This is a fresh, compulsively readable narrative of the elusive element behind so many innovative breakthroughs, in fields ranging from physics and marketing to design and popular culture.

In this thought-provoking exploration, Matthew May defines elegance as the elusive combination of unusual simplicity and surprising power and pinpoints the four key elements that characterize it: seduction, subtraction, symmetry, and sustainability. In a story-driven narrative that sheds light on the need for elegance in design, engineering, physics, art, urban planning, sports, and work, May offers a surprising array of stories that illustrate why what's "not there" often matters more than what is.

MATTHEW E. MAY, a graduate of the Wharton School of Business, is the author of the critically acclaimed The Elegant Solution. A popular speaker, he lectures to corporations, governments, and universities around the world on ingenuity and innovation. He spent nearly a decade advising Toyota, and his articles and profiles have appeared in USA TODAY, Strategy & Business, the Wall Street Journal, and on CNN and National Public Radio. He lives in Lake Sherwood, California.