Mania

Mood genes: hunting for origins of mania and depression
Barondes SH. Oxford University Press, 1999

Examining manic depression as a case study, the author shows how this strange condition - thought to have been instrumental in the ups and downs of Dickens, van Gogh, and Newton, among others - is definitely heritable. Although the specific gene or genes associated with the disorder haven't been identified, Barondes's account of the search is fascinating.