Emanuel Feuermann was hired to the faculty of the University of Cologne at the age of 16 to teach the cello to students, all of whom were older than he was. He was a child prodigy who made good and became a superstar as an adult. In contrast, his brother, Sigmund Feuermann, was an even more amazing child prodigy than was Emanuel. But by the age of 31, Sigmund returned to his parents' home in Vienna in semiretirement. His career as a mature violinist had been, to a large extent, a bust. What is it that distinguishes gifted children who later go on to become gifted adults from those who do not? Indeed, what does it even mean to be gifted, and how can schools or other institutions identify, teach, and evaluate the performance of gifted children?

Gifted education is a crucial aspect of schooling in the United States and abroad. Most countries around the world have at least some form of gifted education. To help those with an interest in the field of gifted education, we edited a volume that was published in 1986 by Cambridge University Press, Conceptions of Giftedness. However, that book has been out of print for several years. Since the book went out of print, the senior editor of this volume has received many requests for permission to copy material from that book and also for a new edition of the book. This book is that new, second edition.