Musician David Byrne’s new nonfiction book titled Sleeping Beauties: Why Good Ideas Go Dormant and How They Wake Up has hit the shelves.
The former frontman of rock band Talking Heads explores how and why scientific discoveries, artworks and other valuable ideas can fade into obscurity, an observation that came to him as he explored how many brilliant ideas have been lost to the ages.
“They save lives, whether it’s about disease, or science, or they bring enjoyment to us, whether it’s paintings, or literature, or music, or all those kinds of things,” the author and artist said in an interview. 
David explained his book is also born from the idea of value being measured by clicks, sale numbers, or in science papers and citations, and how it can sometimes be an unfair way to dictate the material’s worth.
The artist and author’s previous works include Bicycle Diaries, recounting his experience of having a bicycle be his main means of transport throughout his entire life. His 2012 release How Music Works discusses the form and influence of music in a non-linear narrative fashion, using experiences from his career to create something part autobiographical and part music theory.