Product Description
Professor Lorentz is credited by Einstein with sharing the development of his theory. He is doubtless better able than any other man - except the author himself - to explain this scientific discovery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Poorly written, and suffers as a result.
This text was clearly written in an era when over wording or complex wording was apparently accepted as the norm.It's brief, and difficult to understand, but not because it needed to be that way.The author clearly doesn't know how to make his understanding comprehendable to the average reader.And the only thing I took away from the reading experience was that light can be manipulated by gravity.WooHoo, tell me something that I couldn't have learned from a cheesy sci-fi movie.

The author refers to space as "ether", in an attempt to explain what it is that the earth and other planetary bodies are moving through.In a more modern age, the idea doesn't make sense because space is empty, and Einstein being the genius he was didn't attempted to account for the "ether" while working on his theory.Lest we enter into a conversation about dark matter which is still a theoretical concept.Dark matter is believed to consume space in solar systems (which we've observed) that are too small to actually be a solar system.The idea being that dark matter while being completely invisible adds mass to these solar systems and thus keeps the planets in that system from flying out.So I suppose one could say that "ether" could be referring to an early concept of dark matter.But again, existence of dark matter is still unproven, and it makes me wonder if the astrophysicists who are observing these solar systems are accounting for the distance.After all, just because a solar system appears stable to an observer on earth, it could actually be far from the truth.Since the distance light travels to reach us is only a reflection of a past event, we cannot assume that what we observe through telescopes is representative of what's actually taking place in these distant solar systems.

Long story short, I think I'll check out the Wikipedia page on Einstein's Theory of Relativity.I'm sure it's somewhat comprehendable.Though to be fair, if it's written like the entry on Schrödinger's cat, I'll probably be just as lost.

Good Entry Point
This book is a nice, quick entry point for people looking to learn about Einstein's famous theory.

That being said, this should not be the only source of info you use to learn about the subject. As previously mentioned, this article is about 90 years old so there is newer material to be read. That being said I never see anything wrong with starting from the beginning and working your way forward.

Good Entry-Point Reading
This very short book is sort of an abstract on Einstein's Theory of Relativity.Whether you're familiar, and especially if you are, about Physics and Nature's Laws of Motion, Gravity, etc...this is a worthwhile read for getting to know Einstein's theory as written by a friend physicist.It describes Einstein's theory and quashes your curiosity on the subject matter.

Short and concise, I picked up a few concepts that I was not truly aware of since grade school or high school...when I was actually enrolled in a science class.For instance, I always thought space is enveloped in a vacuum...meaning no air or nothing at all.It was not after reading this book that I was made re-aware of the gas ether as "light's medium"...or what the upper atmosphere consists of, hence the word ethereal (`not of this world).

Read further and you actually grasp the essence of the theory, said in the simplest possible way from a physicist's point of view.Right now though, I'd like to read more on the subject matter at hand...or perhaps more on Einstein himself.This is just good entry-point reading.

wow
I have alway love the theory of relativity. This is the basic from and really want to read more on the subject.A must read or at lest know of the theory. ... Read more

Product Description
"Sterling Biographies" are packed with information, and are filled with unique images that include rare documentary photographs, artwork, maps and personal artefacts. Focusing on inventors and innovative thinkers who transformed the world, they present first-person accounts and dramatic events related in an intimate and accessible style. Thanks to his monumental accomplishments, Albert Einstein's name is synonymous with genius. Featuring child-friendly scientific explanations, this compelling biography follows Einstein from his childhood, through his experience of the Holocaust and his pacifism on to the theoretical breakthroughs that won him the Nobel Prize. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Easy read
An interesting biography of Einstein in an easy readable manner.I don't believe elementary age children would want to read all his personal life dilemnas but more appropriate for middle school children and up. ... Read more

Product Description
By the author of the acclaimed bestseller Benjamin Franklin, this is the first full biography of Albert Einstein since all of his papers have become available.

How did his mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how the imagination that distinguished his science sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story, a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom, reflects the triumphs and tumults of the modern era.

Based on the newly-released papers and personal letters, this book explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk - a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate - became the mindreader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals. These traits are just as vital for this new century of globalization, in which our success will depend on our creativity, as they were for the beginning of the last century, when Einstein helped usher in the modern age.Amazon.com Review
As a scientist, Albert Einstein is undoubtedly the most epic among 20th-century thinkers. Albert Einstein as a man, however, has been a much harder portrait to paint, and what we know of him as a husband, father, and friend is fragmentary at best. With Einstein: His Life and Universe, Walter Isaacson (author of the bestselling biographies Benjamin Franklin and Kissinger) brings Einstein's experience of life, love, and intellectual discovery into brilliant focus. The book is the first biography to tackle Einstein's enormous volume of personal correspondence that heretofore had been sealed from the public, and it's hard to imagine another book that could do such a richly textured and complicated life as Einstein's the same thoughtful justice. Isaacson is a master of the form and this latest opus is at once arresting and wonderfully revelatory. --Anne Bartholomew

Read "The Light-Beam Rider," the first chapter of Walter Isaacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe.

Five Questions for Walter Isaacson

Amazon.com: What kind of scientific education did you have to give yourself to beable to understand and explain Einstein's ideas?

Isaacson: I've always loved science, and I had a group of great physicists--such as Brian Greene, Lawrence Krauss, and Murray Gell-Mann--whotutored me, helped me learn the physics, and checked various versions ofmy book. I also learned the tensor calculus underlying generalrelativity, but tried to avoid spending too much time on it in the book.I wanted to capture the imaginative beauty of Einstein's scientificleaps, but I hope folks who want to delve more deeply into the sciencewill read Einstein books by such scientists as Abraham Pais, JeremyBernstein, Brian Greene, and others.

Amazon.com: That Einstein was a clerk in the Swiss Patent Office when herevolutionized our understanding of the physical world has often beentreated as ironic or even absurd. But you argue that in many ways histime there fostered his discoveries. Could you explain?

Isaacson: I think he was lucky to be at the patent office rather than serving asan acolyte in the academy trying to please senior professors and teachthe conventional wisdom. As a patent examiner, he got to visualize thephysical realities underlying scientific concepts. He had a boss whotold him to question every premise and assumption. And as Peter Galisonshows in Einstein's Clocks, Poincare's Maps, many of the patentapplications involved synchronizing clocks using signals that traveledat the speed of light. So with his office-mate Michele Besso as asounding board, he was primed to make the leap to special relativity.

Amazon.com: That time in the patent office makes him sound far more like apractical scientist and tinkerer than the usual image of the wild-hairedprofessor, and more like your previous biographical subject, themultitalented but eminently earthly Benjamin Franklin. Did you seeconnections between them?

Isaacson: I like writing about creativity, and that's what Franklin and Einsteinshared. They also had great curiosity and imagination. But Franklin wasa more practical man who was not very theoretical, and Einstein was theopposite in that regard.

Amazon.com: Of the many legends that have accumulated around Einstein, what didyou find to be least true? Most true?

Isaacson: The least true legend is that he failed math as a schoolboy. He wasactually great in math, because he could visualize equations. He knewthey were nature's brushstrokes for painting her wonders. For example, hecould look at Maxwell's equations and marvel at what it would be like toride alongside a light wave, and he could look at Max Planck's equationsabout radiation and realize that Planck's constant meant that light wasa particle as well as a wave. The most true legend is how rebellious anddefiant of authority he was. You see it in his politics, his personallife, and his science.

Amazon.com: At Time and CNN and the Aspen Institute, you've worked with many of the leading thinkers and leaders of the day. Now that you've had thechance to get to know Einstein so well, did he remind you of anyone fromour day who shares at least some of his remarkable qualities?

Isaacson: There are many creative scientists, most notably Stephen Hawking, whowrote the essay on Einstein as "Person of the Century" when I was editorof Time. In the world of technology, Steve Jobs has the same creativeimagination and ability to think differently that distinguishedEinstein, and Bill Gates has the same intellectual intensity. I wish Iknew politicians who had the creativity and human instincts of Einstein,or for that matter the wise feel for our common values of BenjaminFranklin.

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... Read more

Customer Reviews (271)

Einstein and "der Depperte" and Echolalia
Einstein: His Life and UniverseRefer to page 8: Einstein was considered "der Depperte" and "almost backwards" as a young child especially in regards to expressive language. "He had difficulty with language that those around him feared he would never learn." Isaacson explained this, (page 9) "But throughout his life, Einstein had a mild form of echolalia, causing him to repeat phrases to himself, two or three times, especially if they amused him." Assigning a psychiatric disorder to Einstein, Echolalia, (refer to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of the American Psychiatric Association) is highly problamtic. First, echolalia is a disorder of childhood only; there is no such disorder in adulthood. Second, Einstein, himself, answered this issue. "I very rarely think in words at all,..." "A thought comes, and I may try to express it in words afterwards." (page 9) "And he generally preferred to think in pictures, most notably in famous thought experiments, such as imagining watching lightning strikes from a moving train or experiencing gravity while inside a falling elevator." (page 9) Einstein probably began thinking in pictures at a very young age, thus the difficulty of translating the pictures into expressive language. This is not a form of echolalia because echolalia is a disorder in which the child repeats long phrases heard from others in the environment. I spend my review time on this issue that takes up 2 of 551 pages. The other 549 pages were some of the most interesting, informative, and superbly researched.

Einstein: His Life and Universe is the Best of Both Worlds
Winner of Time Magazines person of the 20th Century, Albert Einstein was a legend in his own time and his scientific ideas continue to live on today.Walter Isaacson's recent biography, Einstein His Life and Universe, is an in depth look at this icon, his life, ideas and tribulations. Born in Germany, this boy genius was a rebel and not a very good student when he was young.Unhappy with authority and the Prussian mind set of strict discipline, he found a better life for free thinkers in neighboring Switzerland. A graduate of The Zurich Polytechnic and later an employee at the the Bern Patent Office, he had a hard time finding work. His desire to work at more respectable universities were often met with letters of rejection. With a chaotic marriage, coupled with child custody problems and a later divorce, it is a miracle that this man came up with such breakthroughs in theoretical physics. But he did and it changed the lives of humanity to this day.
Isaacson, does a good job in his book of not only covering Einstein's life but describes his theories of Special and General Relativity; with later introductions to Quantum Theory, that a "smart" layman can understand. I had to re-read the juicy scientific parts a few times to digest it, but it was worth the effort.Later in his life, Einstein wrestled with a unified field theory that would unite gravity and electromagnetism with the crazy unpredictable micro world of Quantum Mechanics.He did not have much success but did make some interesting observations and had many theories and opinions on this new and strange small atomic world. Being world famous and on the speakers circuit, Einstein was thrown into the political mix of the 1920's and 1930's and eventually made decisions that would later affect his life.An early believer in a Jewish state, he helped the Zionist movement and the creation of a Hebrew university in Israel. A staunch opponent to militant nationalism politics, he unknowingly endorsed anti war Communist front group causes and later was seen as a risk to national security during World War Two.But, there was no doubt that he was a proud American. Einstein would joke that he was not a Pacifist, but a militant pacifist. His utopia vision for the world was a one world benevolent government that ensured individual freedoms and encouraged free thought. As for the development of the A-Bomb, Einstein was not a active participant in its construction, but his famous equation of, e=mc2, was the building block that helped make it.
This book is an enjoyable read because it covers all parts of Einstein's life to include the lighter side of this deep thinker.His love of life, his love of people and his quick witted humor and absentmindedness is a trait that many people equate with this great man. One example is when he would take his hat off during a rainstorm saying that he knew that his hair could withstand the rain but he was unsure of how his hat would hold up. He would listen to his students ideas and theories and even help small children in his neighborhood with their math homework.I have read other books on Albert Einstein, but I would recommend that this one be put on the list of favorites.Some are not as complete, while others deal mainly with his science- but this one is a pleasant mixture of both. I enjoyed this book and found it informative, educational and interesting on the life of this human legend. This is a great biography of a most interesting man, with a good dose of science, and this makes this book the best of both worlds.

Robert Glasker

A truly deep look at Einstein
I have always been fascinated with Einstein. I had originally gone to school as a Physics major and would have continued down that path had I not seen how many of the old Physics professors lived on the CMU campus. It was a sort of lonely, detached life that Einstein lived but much worse.

This book was an excellent and detailed look at his entire career and personal life. With each chapter, you gain more of an appreciation for his leaps of intellectual prowess as well as his many personal stumbles. I gained a new appreciation for everything he contributed, both scientific and political, as well as for how human he was. I, like many, would have loved to have known him.

listen to the audiobook, I'm sure glad I did!
Warning: this review is going to take an initial side step, as I first post a quick confession. I attempted to read this book in 2008 and somewhere within the first two or three chapters I just gave up on it. More recently, I have read several positive reviews and I have decided that my first, flinched reaction might have been caused by the old "kick-the-dog" effect. Out of displaced anger, I often vicariously kick the ass of an unfortunate book. I'll wrongly declare and pathetically whine, "...this book was just too hard for me" or simply, "...this book sucks!" Did it really suck? I don't know, I jumped too early! Once I banish a book in a fit or in a funk, I rarely take it back. Einstien is an exception. This time around, I chose to listen to the unabridged audiobook and I'm sure glad I did. I doubt very much that I would have had the tenacity to physically skim through the cornerstones of quantum mechanics and general relativity that Einstien (and Isaacson) so clearly laid before us. As an audio book, Edward Herman (an exceptional orator) diligently marches on allowing the listener to painlessly phase out and phase back in to catch up with Einstein's next big life event. Issaacson's biography presents a colorful personal portrait of a true genius that changed mankind's understanding of the universe. Outside of Einstein brilliant mind and early accomplishment, he was just like the best and the worst of us. This was a fine book, but I must confess, if I physically read it, I would have whined about it. Whiny readers be warned!

A fascinating life, brilliantly portrayed
Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson is a superb biography that incorporates all the materials that were embargoed until 2006. Isaacson does his level best to explain the science in a cogent manner and, while I remain as mystified by relativity and quantum mechanics as ever, that illustrates the near impossibility of explaining modern physics to a popular audience rather than Isaacson's limitations as an author. A particularly noteworthy aspect of the book is the astounding amount of fact checking that went into its creation as revealed by the Acknowledgements: I don't think I've come across another book as carefully peer-reviewed as this one. (I spotted just one small error that got past the reviewers).

Einstein's life, it should be said, was full and extremely interesting and thus certainly worthy of a long biography. Isaacson lives up to his subject: he writes well (if not brilliantly), adroitly weaves together the different threads of Einstein's personality and career, and manages to convey Einstein's greatness without becoming obsequious. Apart from a couple of inevitable differences in interpretation, the only negative thing I have to say is that Isaacson is unnecessarily repetitive in places. Overall, though, it's a fascinating life, brilliantly portrayed. ... Read more

Product Description
From the Commentary by Robert Geroch (The corresponding section of Einstein’s text can be found below the comment.Please note that in the book, the Commentary is placed after the complete text of Relativity.)

Section 17.Space-Time

Minkowski’s viewpoint represents a "geometrization" of relativity. These ideas have, over the years, come to the forefront: They reflect the perspective of the majority of physicists working in relativity today. Let us expand on this viewpoint.The fundamental notion is that of an event, which we think of as a physical occurrence having negligibly small extension in both space and time. That is, an event is "small and quick," such as the explosion of a firecracker or the snapping of your fingers. Now consider the collection of all possible events in the universe—all events that have ever happened, all that are happening now, and all that will ever happen; here and elsewhere. This collection is called space-time. It is the arena in which physics takes place in relativity.The idea is to recast all statements about goings-on in the physical world into geometrical structures within this space-time. In a similar vein, you might begin the study of plane geometry by introducing the notion of a point (analogous to an event) and assembling all possible points into the plane (analogous to space-time). This plane is the arena for plane geometry, and each statement that is part of plane geometry is to be cast as geometrical structure within this plane.This space-time is a once-and-for-all picture of the entire physical world. Nothing "happens" there; things just "are." A physical particle, for example, is described in the language of space-time by giving the locus of all events that occur "right at the particle." The result is a certain curve, or path, in space-time called the world-line of the particle. Don’t think of the particle as "traversing" its world-line in the same sense that a train traverses its tracks. Rather, the world-line represents, once and for all, the entire life history of the particle, from its birth to its death. The collision of two particles, for example, would be represented geometrically by the intersection of their world-lines. The point of intersection—a point common to both curves; an event that is "right at" both particles—represents the event of their collision. In a similar way, more complicated physical goings-on—an experiment in particle physics, for example, or a football game—are incorporated into the fabric of space-time.One example of "physical goings-on" is the reference frame that Einstein uses in his discussion of special relativity. How is this incorporated into space-time? The individuals within a particular reference frame assign four numbers, labeled x, y, z, t, to each event in space-time. The first three give the spatial location of the event according to these observers, the last the time of the event.These numbers completely and uniquely characterize the event. In geometrical terms, a frame of reference gives rise to a coordinate system on space-time. In a similar vein, in plane geometry a coordinate system assigns two numbers, x and y, to each point of the plane. These numbers completely and uniquely characterize that point. The statement "the plane is two-dimensional" means nothing more and nothing less than that precisely two numbers are required to locate each point in the plane.Similarly, "space-time is four-dimensional" means nothing more and nothing less than that precisely four numbers are required to locate each event in space-time. That is all there is to it! You now understand "four-dimensional space-time" as well as any physicist.Note that the introduction of four-dimensional space-time does not say that space and time are "equivalent" or "indistinguishable." Clearly, space and time are subjectively different entities. But a rather subtle mixing of them occurs in special relativity, making it convenient to introduce this single entity, space-time.In plane geometry, we may change coordinates, i.e., relabel the points. It is the same plane described in a different way (in that a given point is now represented by different numbers), just as the land represented by a map stays the same whether you use latitude/longitude or GPS coordinates. We can now determine formulae expressing the new coordinate-values for each point of the plane in terms of the old coordinate-values. Similarly, we may change coordinates in space-time, i.e., change the reference frame therein. And, again, we can determine formulae relating the new coordinate-values for each space-time event to the old coordinate-values for that event. This, from Minkowski’s geometrical viewpoint, is the substance of the Lorentz-transformation formulae in Section 11.A significant advantage of Minkowski’s viewpoint is that it is particularly well-adapted also to the general theory of relativity. We shall return to this geometrical viewpoint in our discussion of Section 27. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Who typset the math in this thing?
I realize that this is a layman's version of the theory, but couldn't someone at the publisher really take the time to typeset the equations correctly? They don't make any sense and they aren't set up right.

Also, although this is translated from Einstein's German version, there are books that better explain his theory of Relativity. He wasn't all that good at it.However, it is an inexpensive alternative for my research.

Like Science?
I am more interested in biology-related science, but someone recommended this book. I enjoy reading these 'popular' works by great scientists and this one did not disappoint. While you need an understanding of physics to read this book, the information within explains the concepts very well. The math does get more complex towards the end and was confusing to me.

I have not read the regular edition vs. this one, so I can not comment on the differences. While some concepts were difficult to understand initially, I recommend this book for people interested in science (whether this edition or another edition).

classic
This is a classic science book. While Einstein recommended it for college students, it would be appropriate for all students who would like to know more about physics and science, and Einstein.
While it does require a great deal of work for most people to get through, it is certainly worthwhile making the effort - if only to get the flavor of what modern physics is all about. The effort is also excellent mental training for serious science students from elementary school to graduate school.
This is a book that for most people is to be read and reread and to be kept in your library. Also recommended is "The Evolution of Physics" by Infeld and Einstein.

very thin and concise, directly caught the point
describing the most advanced science 100 years ago with relatively easy language. Einstein's own idea is pretty straight forward, better than most other interpretations.

Still confusing. . .
Einsein says he wrote this small book so everyone of college calibre could
understand Relativity, with a little thought and discipline. Unfortunately,
he wrote it in 1916, in Germany (Switzerland?) where college calibre people
knew more math than most current college calibre types. So even though he thinks he's being clear and logical, unless you have the math knowledge you won't be able to follow his thinking. Besides, my understanding is that, even over 100 years after he published the theory, very few people actually understand it.
Kudos to him for trying to explicate his reasoning - but unfortunately simple and clear to Einstein is something different to the rest of us! ... Read more

Product Description
Albert Einstein's brain floats in formaldehyde in a Tupperware® bowl in a gray duffel bag in the trunk of a Buick Skylark barreling across America. Driving the car is Michael Paterniti, a young journalist from Maine. Sitting next to him is an eighty-four-year-old pathologist named Thomas Harvey who performed the autopsy on Einstein in 1955--and simply removed the brain and took it home. And kept it for over forty years.

On a cold February day, the two men and the brain leave New Jersey and light out on I-70 for sunny California, where Einstein's perplexed granddaughter, Evelyn, awaits. And riding along as the imaginary fourth passenger is Einstein himself, an id-driven genius, the original galactic slacker with his head in the stars.

Part travelogue, part memoir, part history, part biography, and part meditation, Driving Mr. Albert is one of the most unique road trips in modern literature. With the brain as both cargo and talisman, Paterniti perceives every motel, truck-stop diner, and roadside attraction as a weigh station for the American dream in the wake of the scientist's mind-blowing legacy. Finally, inspired by the man who gave a skeptical world a glimpse of its cosmic origins, this extraordinary writer weaves his own unified field theory of time, love, and the power to believe, once again, in eternity.
Amazon.com Review
Driving Mr. Albert chronicles the adventures of anunlikely threesome--a freelance writer, an elderly pathologist, andAlbert Einstein's brain--on a cross-country expedition intended to setthe story of this specimen-cum-relic straight once and for all.

After Thomas Harvey performed Einstein's autopsy in 1955, he made offwith the key body part. His claims that he was studying the specimenand would publish his findings never bore fruit, and the doctor fellfrom grace. The brain, though, became the subject of many an urbanlegend, and Harvey was transformed into a modern Robin Hood, havingsnatched neurological riches from the establishment and distributedthem piecemeal to the curious and the faithful around the world.

The brain itself has seen better days, its chicken-colored chunksfloating in a smelly, yellow, formaldehyde broth, yet its beatificpresence in the book, riding serenely in the trunk of a Buick Skylark,encased in Tupperware, reflects the uncertainty of Einstein'slife. Was he a sinner or a saint, a genius or just lucky? Harveyguards the brain as if it were his own. From time to time, he hasgiven favored specialists a slice or two to analyze, but the resultshave been mixed. Physiologically, Einstein's brain may have been nodifferent from anyone else's, but plenty of people would like thebrain to be more than it is, including Paterniti:

I want to touch the brain. Yes, I've admitted it. I wantto hold it, coddle it, measure its weight in my palm, handle some ofits fifteen billion now-dormant neurons. Does it feel like tofu, seaurchin, bologna? What, exactly? And what does such a desire make me? One of a legion of relic freaks? Or something worse?

Traversing America with Harvey and his sacred specimen, Paternitiseems to be awaiting enlightenment, much as Einstein did in his lastdays. But just as the great scientist failed to come up with aunifying theory, Paterniti's chronicle dissolves at times into overlysincere efforts to find importance where there may be none, and itwalks a fine line between postmodern detachment and wide-eyedwonderment. Despite this, or perhaps because of it, the book offers anengrossing portrait of postatomic America from what may be theultimate late-20th-century road trip. --Therese Littleton ... Read more

Customer Reviews (102)

They should make it into a movie with Jeff Bridges, or some one ...
Driving Mr. Albert, should have already won an Oscar, what are they waiting for?Jeff Bridges would be perfect for this project!What a great short story, focused about the legend (Einstein) who lives on, andjust keeps on giving and giving.
Thank you, Michael Paterniti for sharing your wonderful adventure with the warm and amusing Harvey.

Unfocused, but entertaining
This was a fun book to read, but not because it had a grand thesis or even a particular point to make.It is very much like reading someone's diary, the diary of a fellow who happens write reasonably well.That is, individual paragraphs or chapters hang together, but the book as a whole doesn't.If you're looking for some unifying topic, you'll sometimes wonder if it's the life of Einstein, or the life of Thomas Harvey (custodian of Einstein's brain), a cross-country drive, or the author's relationship with his girlfriend.All of these topics come into the narrative, some for no apparent reason other than, it seems, to set down what was on the author's mind.

The most interesting tidbits come up when disclosing the contradictory aspects of Einstein's life.For example this, which is Einstein speaking to a reporter in 1952 (p. 145):"I have never worked in the field of applied science, let alone the military.I condemn the military mentality of our time....Indeed, I have been a pacifist all of my life...."Yet the author reports that during 1943 and 1944 Einstein apparently did weapons research for the US Navy, documentation of which is housed in the US Archives.This is the sort of thing about which you want to know more--not about Einstein's defense work, I mean his vanity.You mean this brainiac, this icon of genius, this creature of pure intellect, was as vain as anyone else, so jealous of his public reputation as a pacifist that he lied about doing defense work?This was one of several parts of the book where I found myself wanting better particulars.

But having teased the reader with this bit of celebrity disingenuousness, the author moves on to his visit with friends in New Mexico, then to calling his girlfriend again.Hey, you want to know more about Einstein?There are probably good biographies available.

There are a variety of technical errors throughout the book, e.g., writing "energy" when clearly "power" is meant, putting "American jet fighters" in the Pacific Theatre in WWII, or mixing up Cal Poly and Caltech.But if you read it as if it really is a diary, written by a guy without a background in physics, military hardware, or the distance between Pomona and Pasadena, then these are not so distracting, and you can enjoy the quirkiness of the narrative and the characters.

AS A WRITER...
...I must report with envy that I had to keep inturrupting the story to comment on how very much I was enjoying the writing. I rank this craftsman on a level with Charlie Pellegrino and David Guterson. Ialso publish and edit and I'm a wrtiting coach so I don't have a lot of read time these days, but this is one writer I brake for. The odd characters pop right off the page and run around the room and get you to thinking, "but don't I know this guy?"...and make you realize that they are living people just like Uncle Jake and grandad, and perhaps in some of the same ways, and this is what a really good wrtiter does-- make you see your own life with clarity. You drive this book like the author drove the car with the tupperware treasure (?) in the trunk, and the country materializes outside the windshield and in the diverse living-rooms where they sat and shared meals with typical Americans... all different, all slightly dysfunctional or dissatisfied or disturbing, again, like life... and the various aspects of living and questioning and trying and losing take form, with this journey as the alarm-clock, the wake-up call. Read it and don't be in so much of a hurry.

A fresh story and a unique style
I first picked up this book about three years ago, but with so little time to read, it just sat on my overcrowded bookshelf. I always joke to friends that I am a Book Buyer, not a Book Reader, and as a result my shelves are full of interesting tales just waiting for my life to slow down a bit so I can enjoy them.

I regret that I let this one sit idle for so long!

As a writer myself, I always appreciate a fresh story, and it has been a long time since I read a book that was this original. What began as an article in Harper's Weekly has been magnificently transformed into a real page-turner.

Author Michael Paterniti became interested in a story, an urban legend actually, about a pathologist named Dr. Thomas Harvey who was charged with performing Albert Einstein's autopsy and subsequently absconded with the genius's brain in 1955. For over 40 years, he has been preparing a study on his specimen, causing controversy at every turn. At best, some believe he is unqualified for such an important scientific task. At worst, he is accused of stealing something that did not rightfully belong to him.

Eventually Michael tracks him down, they become friends, of sorts, and ultimately embark on a road trip from New Jersey to California to meet with Einstein's granddaughter Evelyn.

The unlikely pair begin the cross-country journey of a lifetime, visiting museums and friends along the way, taking in the scenery, and trying to figure each other out. Michael is at a crossroads in his relationship with girlfriend Sara, and he uses the time to think about what she means to him, what their future might hold, and what he really wants out of life.

They stop at a strange cement sculpture museum called the Garden of Eden, created by "American maverick" Samuel Perry Dinsmoor. The museum's deceased founder's body is the grand finale of their tour, as they are led into a dark mausoleum with a coffin specially designed by Dinsmoor himself.

Michael and Dr. Harvey also stop at the Lyndon B. Johnson Presidential Library & Museum, and a small place called the Bradbury Science Museum in Los Alamos, site of the infamous Manhattan Project that developed the atomic bomb.

I was struck by Michael's observation that "The museum...is most glaringly defined by what its curators seem to have forgotten about the bomb." He goes on to describe how the exhibits never mention the Enola Gay, the horrific aftermath of the explosions, or the scores of Japanese civilian casualties. It made me think about how powerful we curators are as the "editors" of history, how what we choose to leave out is sometimes as important as what we choose to include.

At times, the book is a bit repetitive, especially when the duo repeatedly orders their food in some slice of Americana diner, or when Dr. Harvey yet again dismisses Michael's request to see the brain for himself. But such episodes are not common in the pages of this book. (At times, the scientific explanations were a bit over this historian's head, but that is to be expected from someone who never set foot in a physics class - not even in high school!)

Seamlessly woven into the story, the author shares biographical snapshots of Einstein's life, insights from people who knew Dr. Harvey, and all kinds of tidbits to delight the trivia aficionado.

Michael's sense of humor really resonates. His writing style is readable, yet full of depth. His similes are original and his words are fresh. I wholeheartedly agree with the Boston Globe, who wrote, "In a world in which it seems that all the good ideas have been taken, it is singular."

I couldn't put it down. I'm only sorry I didn't pick it up sooner!

Oddball travelogue...
In Walter Isaacson's new biography, Einstein: His Life and Universe, he recommends Driving Mr. Albert: A Trip Across America with Einstein's Brain by Michael Paterniti.This book is filled with interesting facts, great observations, but above all, it's a fun read.Driving Mr. Albert reminds me of the oddball travelogues I've come to enjoy written by Tony Horwitz (Confederates in the Attic, Blue Latitudes, etc.).

When Einstein died in Princeton Hospital in 1955, the pathologist who performed the autopsy, Dr. Thomas Harvey, took the brain for himself.He did it without the permission of the family, but when it was discovered, the family allowed him to keep the brain provided that any results were to be published in scientific journals.Harvey rationalized his actions by saying that he wanted to research the brain to discover the key to Einstein's brilliance.Unfortunately, Harvey was not a neurologist and didn't really have the knowledge to perform a proper study of any brain, let alone Einstein's.He gave out parcels of the brain to various scientists, but until many decades after Einstein's death, nothing definitive was able to be determined.In the meantime, Harvey switched jobs, moved around the country, and all the while, he kept Einstein's brain with him.

A young writer, Michael Paterniti, became fascinated by the story of the brain and befriended Thomas Harvey when the doctor was 85 years old.Harvey mentioned that he'd like to travel to California to meet Evelyn Einstein, Einstein's step-granddaughter.So Paterniti volunteered to be his chauffeur, and they set out from New Jersey with pieces of Einstein's brain in tow.The main story is not the destination but the things that happen along the way.Some of the stops (like Los Alamos) have ties to Einstein, while others (Las Vegas) do not.Throughout the journey, Dr. Harvey remains almost as much of a mystery as the brain.Not only does he not reveal any secrets, but he is also reluctant to show the brain to Paterniti.Paterniti hopes for a glimpse of the brain--perhaps when Harvey falls asleep.He writes "I want to touch the brain.Yes, I've admitted it.I want to hold it, coddle it, measure its weight in my palm...Does it feel like tofu, sea urchin, bologna?What exactly?And what does that desire make me?One of the legion of relic freaks?"

Driving Mr. Albert is a great compliment to Isaacson's more serious and in-depth biography.Paterniti writes that "having Einstein's brain in the trunk rearranges the way you see everything."Reading Mr. Paterniti will rearrange the way you perceive Albert Einstein.




... Read more

Product Description
Albert Einstein was one of the most brilliant scientists who ever lived. The theories that he formulated about time, light and gravity have changed how we look at the world and resulted in many new inventions. But did you know that he was so absentminded that he once forgot where he lived? Or that even though he was an advocate of world peace, his work led to the creation of the atom bomb? Using photographs, maps, quotes, letters and drawings, this biography introduces young readers to Albert Einstein. Also included are a time line of his life and a list of places to visit to learn more about one of history's greatest thinkers. ... Read more

Product Description
A modern classic, Einstein’s Dreams is a fictional collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905, when he worked in a patent office in Switzerland. As the defiant but sensitive young genius is creating his theory of relativity, a new conception of time, he imagines many possible worlds. In one, time is circular, so that people are fated to repeat triumphs and failures over and over. In another, there is a place where time stands still, visited by lovers and parents clinging to their children. In another, time is a nightingale, sometimes trapped by a bell jar.

Now translated into thirtylanguages, Einstein’s Dreams has inspired playwrights, dancers, musicians, and painters all over the world.In poetic vignettes, it explores the connections between science and art, the process of creativity, and ultimately the fragility of human existence.Amazon.com Review
If you liked the eerie whimsy of Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities,Steven Millhauser's Little Kingdoms,or Jorge Luis Borges's Labyrinths, youwill love Alan Lightman's ethereal yet down-to-earth bookEinstein's Dreams.Lightman teaches physics and writing at theMassachusetts Institute of Technology, helping bridge thelight-year-size gap between science and the humanities, the enemycamps C.P. Snow famously called The TwoCultures.

Einstein's Dreams became a bestseller by delighting both scientistsand humanists. It is technically a novel. Lightman uses simple, lyrical, andliteral details to locate Einstein precisely in a place and time--Berne,Switzerland, spring 1905, when he was a patent clerk privately working onhis bizarre, unheard-of theory of relativity. The town he perceives isvividly described, but the waking Einstein is a bit player in thisdrama.

The book takes flight when Einstein takes to his bed and we share hisdreams, 30 little fables about places where time behaves quitedifferently. In one world, time is circular; in another a man isoccasionally plucked from the present and deposited in the past:"He is agonized. For if he makes the slightest alteration inanything, he may destroy the future ... he is forced to witness eventswithout being part of them ... an inert gas, a ghost ... an exile oftime." The dreams in which time flows backward are far moresophisticated than the time-tripping scenes in Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five,though science-fiction fans may yearn for a sustained yarn, whichLightman declines to provide. His purpose is simply to study thedifferent kinds of time in Einstein's mind, each with its own lucidconsequences. In their tone and quiet logic, Lightman's fables comeoff like Bach variations played on an exquisite harpsichord. Peoplelive for one day or eternity, and they respond intelligibly to eachunique set of circumstances. Raindrops hang in the air in a place offrozen time; in another place everyone knows one year in advanceexactly when the world will end, and acts accordingly.

"Consider a world in which cause and effect are erratic,"writes Lightman."Scientists turn reckless and mutter likegamblers who cannot stop betting.... In this world, artists arejoyous." In another dream, time slows with altitude, causing richfolks to build stilt homes on mountaintops, seeking eternal youth andscorning the swiftly aging poor folk below.Forgetting eventually howthey got there and why they subsist on "all but the most gossamerfood," the higher-ups at length "become thin like the air,bony, old before their time."

There is no plot in this small volume--it's more like a poetrycollection than a novel. Like Stephen Hawking's A Brief History ofTime, it's a mind-stretching meditation by a scientist who'sbeen to the far edge of physics and is back with wilder tales thanMarco Polo's. And unlike many admirers of Hawking, readers ofEinstein's Dreams have a high probability of actually finishingit. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (232)

Time and Time Again
This is a very special and important book. I read books quite often and resell nearly all of them - but never ever this one. I own a hardcover and a Kindle version, as well. It is a book for a flight, a rainy day with a cup of good coffee, and some time to kill, no pun intended. I love how the surface layer of simplicity contrasts with the depth of the concepts presented. I have seen the book referred to as a series of connected 'thought experiments' and tend to agree with the description, hastening to add the experiments most certainly are well drawn and full of meaning, as opposed to trivial silliness that sometimes comes with this territory of writing. The author assumes the reader wants to be engaged, not entertained, as such. It is a thought-provoking read, and re-read. I keep it among the classics.

Einstein's Dreams
A very interesting book. The chapters leave a lot left open for you to expand upon should you choose. There are three epilogue chapters that all relate to each other, but the rest of the chapters (maybe 30 of them or so?) are only a few pages long and don't relate to each other. It can be tough to wrap your mind around some of the ideas, but once you get it they are very interesting. A great book for upper intermediate to advanced readers.

Much better as material for finding flaws in fantastic time theories
The book is a collection of 3-4 page thoughts experiments involving time and human memory. Its back cover claims it's a "fictional collage of stories dreamed by Albert Einstein in 1905", but if Einstein could have peered into the future and had seen this book, he would have probably hanged little Lightman from the hour hand of a giant clock.


The thought experiments are set in picturesque Berne, Switzerland, in 1905. However, ideas are naively, narrowly and summarily explored, and inconsistencies abound. For example, in one story, time is stopped, and people only experience images: dinner on the table, the touch of a lover. But how would they evolve to experience any image at all, if time is stopped?

Another story, on the locality of time (p. 120), could explore the idea of connecting locations where time passes at wildly different rates via electrical or even radio signals (which had already gone commercial by 1905), but fails short.

The story on page 107, which asserts that time is discrete and stops every micro-second before resuming, but for a short enough interval that the pause is imperceptible. However, this misses a major point, discussed by Greg Egan's Permutation City: the rate at which consecutive quantum events occur in a closed universe is irrelevant for a consciousness existing in that universe. In other words if we simulate an AI in a computer, the speed of that computer doesn't matter for the AI (as long as it doesn't communicate with the outside world). Indeed, the AI could be simulated on an abacus and have the same perception of "time".

Given the (necessary) superficiality of the thought experiments, the book is much better as material for finding out why various fantastic theories about time would be self-contradictory.

Great Page-turner
I first encountered Einstein's Dreams as an audio book borrowed from the public library. Listened to it driving to Miami and really enjoyed it. Decided I had to have it in print and ordered at a very good price through Amazon. You can read this slim book in a couple of days. The author was very imaginative and many of the dreams have an element of irony. I find this book thoroughly enjoyable in print or audio. Already loaned it out to a friend.

Amazing read
What an amazing read...time, something in day-to-day life we never think about, influences every aspect of our lives, our psychology, our relationships. In this book, during each chapter time functions differently (each is a dream of Einstein's), and so people are almost alien. They suffer and love in their worlds in ways to which we can relate, however, all the same.
It's written in prose, but it leaves one with the feeling of poetry - a somber, but thoughtful heightened awareness of what's truly magical about our existence, but often hidden in plain sight.
Highly recommended. Read it in a cafe while drinking espresso or having bread and cheese, the European feel/imagery will truly come alive! ... Read more

Product Description
The name of Albert Einstein has become synonymous with supreme wisdom and benignity. Not only was he responsible for the fundamental remapping of our understanding of the physical cosmos, he also left a legacy of outspokenness on the crucial moral, political, and religious issues of the twentieth century. Drawing on an unprecedented number of sources, Albrecht F|lsing throws into fresh relief the remarkable life of Einstein, approaching the man through the science and situating him in the creatively charged times in which he thrived.Albert Einstein is both an engaging portrait of a genius and a distillation of scientific thought. F|lsing sheds light on Einstein's development and the complexity of his being: his childhood idiosyncrasies, his views on war and peace, his stimulating friendships with colleagues, and his intense relationships with women. This is a serious yet highly readable and intimate account of the genius who expanded our understanding of nature and of the singular man who played such an exceptional role in the cultural growth of this century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Einstein biography
Albert Einstein: A Biography, by Albrecht Folsing, is a comprehensive and very readable biography of the 20th century's greatest scientist.A reader's lack of a college-level scientific background will not diminish the appeal and understanding of this book.Einstein's insights on the relativity and quantum theories are presented with minimum jargon and are understandable by attentive reading if the reader can temporarily set aside Newtonian concepts.Albert Einstein: A Biography

very indepth
Folsing is a sceintist himself, but he manages to write a readable biography as well. at over 900 pages, you can expect every thought and action of Einstein to be covered in detail. i would caution however, that one who is new to Einstein's ideas would need to study those ideas in another book before reading this one (i.e. the theory of relativity for dummies). That being said, this is an excellent researched book, and even reads like a novel at times. i would recommend this book to anyone studying Einstein in depth. Herr docktor Einstein was a genius surpassing Newton in physics, and he often had to wait for his theories to be proven.

Detailed/Engagin
I was always interested in Albert Einstains achievements and life in general.When I read this book, it was detailed, not boring, but engaging.Albert Einstain comes alive, and his achievements, and dedication to mathematics and physics motivate you to keep striving to reach your goals step by step.If he can do it dispite obstacles or challenges, we can do it also.He is truly an inspiration.

Breathtaking Imagination
At the height of Einstein's career it was joked that only about a dozen people in the entire world actually understood the master's theory of relativity, which leads to the question of whether we mere mortals should even attempt this 882-page tome. The answer is a resounding yes. Albrecht Holsing never forgets that he is writing a biography, not a physics text. The result is a colorful biography of a learning disabled civil servant with perhaps the most fertile imagination in the history of science. Holsing's Einstein is a man without a country, an unabashed lover, an avowed pacifist, a born-again Zionist, bon vivant and alleged subversive. And yes, smart and eccentric as hell.

Between 1905 and 1920 Einstein, a patent claims inspector, produced a series of papers on the subject of physics so outlandish that the world collectively gasped. Put simply, Einstein postulated connections between dimensions that had been considered unbridgeable until his day. He was not a scientist in the way we traditionally think of the discipline. He was in reality a science fiction writer who challenged the white coats to prove he was wrong. Most of the time they could not, to their own amazement. And when they did, he seemed to delight even more. God, he remarked, may be mysterious, but never malevolent. For Einstein the universe was a playground.

Einstein enjoyed wonderful timing. By 1900 the telescope and the microscope had been perfected to the point that the bigness and the smallness of the natural world began crashing into the complacency of Newtonian physics and Euclidean geometry. Einstein, whose own spacial-temporal development was delayed until early adulthood, began to play with possibilities. Is the universe so big that the traditional absolute theorems of geometry might be disproved? Consider the classic geometric postulate that two parallel lines will stretch into infinity without ever touching. Einstein dared to question such a basic law in several ways: if the universe itself is not linear but perhaps curved, the lines would eventually meet. And second, what influence would gravitation play upon these two lines? It was these daring interplays of factors that set Einstein apart and led to his famous speculations about relationships between mass, time, and energy.

It is a credit to Holsing that he is able to describe Einstein's mental journeys as lucidly as he does. This is not to say there is no hard work required. Einstein had a hand in nearly all branches of physics, including optics, electricity, and radiation, and he was in constant dialogue with other noted thinkers of his age, including Niels Bohr and Max Planck. For an older reader unfamiliar with quantum physics, the scientific debates over the nature of light may as well be written in Vulcan. Be that as it may, the faithful reader will probably take away enough science to be dazzled and deeply impressed when Einstein's most audacious speculation-that light is bent by gravitational pull-is dramatically proven during a total eclipse of the sun in 1918.

For all practical purposes, Einstein's creative career ended around 1920, the same time he began to attract respectable university and lecture fees. The years between 1920 and 1955 are remarkable in their own way: Einstein became one of the world's most recognized celebrities in an era of renewed interest in popular science. Like many celebrities he grumbled about the distractions but rarely missed a good dinner. Universities that hired the grand thinker after 1920 did so at their own risk: Einstein traveled widely and allowed his life to be governed by the Muse of creativity. He spent three decades working unsuccessfully to eliminate mathematical kinks from his general theory of relativity. [Ironically, since 1995 astronomical discoveries of the magnitude of dust and gas in the universe have tended to smooth out the rough edges of the relativity theory.]

Although he lived and worked in Germany for many years, Einstein carried a deep-seated suspicion of German militarism. He was disillusioned with the conduct of most of his scientific colleagues during World War I, and he was early to see the direction of Nazi policy. Relocating to Princeton, New Jersey, he lived the final two decades of his life in the United States. As Folsing tells it, the United States government kept Einstein at arm's length, perhaps due to a 1930 speech in which he remarked that if as few as 2% of a nation's draftees refused to serve, its military force would crumble. The speech made Einstein an icon among pacifists, and "2%" buttons became popular leftist items throughout the 1930's. Given Einstein's political leanings, it is one of history's better fortunes that Franklin Roosevelt took seriously Einstein's warnings about German development of a fission bomb. However, Einstein was considered too much of a security risk to be considered for the Manhattan Project and was systematically excluded from any information about the project.

Folsing chronicles the struggles of Einstein's two marriages and the somewhat flagrant adulteries of his middle years. Contrary to popular belief, Einstein was in fact a handsome and captivating younger man. It was only in later years that hygiene and fashion tended to deteriorate, perhaps as a statement of sorts to his prim Princeton neighbors. Folsing captures Einstein's wit: once, when the mayor of his town apologized for sewerage fumes from a treatment plant wafting toward the Einstein residence, the good scientist confessed that on occasion he had "returned the compliment."

Gets his life right, but the science is too dense for me
Albert Einstein led an interesting life, from his beginnings as a mathematical prodigy, to his heyday when he popularized physics, to his old age where his status as a living legend afforded him many opportunities. Folsing does a great job detailing Einstein the man in each of these sections. Generally he uses Einstein's own writings, either in letters or in papers, a technique that some find off-putting but I found useful and relevant.

Two things about this book, though, did trouble me. First, it was overlong. There were some sections that felt either redundant or padded, and did little to provide further insight into Einstein the man. Second, the physics explanations went over my head. As a layman, I wasn't expecting a dumbed-down approach meant to pander to the dimmest of readers. I do have some math background, and usually take to the subject easily. But Folsing never gave me a chance. I went in hoping for some comprehensible explanations regarding the special and general theories of relativity, but got nothing more than page after page of jargon that assumed plenty of prior knowledge. Even an explanation of why they (along with the equation "E=mc2") received critical and popular acclaim was missing.

Now, I'm willing to concede that something got lost in the translation, for the book was originally written in German. Folsing is by trade a physicist, and later a science journalist, so should know his stuff and have the skills needed for concise explanation. I suppose it was enough to ask that he attempt to share some of his knowledge of Einstein's science, while making Einstein's life a gripping and interesting tale. ... Read more

Product Description
Clear and concise explanations of the development of theories explaining physical phenomena. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (16)

Extremely good simple explanation of physics.
This book is deceptively accessible to non-scientists and young people. It is deceptively accessible because it is profound physical principles simply explained as Einstein and Infield saw it at the time, it is physics and not mathematics. The math used is basic and the book explains all of itvery carefully. It is not a comprehensive book on physics.
After reading this short book (perhaps many times over)the reader will gain a wonderful understanding of both classical and modern physics as Einstein saw it
It is deceptive because the physical principles are simple and also a profound part of Einstein's thinking about classical physics, modern physics, relativity and quantum physics, and Einstein's though processes in developing relativity and quantum physics from some seminal basic concepts in classical physics. It also explains what physics is all about, its philosophy, the scientific method, and the history of physics.
It is fascinating to read of the evolution of Einstein's thinking in physics to his discovery of special and general relativity and quantum physics, told in his own words with the help of Infeld. This book is one of the all time classics of science.
Excellent for both children and adults with an interest in science, physics, and Einstein. may be used as a suvey text, although it was not written to be a textbook. a scientific classic. extremely easy to understand explanation of Einstein's thinking on classical and modern physics. the math is explained, where it is used.
It also includes Einstein's views of quantum physics and statistics, and it does not suggest that there was any conflict between Bohr and Einstein on this issue, although there were famous debates between them. This book suggests that Einstein had by the time the book was written accepted the statistical nature of quantum physics.
I would also recommend Einstein's "Relativity and the General Theory" and also the classic paperback of reprints of the original works of Einstein and others on relativity (more advanced but of great value to see the original papers).
In the Evolution of Physics are extremely clear explanations of what is science, physics the history of thought in physics, the evolution of classical thought in physics and how it led to relativity, and quantum physics. What we mean by modern and classical physics, relativity, the statistical nature of quantum physics as distinct to the use of statistics in everyday usage and in classical physics, the difference between between math and physics, theory and evidence, the contradiction between theory and evidence as the ultimate source of new theories which better explains the evidence, the philosophy of science.
All of these topics are discussed clearly, simply and profoundly for both scientists and non scientists. The book is deceptively simple and actually requires probably at least more than one full reading to really understand it. After you have read it completely, a rereading will provide greater insights into the meaning of the earlier chapters. Many of us will find ourselves reading it many times for its beauty and clarity.
This book is in summary a brilliant scientific classic, a survey of physics, wonderfully accessible to the general public, stemming from the collaboration of Einstein and his assistant Infield. Highly recommended. Enjoy!

The Evolution of Physics
This is a wonderful book ultimately leading to a discussion of relativity.Even so, the style of exposition is unusually good. I suspect Professor Infield wrote the book, albeit in collaboration with Professor Einstein. I feel his ability to make complex concepts relatively easy to understand rivals the teaching style of the beloved physicist and educator, Richard Feynman. Anyone interested in physics needs to read this book, not only for the invaluable content, but also as an example of a communication style which is only rarely encountered.

Very good for many different readers
As the authors state, ".. thought and ideas, not formulas, are the beginning of every physical theory".True to this statement, this book focuses on thoughts and ideas and does not use any formulas at all.This makes it good as an adjunct for standard texts that contain the formulas, but not as a substitute for such books.This book is divided into four sections: the rise of the mechanical view, the decline of the mechanical view, field and relativity, and quanta.It is thus about how the mechanical view of Newton evolved into the modern view of physics (relativity theory and quantum mechanics).

I would like to focus on how this book might be perceived for three different classes of readers.
(1) For those who have never taken a physics course (or did and tried to forget the experience as soon as possible) --The lack of any mathematics may be comforting to this class of reader, but it will nonetheless not be an easy read for them.The basic concepts, such as inertia, may be difficult to grasp for those with no previous physics background, but the author's do a good job of describing things.(A task made more difficult without recourse to the shorthand of mathematics.) I would, however, recommend this book only to those who are motivated to go well beyond their comfort zone.However, if they focus on the concepts that are being described and are patient in following the lines of reasoning, they should be richly rewarded.
(2) For those who have taken physics courses, but do not have advanced degrees in physics--I put myself in this group and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.I liked this book because it focuses on the why (the basic underlying theories of physics), rather than on the how (problem solving).In doing so, it provided a much better understanding of what is behind the equations than I found in physics texts.I got a very clear picture of the deficiencies of Newtonian mechanics and Maxwell's equations, and how this led to relativity theory.I found this very illuminating as it more clearly showed me Einstein's thought process.If found this even clearer than that presented in Einstein's book on relativity (prepared for a general readership).Of all the groups of readers, I think that people in this group will get the most from this book.
(3) For those with advanced degrees in physics - People in this group may have already been exposed to the concepts described here, but this book will still be very helpful in that it shows clearly Einstein's logic in developing relativity theory and the quantum theory of light.Much of this may be old hat to this group, but the book will still be of interest from a historical perspective.

I think that this book does an admirable job of appealing to and satisfying the needs of readers who approach the subject with diverse backgrounds.

An excelent book on physics
An excellent book about physics, its history and its philosophy. The concepts are well explained, discussed, compared in a conversational and rigorous style. And done with the contribution of Einstein.
With this book you will understand what physics really is; what is behind the science undertaking; what is science after all. A must book to serious interested readers

Excellent book
Outstanding book to understand the way of thinking which resulted in introducing the various concepts associated with Physics. Thoughwritten for general audience, this book needs to be read with care, and constant attention to see the remarkable connection between seemingly unrelated concepts like light, heat, electricity. Read this along with the book "Einstein's Heros by Arianrhod" to enjoy a different aspect of Physics. ... Read more

Product Description
From a young age Albert Einstein was curious and very smart. But that didn't mean life was easy for him. In fact, being so smart sometimes made things harder for him! Read all about his life, and find out why Albert Einstein is known as the genius of the twentieth century. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Great easy to read biography
For kids who are not quite sure biographies are cool, this will lead them into Einstein's life with ease. Reading level is about third-grade, illustrations are great (I love one with him sticking out his tongue), glossary, bibliography, timeline, website referrals at the back will help kids who are doing research. Part of a series that also includes Wright Brothers, Teddy Roosevelt, other intriguing characters. History IS biography and this is a good way to get kids interested in both. ... Read more

Product Description
Dive deep into the story of Albert Einstein's life anywhere you go: on a plane, on a mountain, in a canoe, under a tree.Or grab a flashlight and read Shmoop under the covers.Shmoop's award-winning Biographies are now available on your eReader. Shmoop eBooks are like having a trusted, fun, chatty, expert always by your side, no matter where you are (or how late it is at night).Shmoop Biographies offer fresh perspectives on great thinkers and doers. The biography includes a life story, family tree, resume of important works and accomplishments, jaw-dropping trivia and anecdotes, memorable quotes, and a timeline of formative events,Best of all, Shmoop's analysis aims to look at people from multiple points of view to give you the fullest understanding.After all, "there is no history, only histories" (Karl Popper). Experts and educators from top universities, including Stanford, UC Berkeley, and Harvard, have written guides designed to engage you and to get your brain bubbling. Shmoop is here to make you a better lover (of literature, history, life...) and to help you make connections to other historical moments, works of literature, current events, and pop culture. These learning guides will help you sink your teeth into the past.For more information, check out http://www.shmoop.com/biography ... Read more

Product Description
This brief work is the closest Einstein ever came to writing an autobiography. Although a very personal account, it is purely concerned with the development of his ideas, saying little about his private life or about the world-shaking events through which he lived. Starting from little Albert's early disillusionment with religion and his intense fascination with geometry, the narrative presents Einstein's "epistemological credo", then moves through his dissatisfaction with the foundations of Newtonian physics to the development of his own special and general theories of relativity and his opposition to some of the assumptions of quantum theory. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

The life devoted to objective understanding of nature
This is the autobiographical sketch which Paul Arthur Schillp requested from Einstein for the volume devoted to him in' The Living Philosophers Series'. In other words this particular book is one - chapter of a much larger volume , reprinted at the centennial neither of Einstein's birth or death, but of his annus mirabilis 1905 when he wrote the five papers that revolutionized Mankind's understand of the physical world.
Einstein was sixty- seven when he wrote this , and he in his usual lightly humorous vein said that it might constitute an ' obituary '. In fact Einstein lived for nine more years. But of course the great scientific work was done over twenty- five years before he wrote this sketch.
In the sketch Einstein traces his own scientific development, and describes briefly his major discoveries.
He also explains at the outset his early understanding that the world of human wishes, desires and subjectivities was not to be his prime realm of concern. He wished to be among those who lived in what he regarded as the refined realm of understanding the physical nature and world as a whole. The quest for the impersonal and objective truth through the hard work of thought is the central theme of Einstein's life. And if it yielded him long years of frustration it also provided him with miraculous revelation of a kind the world as a whole would come to wonder at, and be transformed by. ... Read more

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DK¹s acclaimed DK Biography series tackles two of history¹s most colorful figures in Harry Houdini and Albert Einstein. Perfect for book reports or summer reading, the DK Biography series brings a new clarity and narrative voice to history¹s most colorful figures. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Inside Einstein
We are trying to encourage our kids to read about important people to show the start out just like everyone else.They loved learning about Albert Einstein!To learn that he was just a normal guy that was super smart and used it to help people.

ALBERT EINSTEIN
An engaging biography of 20th century icon Albert Einstein that examines the Nobel Prize winning scientist from many different angles: a lackadaisical student who loved to learn; a brilliant thinker whose ideas brought him fame but not necessarily understanding; a staunch pacifist in a era of war who felt compelled to sign a letter to President Roosevelt regarding the need for the U.S. to build the atomic bomb before the Germans; a secular Jew who became a spokesman for the Zionist cause.Wishinky's text is generally clear and thorough, blending the personal and professional into one linear whole. He is portrayed throughout as a man whose intellect dominated his life, at times to the detriment of those around him.Numerous quotes illuminate his relationships with a multitude of influences, from family friends and acquaintances to infamous scientists and statesmen, including Chaim Weitzmann, who invited Einstein to accompany him on a tour of the United States in 1921 in order to raise funds for the establishment of a Jewish state.An abundance of visual references, photographs, and supplemental sidebars compliment the narrative, providing an important historical context for the events in his life as well as his thinking.While Einstein's famous theories are explained in general terms, the explanations are difficult to understand, potentially leaving young readers as mystified as many of those who came to hear his lectures (for a more enlightening alternative, see Einstein: Visionary Scientist by John B. Severance).Still, this is a useful work, one suitable for both reports and general interest.Reviewed by Teri Markson

Outstanding biography for young people!
I just finished reading Albert Einstein, and I rushed over to post this review. This is an outstanding entry in a fine series. The author, Frieda Wishinsky, really makes you understand Albert Einstein both as a scientist and as a human being. Her clear yet thoughtful text lets readers explore the contradictions of a brilliant man--and still shows Einstein as a towering giant of the 20th century. Great book, highly recommended!

Albert Einstein Life
This book is very interesting.It is all about Alberts life, from when he was born till when he died.This is a very advanced book.Every single moment of this book will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.
One thing that I thought was really cool in this book was how he helped on the atomic bomb for world war one and world war two.A reason why I think you should read this book because Albert Einstein was a very interesting man and he had a very interesting life. That is why I think you should read this book.

Albert Einstein Life
This book is very interesting.It is all about Alberts life, from when he was born till when he died.This is a very advanced book.Every single moment of this book will have you hanging on the edge of your seat.
One thing that I thought was really cool in this book was how he helped on the atomic bomb for world war one and world war two.A reason why I think you should read this book because Albert Einstein was a very interesting man and he had a very interesting life. That is why I think you should read this book. ... Read more

Product Description
Albert Einstein, among the greatest scientists of all time, was also a man of profound thought and deeply humane feelings. His collected essays offer a fascinating and moving look at one of the twentieth century's leading minds.

Covering a fifteen year period from 1934 to 1950, the contents of this book have been drawn from Einstein's articles, addresses, letters and assorted papers. Through his words, you can understand the man and gain his insight on social, religious, and educational issues. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Albert Einstein: Out of My Later Years Through His Own Words
The book arrived in good condition on a timely manner. Haven't had time to read, ordered lots of books. thanks

Wide array of topics, yet less insightful than would be expected
Considering this book offer insights into the mind of one of history's greatest thinkers, I was slightly disappointed to find Einstein's views outside of science to be somewhat thin.It is natural to not expect great revelation from outside one's specialty, but as a famous intellectual, Einstein's should be the exception.

I do not rate this book poorly because it does offer a wide spectrum of topics which coming from Einstein is appealing.Some of the topics outside of science include politics, religion, and even racism; thus offering an ample range of thought.The section on science is sound as expected and perhaps on this portion alone the book is worthwhile; however, his thoughts on the other topics included offer little revelation or at least nothing new or profound.It is for this reason I do not rate this book highly.

I offer three stars so as not to discount the enjoyable read one might find merely gaining access to Einstein's thoughts on a spectrum of topics.However, on the same account, I do not offer more as I do not feel this book presents the insight one would expect from Einstein and thus it is somewhat disappointing.

Essays of the last fifteen years
This volume collects essays of the last fifteen years of his life. The work has sections on 'Convictions and Beliefs' 'Science and Life' ' Public Affairs' ' Personalities' and 'His own people: The Jews"
The work features expositions of some of Einstein's major scientific work.
Among the personalities written about are Gandhi who Einstein greatly admires, Newton, Kepler, Planck, Madame Curie, Langevin, and lesser known figures Paul Ehrenfest,Carl von Ossietsky.
Einstein writes much about the terrible changes in Germany he saw in his own lifetime, the rise of Nazism and Anti- Semitism.
He writes about the creation of a national homeland for the Jews, his own Zionism, and his own connection with the Jewish people.
He writes too about his conception of world- peace, about the threat to the world brought about something he is no small part a contributor to, the harnessing of the atom.
In writing about himself in the opening section of the work he says, "I do the thing which my own nature drives me to do. It is embarassing to earn so much love and respect for it."
He celebrates the life of thought , of the solitary individual .
Einstein is the greatest modern example of Keynes dictum of howit is 'ideas' that change the world. He is the example of how one man alone, thinking,transformed our understanding ofnature, and our power to change it.
In these essays the main interests of Einstein's life are touched upon. He writes with clarity and modesty.
An invaluable opportunity to be in touch with ' the Mind that defined an Age'.

Perfect for Travel, Quick Reads
Out of my Later Years is a collection of Einstein's speeches and articles covering not just physics but his thoughts on the social condition of man, of Jews, and of war as well as several speeches about the likes of MaxPlanck, Mahatma Gandhi, and Marie Curie.

As letters and speeches, theseare written as the ordinary man that Einstein once was - very easy to readand understand.Even some of the physics lectures are understandable. Eachis relatively short making this perfect for when you want to read somethingof substance but don't have much time.

The sections on Public Affairsare especially haunting as Einstein presents his arguments for the"global village" and advocated someting akin to the current U.N.- things that began to come into their own after his passing.Inparticular, there is an interchange between him anda group of Communistscientists that underlines the Cold War tension in its height and is achilling read now in the Post Soviet Union age.

A different man
I found Einstein's desire to start a rock band at such an early age very surprising.A man before his time for sure.Singing about relativity while distancing himself from the groupies must have been difficult. Thebook reads like a good guitar riff, jolting one's mind from time to time. Excellent! ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
In 1903, despite the vehement objections of his parents, Albert Einstein married Mileva Maric, the companion, colleague, and confidante whose influence on his most creative years has given rise to much speculation. Beginning in 1897, after Einstein and Maric met as students at the Swiss Federal Polytechnic, and ending shortly after their marriage, these fifty-four love letters offer a rare glimpse into Einstein's relationship with his first wife while shedding light on his intellectual development in the period before the annus mirabilis of 1905. Unlike the picture of Einstein the lone, isolated thinker of Princeton, he appears here both as the burgeoning enfant terrible of science and as an amorous young man beset, along with his fiance, by financial and personal struggles--among them the illegitimate birth of their daughter, whose existence is known only by these letters. Describing his conflicts with professors and other scientists, his arguments with his mother over Maric, and his difficulty obtaining an academic position after graduation, the letters enable us to reconstruct the youthful Einstein with an unprecedented immediacy. His love for Maric, whom he describes as "a creature who is my equal, and who is as strong and independent as I am," brings forth his serious as well as playful, often theatrical nature. After their marriage, however, Maric becomes less his intellectual companion, and, failing to acquire a teaching certificate, she subordinates her professional goals to his. In the final letters Einstein has obtained a position at the Swiss Patent Office and mentions their daughter one last time to his wife in Hungary, where she is assumed to have placed the girl in the care of relatives. Informative, entertaining, and often very moving, this collection of letters captures for scientists and general readers alike a little known yet crucial period in Einstein's life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Superb translations of the Einstein-Maric early letters
Renn and Schulmann have performed a valuable service by collecting all the surviving early correspondence in one volume. However, it is not the case that this is a book that the "Einstein establishment doesn't want you to read", as the letters had already been translated and published five years before in the first volume of the Albert Einstein Collected Papers. Nor do they show that Mileva was a collaborator on Einstein's celebrated 1905 papers, as has been argued on the basis of highly selective quotations from the letters. For instance, against the one occasion (in March 1901) that Einstein, in the context of his reassuring Mileva of his continuing love, refers to "our work" on relative motion there are over a dozen occasions when he refers to *his* work on the electrodynamics of moving bodies, e.g., "I'm busily at work on an electrodynamics of moving bodies..." (17 December 1901), and "I spent all afternoon at Kleiner's in Zurich telling him about my ideas on the electrodynamics of moving bodies..." (19 December 2001). In any case, the crucial breakthrough to the special relativity principle occurred in the early summer of 1905, some four years after the much-quoted words of March 1901, and there is no evidence that Mileva had any part in this. One reviewer suggests that Mileva played the role of explaining to Einstein the Michelson-Morley experiment, but there is not a single piece of evidence to support this contention. Furthermore, the theoretical basis on which Einstein postulated the constancy of the speed of light was his radical view of the nature of space-time, not the null result of the Michelson-Morley experiment.

Apart from the fact that in these early letters *all* the ideas on extra-curricular physics on which Einstein was working come from him, some of the instances of his referring to "our" or "your" work relate to their Zurich Polytechnic diploma dissertations, for which they had both chosen topics in heat conduction. Einstein was certainly keen to draw Mileva into his extra-curricular studies, as his letters frequently show, but there is no evidence that she played more than a supporting role here. A notable absence in Mileva's letters is any discussion of extra-curricular physics, even in the two instances where we have her letters in response to ones of Einstein in which he excitedly discusses his latest ideas. In the words of one of the co-editors of the book, Robert Schulmann: "All serious Einstein scholarship has shown that the scientific collaboration between the couple was slight and one-sided."

Excellent ! The book that the Einstein establishment doesn't want you to read
There can be no doubt about it .Mileva Maric(Marity)was a collaborator with Albert Einstein on one or more of the 4 1905 papers published by Max Planck in his German language journal.Her main contribution probably was in explaining to Albert the 1887 Michelson -Morley light refraction-reflection experimental results demonstrating that the speed of light had to be a constant.This would mean that there was no "ether" medium in which light would travel.Understanding these results are a necessary,but not sufficient, prerequisite to building a special or general theory of Relativity.Albert Einstein deliberately left out any reference to these results because he knew that it was Mileva who had helped him master this area of research.He wanted to pretend that he had reached his conclusions without resort to these extremely important empirical- experimental findings or any other empirical work.Albert Einstein was ,of course,the main author of the papers.His refusal to acknowledge her partial contribution means that Albert was a glory grabber in the same sense that Otto Hahn was in refusing to acknowledge the great aidof Lise Meitner in the discovery of nuclear fission.

A lot more than a secretary
This a nice collection of love letters between Albert Einstein and his first wife, Mileva Maric.If you don't know the rest of the tragic story (for her, anyway), it's just as well. It's enough to make you reflect on the amount of pain that love turn to hate can engender.

They cover the period when he is getting his PhD, his first job at the patent office (which he was happy to get, by the way) in Zurich, and the birth of their first, but illegitimate child, a daughter named Lieserl, whose eventual whereabouts became a mystery (see the excellent Einstein's Daughter by Michele Zackheim for an exhaustive search for Lieserl).

What is most intriguing about these letters is the number of times Einstein refers to "our" in his scientific work.He has never acknowledged Mileva's help, but I don't know how anyone can avoid the conclusion that she was a collaborator during the critical period leading up to 1905.Consider the following, in Einstein's own words: " . . . our work on relative motion . . . "(p. 39); "Don't [Mileva] forget to check on the extent to which glass conforms to the Dulong-Petit law." (p. 40); " . . .our theory of molecular forces . . ."(p. 45); " . . . enough empirical material for our investigation . . . "(p. 47); and "I gave him our paper" (p. 52).There are other references.

Mileva has had her defenders in the last ten or fifteen years, but for the most part those who want to keep the Einstein myth alive that whatever he did, he did without any help have relegated her to the role of some sort of amanuensis and helpmeet.If the word "our" means what I think it means, she was a whole more than that. ... Read more

Product Description
This attractively illustrated book for boys and girls tells a true story about a very unusual child, later recognized by the world as a man of scientific genius. But before everything else, he was like every child. He loved to play, and to use his imagination. Today's children will delight in this story, while also learning about a boy who grew up and revolutionized modern science. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (7)

Adorably illustrated and written
I love this book for several reasons.It is the story of Albert Einstein's childhood, and how he behaved differently from the people around him, but at the same time, was thinking very big thoughts that would eventually contribute to the world.It explains instances where Albert Einstein did not seem to fit in (ex:sports), and how he would be interested in things that most people took for granted.I think it is a good book to help children be more accepting and understanding of people who behave differently.

I also love the illustrations in this book.They are very cute and colorful and a little on the art-deco side.It's really a beautiful book.The story is kept quite simple so that small children will stay interested, but at the same time learn a little about Einstein and how his childhood was.

Everybody Matters, Even Kids Who are Different
There once was an absent minded little boy, always forgetting everything. He wasn't very neat either, in fact you could say he was rather messy. He didn't even tie his shoes. And you know what? Some people said he didn't know how. His teacher was always frustrated with him, because he had trouble paying attention in school. It seems his mind wandered a lot. He was always thinking of other things. He didn't like geography. He didn't history. I don't think he even liked school. But he did like numbers. He liked to watch ants. He liked to look at the sky.

He was Albert Einstein and Mr. Lepscky has done him justice in this wonderful children's book with gorgeous illustrations by Paolo Cardoni. Not only will you have the satisfaction of helping your child read when you finger through the pages of this book, but you will be teaching him a bit of history and you'll be teaching him that even kids who are different matter. This is an important book. It's a beautiful book. It's one that belongs in every child's library.

What a fantastic book!
My very intelligent son is Dx'ed with PDD NOS and is inclusioned in regular school. This book has helped him and his teachers to appreciate his differences and gives us all hope for his future. There is nothing depressing about this book! Of course Einstein was different and that difference made him great. What seemed like a deficit in his personality to some people is what also made him capable of thinking outside the box and discovering incredible ideas in physics. My thanks to Lepscky and Cardoni for an excellent book on tolerance!

Wonderful Book to Encourage Tolerance, Respect
I couldn't disagree more with the reviewer who called this book"depressing". This book has transformed my son. He hasAsperger Syndrome, AKA high-functioning autism, and this book is inspiring for him, and also his friends. Other children accept his oddities and idiosyncrasies much better after they read this story and realize that one of the greatest minds of all time was so similar to my son. Rather than being critical because it explores Einstein's uniqueness, readers should recognize that there is more to a human life than grades and homogenous childhoods.

A Short Lesson on "Different Isn't Bad"
My son has Asperger's Syndrome, which looks remarkably like what Einstein had.This book showed my son (and me) that it's okay to think differently than other people and that different isn't bad.The book is extremelysimplistic, but it's meant for younger kids, not kids looking for abiography to report on. ... Read more

Product Description
From being a mediocre high school student in Germany to becoming a world-renowned physicist living in Princeton, N.J., the life and work of Albert Einstein is clearly explained in a question-and-answer format for younger readers. The combination of easy-to-read text, large photographs and illustrations, and simple experiments, clearly explain Einstein's scientific work, such as the "Theory of Relativity."

A time line and index provide supplementary materials. ... Read more

Product Description
This volume of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein contains the scientific work Einstein published during the first decade of his career, and includes some of the most significant achievements of twentieth-century physics. The first paper was written in 1900 by the twenty-one-year-old Einstein, newly graduated from the Swiss Federal Polytechnical School, or ETH, in Zurich and still searching in vain for a job. The last paper in this volume is the text of an invited lecture given in 1909 to a major scientific meeting by Einstein after he was appointed to his first academic post at the University of Zurich. He had already been recognized as an important theoretical physicist on the basis of the work reprinted here, particularly the three masterpieces that appeared in quick succession during 1905, Einstein's year of miracles. In one of these papers Einstein showed how one could finally confirm the ancient view that matter is composed of discrete atoms, and even measure the numbers and masses of these atoms. In a second paper, which even he referred to as "very revolutionary," he argued that the observed properties of thermal radiation suggest that it consists not of waves, but rather of localized particles of energy which he called energy quanta. The third and most famous paper set forth the special theory of relativity, solving some long-standing difficulties, but requiring a significant change in our understanding of those basic concepts, space and time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Excellent
Translations of Einstein's papers are scattered around, but are generally hard to find.This volume brings together a decade of Einstien's scientific papers translated into English.The editors have chosen to leave in the mistakes and typographical errors and refer the reader to the documentary edition (which I believe can be purchased directly from Princeton University Press, but not on Amazon).This documentary edition is a printing of the original German articles with extensive introductions and footnotes in English.If you are not comfortable reading technical papers auf Deutsch and choose this English version over the documentary edition, then you lose the benefit of the footnotes.Even that benefit is limited.I worked through the details of Einstein's thesis with the footnotes from the documentary edition.Several errors in the thesis are not noted and there are some errors in the footnotes themselves.The collection contains several early papers of Einstein that I have never before seen translated.There are also reviews of articles which Einstein wrote on other papers.These reviews will be of limited interest for most readers.Overall, it is a great pleasure to see how Einstein originally presented his great works on relativity, Brownian motion, photoelectric effect, the dimension of molecules, etc.

The Einstein Gold (or God) Age
All the Einstein life is very intersting! For the 20st centuryworld life the 1900-1909 Einstein period is the apex of his scientificcontributions, specially for three papers: those about the Brownian Movement, the Photoelectric Effects and Eletromagnetic Effects when there is a referencial change. All three papers brought to ous news interpretations of those phenomena and revealed the Einstein interpretation capacity of visible and not-visible world. The paper about Photoelectric Effects presented a new quantum views of ligh and material interaction while the Eletromagnetic Effects showed the principles of Special Relativity, a theme that transverse the 20st century and arrive at 21st century without popular technology applications. This book brings a opened, stimulant, and helpful explanations - great lectures - about the principals Einstein ideas. Maybe this book is the first to point closely the life and thinking of a science men. ... Read more