Einstein for Beginners [Paperback]

Michael McGuinness (Author), Joseph Schwartz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 3, 1990

Amusing, irreverent, sophisticated and highly accessible, Einstein for Beginners is the perfect introduction to Einstein's life and thought.

Reaching back as far as Babylon (for the origins of mathematics) and the Etruscans (who thought they could handle lightning), this book takes us through the revolutions in electrical communications and technology that made the theory of relativity possible. In the process, we meet scientific luminaries and personalities of imperial Germany, as well as Galileo, Faraday, and Newton; learn why moving clocks run slower than stationary ones, why nothing can go faster than the speed of light; and follow Albert's thought as he works his way toward E = mc2, the most famous equation of the twentieth century.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

One of the first in the series of For Beginners documentary comic books, Einstein for Beginners still holds up as a perfect introduction to the life and work of Albert Einstein. It has been said that only a small percentage of people really understand Einstein's theories, but this book goes a long way towards making them accessible to everyone.

Review

"The presentation of [Einstein's] discoveries is little short of inspired." -- The Washington Post

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Product Details

• Paperback: 176 pages
• Publisher: Pantheon; Rei edition (January 3, 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679725105
• ISBN-13: 978-0679725107
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,632,033 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Einstein was a living breathing human? What a concept!, September 23, 1999

By 

jp (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Einstein for Beginners (Paperback)

Hey! Guess what? Albert had a life. A pretty goofy one at that. And still he manages to come out on the top of so many lists they saved his brain for study! I'm glad I found this reprinted - I have bought and loaned so many copies of this I was sure I'd never see it again. Yes, it's a cartoon book. That's probably its best feature. There are plenty of books that can take you through Einstein's work, equation by equation, scholarly treatments, rigorous in their dicussion of the minute details of unseen physics. This is not one of them, thank heaven. But if you want to know WHO Einstein was, you want to see him as a child and what incident started him on a world-changing life of inquiry, want to know who helped him and why, who threw obstacles in his path and why, whom he loved, and what place he takes in the rivers of history, this is the book. As a scientist, I know where to go to look up and learn the math of Einstein's work. I can read his original papers, I can review the problems he solved. But that's not who he was, it's not enough info to solve Albert himself. All the equations in the world won't tell you why he married his cousin. And if this book is broad enough to cure most folks of two myths: (a) he invented the atom bomb (FALSE) and (b) he got the Nobel Prize for Relativity (FALSE) then it's worth the eight bucks. Read it anyway, but especially if you think you know how science evolved in the 20th century.

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Simplified Approach to a Complicated Subject, July 31, 2000

By 

rareoopdvds (San Diego, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Einstein for Beginners (Paperback)

Einstein for Beginners acts more as a visual representation of Einsteins work. An easy to read format for anyone interested in knowing Einsteins theories without the mind-boggling formulas. I would suggest this as a place to begin. A nice read, although the theories one still needs to comprehend. The author, Joseph Schwartz puts it in a perspective that both challenges and educates. Highly reccomended!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars it's all relative, June 18, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Einstein for Beginners (Paperback)

Goes through Einstein's though processes, the math (algebraically) and having to cope with the dizzying concept of trying to cope with 2 frames of reference at once. Does so in a lighthearted manner. Makes relativity approachable and maybe even comprehensible.