Creativity and giftedness in mathematics education research are topics of an increased interest in the education community during recent years. This introductory paper to the special issue on Mathematical Creativity and Giftedness in Mathematics Education has a twofold purpose: to offer a brief historical perspective on the study of creativity and giftedness, and to place an emphasis on the added value of the present volume to the research in the field. The historical overview addresses the development of research and practice in creativity and giftedness with specific attention to creativity and giftedness in mathematics. We argue that this special issue makes a significant contribution to bridging domain-general theories of creativity and giftedness with theories in mathematics education with special attention given to nurturing these phenomena in the process of mathematics teaching and learning.