Einstein: A Life (Paperback)

~ (Author) "Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany, with a swollen, misshapen head and a grossly overweight body, causing his grandmother, Jette..." (more)
Key Phrases: relativity paper, unified field theory, New York, Hans Albert, United States (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

With his halo of white hair, Albert Einstein looked the part of the century's secular saint, and Brian quotes a child asking, "Is that the Lord?" As the successor to Copernicus and Newton in revolutionizing concepts of the physical universe, Einstein was possibly the next best thing. Aside from awkward paragraph transitions and some lazy shortcuts that use parts of interviews verbatim, Brian's anecdotal biography, with just enough science to make Einstein's achievements persuasive, humanizes the icon, whose private life was guarded by zealous executors after his death at 76 in 1955. Once Einstein's elegantly audacious relativity theory emerged in 1905, when he was an obscure 26-year-old Swiss Patent Office examiner, he was on his way to a reputation as "the Columbus of science," his every scrap of paper so treasured that some of his checks were not cashed. In a few strokes of his pen?E=MC2?he revolutionized physics, explaining, "Time and space and gravitation have no separate existence from matter." Despite years of resistance from scientific and political reactionaries, deftly dramatized by Brian, observed phenomena would validate Einstein's equations. After his Nobel Prize in 1922, he unsuccessfully chased the holy grail of physics, a "unified field theory" that might mesh electromagnetism with gravitation. No more successful were his two marriages or his parenting. Eager to prove that the liberal, sometimes naive Jewish refugee from the Nazis was disloyal to his adopted country, J. Edgar Hoover would compile a 1160-page file, what Brian calls a jumble "of fact and fantasy, of lies, rumors, and ravings"?the largest and most unreliable of the dozens of biographies of Einstein. More the life than the work, Brian's unworshipful account is genial and judicious.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

The making of the mythology of Albert Einstein began well before his death and shows no sign of abating. One of these books aims to cut through the myth; the other to capitalize on it. Brian's ambitious and well-researched work is a refreshing change from the recent glut of revisionist Einstein biographies, like Roger Highfield and Paul Carter's tawdry The Private Lives of Albert Einstein (LJ 5/1/94). Brian does a fine job of depicting the man, not the myth. Each of his 42 vividly detailed chapters covers a very specific period in Einstein's life. Brian is strong in covering the full range of Einstein's personal, political, and professional activities, and he offers insight into his thinking. This is not, however, a scientific biography, and little is offered by way of explanation of his theories. For that, the best work remains Abraham Pais's Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein (LJ 8/82). Still, most general readers will probably prefer the personal, nontechnical style of Brian's book. Recommended for all libraries. Eddington's Essential Einstein is, essentially, fluff. It contains around 90 duotone photographs, in which Einstein is shown as gentle, unkempt, avuncular, eccentric, and visionary?in short, it portrays all of the standard characteristics of the Einstein image that permeates popular culture. Next to the photos are quotes taken from his speeches and writings. True, many of the photos are captivating, so buy this book for your coffee table if you want, but not for your library.?Gregg Sapp, Univ. of Miami Lib., Coral Gables, Fla.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 528 pages
• Publisher: Wiley; 1 edition (August 7, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0471193623
• ISBN-13: 978-0471193623
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6 x 1.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #280,569 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The Story of Einstein the man, not Einstein the Scientist, November 20, 2002

By	D. Wolf "wolfd" (Fairfax, VA USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In this very readable biography, Brian conveys an extraordinary amount of information about Einstein's personal life so that the reader gets a real sense of what it must have been like to be around him.

Einstein's brilliance as a scientist did not turn him into a snob even tho' he clearly recognized that he had extraordinary abilities. He was both amused and repulsed by the trappings of celebrity that came with his status. Brian makes clear that Einstein was a kind man, a good friend, and a mediocre husband and father. The same man who labored intently over both scientific and social issues apparently put little effort into his family life. Brian does an excellent job of relating Einstein's family, social, and business world.

The 2 areas where this otherwise good biography falls short are the lack of context about Einstien's scientific achievements and the inadequate treatment of his interaction with other leading scientists outside of social and business matters. To the first matter, the book doesn't address why the theory of relativity mattered. He explains that it is a different model of the universe than what Newton defined centuries earlier; but, he leaves out any discussion of the impact. Similarly, the importance Einstein's quest for a unified theory is identified as an activity, but not why it was an important one. Brian never addresses why Einstein resisted Heisenberg's theories with such vehemence and for so long? The author provides little of Heisenberg, Bohr, or Plank's perspective of Einstein.

If you know the science already, this book is an excellent intrduction to the man. If you only know that Einstein was a "really smart guy," but not why his contributions mattered, then this is not the book for you.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Excellent insight into one of the world's greatest minds., July 22, 1999

By	[e-mail] (Denver, CO) - See all my reviews

This book covers the full spectrum of one of the worlds greatest minds. From his difficult time conforming as a young student, through the financial trials and trial of the heart. For those, like myself, who veiwed Einstein strickly as a scientist, this book will prove as a valuable tool to gain an understanding of his life.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Incredible biography, February 25, 2000

By	Y. Kaynar "yk3b" (Malden, MA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I'm a big fan of biographies, and have read many, and I can easily rank this one in top 5. It's definetely the definitive biography of Einstein for those that want to get to know Einstein almost on a personal level. The amount of detail is just right and he's never portrayed as a God which other biographers have tried to do. I definetely recommend it.