The best books on what makes creativity—of any kind—the most powerful force in the universe

Simply one of the most enlightening, nourishing books any artist of any discipline can read. It first acknowledges the cultural and individual value of "finding your own voice" and then proceeds, in the most straightforward, stirring way, to provide clues for how to do so.

I know almost nothing of poetry, but Rilke, like other great artists, transcends his medium. It wasn't necessary for me to know or care anything about that art to be moved deeply by his personal commitment and soulful knowledge of his craft. A winner.

This Zen-like book affirmed, for all subsequent generations of guitarists, that music instruction books didn't have to be dull, theory-laden texts filled with patterns and cliches. Mick was all about creativity, open-mindedness, exploration, and thinking outside the coffin.

Ultimately, many years after reading it as a teenager, I was greatly inspired by its refusal to adhere to the status quo when I wrote my own book. All musicians, even those less creative, are aware that the essence of great playing is spontaneity: the willingness to stand close to the primal fire of creation, even though there's a danger of being burned. One of the most important guitar books ever and worth a look even for non-musicians.

This book washed over me like a fresh Spring breeze after a long Winter. Any time an artist can speak eloquently about their motivations, sensitivities, and beliefs, it provides validation to all other artists even if, as in Kandinsky's case, it seems some of his certainties verged on dogma. But I'll take artistic dogma over inartistic ambiguity any day.

Art is the closest thing to nature that human beings can create, yet its relevance can be completely overlooked by the general public. Documents such as this are like messages in a bottle, hieroglyphs on the cave wall of contemporary society left for discovery by future—and hopefully more receptive—generations.

This book beautifully, soulfully and informatively documents the life of one of America's greatest artists. I reveled in its pages, marvelling at the inner workings of the man and at the fascinating life he led for decades at the forefront of American music.

At various times tragic, hilarious, enlightening, scary, off-putting and inspiring, he couldn't have made it more like his own music if he'd tried. I never met Miles, but this particular book has the ring of veracity about it—at times, brutally so—and the countless stories of virtually every notable musician in Jazz and beyond are entertaining and eye-opening. Loved it.

A testament to a mind so creative as to be able to conceive of a seemingly workable blueprint for the the survival of the human race, in detail, while simultaneously writing of a protagonist deserving of one's attention and sympathy.

Extremely intelligent and groundbreaking in its ideas of reworking the place of currency in a global economy, and of the critical role that science must be allowed to play in any conceivably effective survival strategy. Bored yet? Don't be. By the time I finished reading this book, all I wanted was for everyone on the planet to read it, or have it read to them.

The book certainly isn't a penny dreadful—it took a while to get through it, honestly. But I was exceedingly glad I did, to the point where it may be time for me to tackle it again. A truly great, important book.