The Polymath (Peter Burke)

Why it’s on the list: Burke’s cultural history of five hundred polymaths, from Leonardo to Sontag, and of the narrowing conditions that made each generation of them harder to produce.

Where I saw it: Recommended by @oprydai on X (August 27, 2025): “curious minds who refuse to fit in one box … perfect for generalists, creatives, and anyone who feels pulled in 10 directions.” Distinct from the similarly titled The Polymath by Waqas Ahmed, already on this list.

Connections

• Polymath — the idea, and the page both same-titled books hang off.
• The Polymath — Waqas Ahmed’s book of the same name, a manifesto rather than a history.
• Republic of Letters — the milieu in which the polymath was a normal career.