselling author of Outliers and The Tipping Point

'Fascinating . . . if you're a generalist who has ever felt overshadowed by your specialist colleagues, this book is for you' – Bill Gates

Critic reviews

I think his ideas even help explain some of Microsoft’s success, because we hired people who had real breadth within their field and across domains. If you’re a generalist who has ever felt overshadowed by your specialist colleagues, this book is for you (Bill Gates)

A goldmine of surprising insights. Makes you smarter with every page (James Clear, New York Times bestselling author of Atomic Habits)

A captivating read that will leave you questioning the next steps in your career — and the way you raise your children (Adam Grant, author of Originals and Think Again)

David Epstein manages to make me thoroughly enjoy the experience of being told that everything I thought about something was wrong. I loved Range (Malcolm Gladwell, author of Outliers)

An urgent and important book, an essential read for bosses, parents, coaches, and anyone who cares about improving performance (Daniel H. Pink, author of Drive and To Sell is Human)

It’s a joy to spend hours in the company of a writer as gifted as David Epstein. And the joy is all the greater when that writer shares so much crucial and revelatory information about performance, success, and education (Susan Cain, author of Quiet)

Extraordinary

The storytelling is so dramatic, the wielding of data so deft and the lessons so strikingly framed … [it’s] a pleasure to read . . . Range offers such a wealth of thought-provoking material

Fabulous . . . If you are interested in champions' journeys, this is for you (Judy Murray on Twitter)

Masterful. Perfect holiday reading (Dr Adam Rutherford, scientist and broadcaster, author of A Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived)

Anyone contemplating a change of career late in life will find Range immensely reassuring. If you calculate that you don't have 10,000 hours left in which you can reasonably practice, you can use your range to connect ideas and use your varied experience (Daniel Finkelstein, The Times)

Brilliant, timely, and utterly impossible to put down. If you care about improving skill, innovation, and performance, you need to read this book (Daniel Coyle, author of The Talent Code)

Range elevates Epstein to one of the very best science writers at work today. The scope of the book—and the implications—are breathtaking (Sebastian Junger, filmmaker and author of The Perfect Storm)

One of the most thought-provoking and enlightening books I’ve read (Maria Konnikova, poker player and author of The Confidence Game)

I want to give Range to . . . everyone who wants humans to thrive in an age of robots. Range is full of surprises and hope, a 21st century survival guide (Amanda Ripley, author of The Smartest Kids in the World)

Everyone should experience this book

I loved this. I'm relieved because of it. I would share this with everyone I know.

Loved it!

Detailed explanations backed up by educational yet entertaining anecdotes and evidence. A must-read for anyone who has any intention on learning things

Counter intuitive genius

There are many stories in the overarching theme of the book. The takeaway should not be narrow and simple as the narrative it debunks. 'Start early and specialize or you will be behind' is not supported by evidence. That is one take away. But there is much more. Breath of experience is important even in very specialized fields of knowledge like nobel science candidates. The common narrative in education institutions is go make yourself a specialist, needed and important, acomplish something and then you will feel good about yourself is terribly wrong. The advice should be changed for something like: experiment and test different things, let yourself time to really experience a variety before specializing in one thing. Even then, keep your interests broad and wide between no related disciplines you like. That will keep you from burnout and enrich you in ways no obvious even to you. That broader experience will make your contributions more original and impactful! A must re read. Doesn't exhausts it's content in one pass. Definetely will recommend.

one of my most valuable and enjoyable

excellent. well done David. Thank you for the extra range that you have given my brain.

Wide ranging examples, easy listen

Great tone and speed, examples were well founded, researched and personalised to appeal to a wide range of listeners