Einstein

Description

Albert Einstein is an icon of the twentieth century. Born in Ulm, Germany, in 1879, he is most famous for his theory of relativity, which is considered the founding principle of modern physics. He also made enormous contributions to quantum mechanics and cosmology, and for his work he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1921. A self-pronounced pacifist, humanist, and, late in his life, democratic socialist, Einstein was also deeply concerned with the social impact of his discoveries. Much of Einstein's life is shrouded in legend. From popular images and advertisements to various works of theater and fiction, he has come to signify so many things: the quintessential absent-minded professor; the gentle eccentric; the pacifist; the super-human genius. In Einstein: A Biography, Jurgen Neffe presents a clear and probing portrait of the man behind the myth. He recounts Einstein's life with detail and accuracy, presenting a comprehensive account of the educational, religious, psychological and historical conditions that enabled Einstein to become the ber-physicist of all time. Unearthing new documents, including a series of previously unknown letters from Einstein to his sons, which shed a new light on his role as a father, Neffe also paints a rich portrait of the tumultuous years in which Einstein lived and worked. With a background in the sciences, Neffe describes and contextualizes Einstein's enormous contributions to our scientific legacy. He leads his readers through today's institutes and laboratories worldwide, where Einstein's work continues to thrill researchers and scholars. A bestseller in Germany, Einstein is sure to be a classic biography of the man and proverbial genius who has been called the brain of the [twentieth] century. Review: Puede ser interesante - Puede ser interesante para quien ya sepa lo esencial sobre el personaje. Aporta nueva información sobre cartas u otros documentos que se han ido conociendo posteriormente a muchas de las otras obras existentes. Más duro de leer que el de W. Isaacson, pero vale la pena. Review: Seems a sad life for such a great thinker - I found this biography easy to read and follow. It tries to present Einstein in an objective light, but is lyrical and thoughtful. Without casting judgement the writer moves you to make your own judgement. I feel only sadness when I hear of Einsteins private life and what happened to his wives and children. In that sense he was as ordinary as the rest of us, and perhaps more tragic. I feel only total exhilaration and excitement when I read how he came about the theory of relativity which surely is the most awesome thought man has ever had? Tough competition from Darwin on Evolution I think and of course Watson and Crick with DNA. He let his religious and philosophical prejudices cloud his scientific judgement sometimes, but relativity opened up cosmology (how was the universe created) which allowed science to move into an area dominated by religion and myths. He would have smiled I think when the Supernova teams under Perlmutter and Schmidt discovered our universe is accelerating its expansion. The writer mixes the chapters so that you follow his life as his ideas develop. As a biography and style of writing throughly recommended.