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Einstein: His Life and Universe

4.05 of 5 stars 4.05 · rating details · 24,658 ratings · 1,282 reviews

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 his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection be...more

Hardcover, 781 pages

Published April 10th 2007 by Simon & Schuster (first published January 1st 2007)

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Oct 27, 2012 brian rated it 4 of 5 stars

here's a letter a young einstein wrote to his pal.
the 1st paragraph: more waugh than egghead, eh?
and that 2nd paragraph?
those 'papers'?
"a modification of the theory of space and time"?
holy shit.

Dear Habicht,

Such a solemn air of silence has descended between us that I almost feel as if I am committing a sacrilege when I break it now with some inconsequential babble. So, what are you up to, you frozen whale, you smoked, dried, canned piece of soul? Why have you still not sent me your dissertat...more

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Aug 14, 2008 Laurel rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, biography, science

I decided to read this book primarily because of my fiance's interest in Einstein's life and his theories. I thought it might help me to actually have a somewhat intelligent reply on the rare occasion he starts talking physics (don't tell him I said so, but he is much smarter than I am). :)

I felt a bit daunted by the length of it at first (700 pages, or 22 hours on 18 CD's), but the book is engrossing from the start. The periodic and quite detailed descriptions of Einstein's theories and finding...more

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Jul 12, 2012 ︹︺︷︶ Job︸︹︺ツ rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorite-books

من أجمل وأروع السير الذاتية التي قرأتها , تعلمت واستفدت منها الكثير.
على الرغم من حجم الكتاب الكبير واسترساله في المسائل الفيزيائية إلا أن الكاتب نجح في شد انتباهي حتى النهاية.

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العبقرية.. وقيود المجتمع

فهد عامر الاحمدي

* حين نصف شخصاً بانه مبدع فماذا نعني بذلك!؟

في الغالب نقصد انه خرج بشيء جديد وغريب لم يستطرق من قبل. وحين يخرج المرء بشيء جديد فانه في الغالب يخالف واقعاً معتاداً وطريقة اعترف...more

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Jun 15, 2009 Bonnie rated it 5 of 5 stars

My brother-in-law recommended this biography in 2007. It is one of the most incredible books I’ve read in a long time. There are eleven pages of sources alone! This book is meticulously researched, beautifully written, fascinating, inspiring, and wonderful on every level. It’s 551 pages long, and I so did not want this book to end!

Isaacson immerses us in a detailed, in depth probing of Einstein’s life – personal, intellectual, scientific, political, and cultural - against a backdrop of the histo...more

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Dec 10, 2011 Roo78lm rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

أينشتاين أينشتاين .. لقد أضحكتني ، أمتعتني ، أغضبتني ، أبكيتني .. وأشعلتَ في داخلي عوالماً فيزيائية كونية .. ورغبات جديدة كُلياً على رُوح .
كنت سعيدة بي لأنني أقرأك ، وغاضبة مني لأنني أبدو أحياناً متعاطفة معكَ كُلياً وكم يبدو هذا سيئاً ! فأنتَ لم تكن عالماً فحسب ، لم تكن ألمانياً تخليت عن جنسيتك ، لم تكن يهودياً فقط بل صهيونياً أيضاً تحاول الإنصاف .. أترى ها أنا أحاول أن أبرر لكْ مع أنه لا يجب أن يحدثَ ذلك .. أنتَ ساهمت في بناء إسرائيل في أرض فلسطين ، أنتَ رغبتَ بهذا مع أنكَ لم كنت بادئ ذي بدء ت...more أينشتاين أينشتاين .. لقد أضحكتني ، أمتعتني ، أغضبتني ، أبكيتني .. وأشعلتَ في داخلي عوالماً فيزيائية كونية .. ورغبات جديدة كُلياً على رُوح .
كنت سعيدة بي لأنني أقرأك ، وغاضبة مني لأنني أبدو أحياناً متعاطفة معكَ كُلياً وكم يبدو هذا سيئاً ! فأنتَ لم تكن عالماً فحسب ، لم تكن ألمانياً تخليت عن جنسيتك ، لم تكن يهودياً فقط بل صهيونياً أيضاً تحاول الإنصاف .. أترى ها أنا أحاول أن أبرر لكْ مع أنه لا يجب أن يحدثَ ذلك .. أنتَ ساهمت في بناء إسرائيل في أرض فلسطين ، أنتَ رغبتَ بهذا مع أنكَ لم كنت بادئ ذي بدء تقول :" إن فكرة دولة إسرائيل لا تتوافق مع رغبات قلبي ، وإنني لا أفهم لماذا نحن بحاجة إلى دولة كهذه " . وبعد الإعلان عنها قلتَ بأنكَ سعيد بها ، رفضتَ الرئاسة فيها لأنكَ تظن بأنكَ لم تخلق لتكون سياسياً أو ذا منصب .
لم أفهمك إلى حدٍ ما ، لكنني أحترمك بعد كُل شيء ، أظنكَ جديراً بالإحترام .

مستاءة لأنني مضطرة لحسم نجمة عن كِتابتك ، ففي بعض أجزاءك الصغيرة المتناثرة بين الفصول توجد مواضيع علمية تبعث النفور والملل لمن لم يكن لديه خلفية علمية عنها . لكنني قارئة ذكية أينشتاين ، لقد تجاوزتها واستمتعت بالوثب القرائي

معرفةُ أينشتاين : إنساناً .. فيزيائياً .. مفكراً .. أو حتي يهودياً .. ألمانياً . متأمركاً .. مسالماً .. لعوباً كان كُل هذا ممتعاً ، مغرياً لكُل الراغبين في قراءتك أيضاً

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Mar 10, 2009 Lee at All Ears rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science, biography, non-fiction

You'll know Albert like your own grandfather after reading this. This book covers the complete life of Albert Einstein, from his childhood (he never did fail a math test) and early attraction to science and math to his love life, his children, his education, his employment, his many great theories and discoveries, his relationship with all of his famous peers, his rise to public fame, his sincere beliefs in freedom from oppression, 2 world wars, his role with the bomb, and his life in the US. An...more

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Aug 01, 2008 Jamie rated it 4 of 5 stars

A while back I had tried to read Walter Isaacson's biography on Benjamin Franklin, but just couldn't get through it because the author mired everything down in pointless details. Despite that, I decided to give his more recent book about famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein a try. If it turned out to be boring, I'd just drop it. Turned out, I loved it.

What I loved about Isaacon's book here is the way it delicately balances three aspects: the life of Einstein from a strictly biographical a...more A while back I had tried to read Walter Isaacson's biography on Benjamin Franklin, but just couldn't get through it because the author mired everything down in pointless details. Despite that, I decided to give his more recent book about famed theoretical physicist Albert Einstein a try. If it turned out to be boring, I'd just drop it. Turned out, I loved it.

What I loved about Isaacon's book here is the way it delicately balances three aspects: the life of Einstein from a strictly biographical angle, the examination of his scientific works like special and general relativity, and the discussion of how Einstein impacted and viewed the scientific zeitgeist of the early 20th century --particularly within the field of physics. I could see how someone setting out to write this book might want to focus on just one or two of these facets, but that would really be missing a huge opportunity. Each member of this trio of topics interacts with each other, and Isaacson finds ways to discuss two or more of them within the same passage. We get interesting little tidbits about Einstein's personal life and character, but we see how those things impacted the way he pursued his scientific work and thinking, and how that body of work turn defined (or, later, ran counter to) the entire field of physics. Seeing how all these pieces intersected and linked was fascinating.

It's all pretty well written, too. We get neat little anecdotes about Einstein like how contrary to popular belief he never failed math, or how he married his cousin, had four citizenships, or how --SPOILER ALERT-- the coroner who performed his autopsy stole his fricking brain and kept it in a jar for years while periodically giving out pieces of it to friends. I'll admit that when Isaacson would go off on a lecture about special or general relativity my eyes would glaze over while trying to follow his discussion of say four-sided triangles in non-Euclidean space or whatever, but at least some of the time it was written at a level I could follow, at least conceptually. Enough to understand the impact it had on the field, at least until Einstein's own theories were supplanted by quantum theory. If I have any criticism of the book, it's that while Isaacson does an admirable job of placing Einstein's achievements within the context of scientific discoveries at that time, what he fails to do is give us much perspective on how much --if anything-- the modern science of today owes to Einstein and his theories. What did Einstein get wrong, and what parts of his theories have been crowded out by the inevitable march of scientific progress? Dunno. Didn't say.

All in all, though, I found the book fascinating and would recommend it. I think I may go back and give the Ben Franklin book another shot.(less)

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Nov 02, 2007 Alex Telander rated it 5 of 5 stars

EINSTEIN: HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE BY WALTER ISAACSON: Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, takes biography writing to a whole new level with Einstein: His Life and Universe. This isn’t just the story of Albert Einstein from birth until death; Isaacson escorts the reader on a unique journey through the mind of Einstein, as well as through the eyes of his friends and family; along the way one becomes so close and understanding of the man of the twentieth century it is as i...more EINSTEIN: HIS LIFE AND UNIVERSE BY WALTER ISAACSON: Walter Isaacson, author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, takes biography writing to a whole new level with Einstein: His Life and Universe. This isn’t just the story of Albert Einstein from birth until death; Isaacson escorts the reader on a unique journey through the mind of Einstein, as well as through the eyes of his friends and family; along the way one becomes so close and understanding of the man of the twentieth century it is as if he were still alive and conversing with you. This book shows you the man and human being behind the genius of physics and astronomy, the creator of the theory of relativity.

Do not be fooled by the sheer girth of this 700-page book, Isaacson has a writing style that immediately makes the reader feel calm and at home, sitting in a comfortable chair doing what they love to do. Coupled with this is the knowledge – since the book is so large – that you will experience every important moment in Einstein’s life and you will be able to put to rest the urban legends that have developed over the decades. And no, Einstein did not flunk math.

Isaacson has done an incredible job in researching the math and physics so that the theories and ideas are presented in their entirety and laid out plainly so that if the reader wishes to truly understand Einstein’s ideas behind relativity, magnetic fields, quantum mechanics, and his never ending search for the unified field theory, they can. But unlike most Einstein biographies, this is only part of the book; another part is the human being behind the incredible brain. While being a very kind man throughout his life, Einstein also had a thing for the ladies, divorcing his first wife, Maric, of many years due to his infidelity with his second wife and cousin, Elsa, who he would outlive. Nevertheless, throughout his life Einstein always loved and cared for his children, even his first daughter with Maric who was given up for adoption and remains an obscure detail to history. There was a time when he held little respect for Hans Albert, his son, who pursued a career in engineering; Einstein’s love belonged to the world of theory and contemplation and despised the more manual sciences. Later in life, Hans and Albert became close once again and his son was by his side when Einstein died.

While not in the table of contents, the book can be divided into two parts, two worlds essentially for Einstein’s life. The first is his growing up in Germany and then moving to Switzerland, Prague and Berlin. His genius was there from the beginning, as he mastered calculus at the age of 15, and while working at a patent office began his work on relativity. It took some years before Einstein was granted a professorship in Berlin among his colleagues. It is during this time that Einstein was at his height and achieved a celebrity status that was very uncommon for a scientist, and where Hitler began his steady rise to power. While Einstein adamantly declared himself without religion, he never considered himself an atheist but a scientist; however he always considered himself a member of the Jewish culture and with the changes taking place in Germany, he became a prominent spokesmen for the Zionist movement. Sadly it came to the point where it simply wasn’t safe for Einstein to live in Germany anymore, as well as being forced out of his professorship, he made the decision to immigrate to the United States. He had visited the country a number of times during his tours around the world as a proponent of relativity and to meet other scientists at conferences, and was a big supporter of the rights and freedoms inherent in the country.

This is where the second part of the book begins, pursuing Einstein’s life in the United States.

Read the rest of the review at www.alexctelander.com

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Nov 16, 2009 Steven Peterson rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This lengthy 550 page biography depicts Albert Einstein's life well. This is a nuanced volume, speaking to the subject's flaws as well as his triumphs. Isaacson is a functional writer rather than a compelling writer, but his skills still make this a good book to read.

Isaacson introduces the volume with a telling comment (page 2): ". . .it is possible to explore how the private side of Einstein--his conconformist personality, his instincts as a rebel, his curiosity, his passions and detachments-...more This lengthy 550 page biography depicts Albert Einstein's life well. This is a nuanced volume, speaking to the subject's flaws as well as his triumphs. Isaacson is a functional writer rather than a compelling writer, but his skills still make this a good book to read.

Isaacson introduces the volume with a telling comment (page 2): ". . .it is possible to explore how the private side of Einstein--his conconformist personality, his instincts as a rebel, his curiosity, his passions and detachments--intertwined with his political side and his scientific side."

Several images stand out. First, he debunks myths such as the claim that Einstein flunked math early on.

Second, he notes that Einstein's rebelliousness, noted in the quotation above, probably helped make him such a revolutionary thinker in the early 20th century. He developed his theory of relativity (special and general); he was one who took part in the development of quantum theory, and so on. Many of these developments came about because he was not content to go along with established theories, authorities, and scientists. He questioned things; this questioning opened him to different ways of understanding the physical world. Sadly, later in life, Einstein came to defend what he had done and embraced the scientific status quo. He could never fully accept quantum theory (a perspective that he, in part, helped found). He went from a revolutionary to part of the establishment.

Third, his personal odyssey is interesting to follow. As a person, he could be fairly cold toward others--including those in his own family. He was not always faithful to his wives (he used the promise of what he anticipated as his winning the Nobel Prize and its financial award to get his first wife to agree to a divorce; simply, he promised to turn the financial award over to her when he won); he could be tough on his children. His movement out of Germany as the Nazis began to rise to power is well told. His eventual move to the United States is a part of his story.

Fourth, his sometimes courageous and sometimes lonely political stands are well described. He was a pacifist (normally); he wanted liberty to be available to all. His political activism was an important part of his life.

The story concludes with the curious tale of what happened to his brain after his death.

In short, this is a solidly written biography of one of the towering intellects of the 20th century. If one wishes to learn more about Einstein, this is a nice volume to use as a starting point.
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Sep 13, 2008 Doran Barton rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I finished reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.

As a biography, Isaacson's book was good, but could have been better. I feel I've been spoiled by reading David McCullough's book on John Adams because Issacson's book is considerably disjointed and littered with personal opinions assertions compared to McCullough's book. I also found reading Isaacson’s book was slow-going compared to other biographies I’d read.

Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of Einstein was pretty li...more I finished reading Einstein: His Life and Universe by Walter Isaacson.

As a biography, Isaacson's book was good, but could have been better. I feel I've been spoiled by reading David McCullough's book on John Adams because Issacson's book is considerably disjointed and littered with personal opinions assertions compared to McCullough's book. I also found reading Isaacson’s book was slow-going compared to other biographies I’d read.

Prior to reading this book, my knowledge of Einstein was pretty limited. I had learned of his theories of relativity in school. I knew he lived in Germany and moved to the United States sometime during or before World War II. I knew he was a pacifist but was somewhat involved with the creation of the first nuclear weapons in the United States.

Now, having read Isaacson's biography, I have learned a lot of things I didn't know. I have a much better idea of what Einstein was like. I think I would have admired the man the public knew, but since the biography reveals many things the public did not know while he was alive, I have to say I still admire his intellect but am disappointed in his personality.

One thing that seemed to keep coming up as I read about Einstein's life was that he could not commit to almost anything.

For example, he married twice, but was unfaithful to both women. An example is one time that his first wife, Mileva Maric, confronted him about his infidelity and he defended himself with the flippant excuse that he had tried to protect her from ever knowing so she would not be hurt. This “truth only hurts those who know” attitude is indicative of the arrogance, apathy, and disrespect Einstein had for women in his life.

Einstein’s religious views (or lack thereof) are another example. He is quoted as saying, “I cannot conceive of a personal God who would directly influence the actions of indivuals or would sit in judgement on creatures of his own creation.” Despite his firm disbelief in a traditional God, he was quick to respond to those who called him an atheist. “Try and penetrate with our limited means the secrets of nature and you will find that behind all the discernible laws and connections, there remains something subtle, intangible, and inexplicable. Veneration for this force beyond anything we can comprehend is my religion.”

Was this an attempt to avoid the questions or avoid having to personally account for his beliefs? I think it was probably at least somewhat along those lines.

Einstein is known for his pacifism, but, again, it’s not black or white. While still living in Germany before the rise of the Nazis in the 1930s, he was outspoken about the need for world-government, protesting military service, and that Europe should not re-arm after the first World War.

However, once the Nazi party took control of Germany, Einstein’s pacifism gave away to a belief that countries should arm themselves and that military service was honorable if a country was to defend itself against the antagonism of a fighting force like Germany’s.

About the only thing I could tell Einstein firmly believed throughout his life was that there was a unified theory of the universe that originated in field theories. He doubted quantum physics held answers about the universe despite the fact his early published papers played a large role in spurring the creation of the new field of physics.(less)

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Jul 30, 2008 Christine rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book was very interesting at times but I just found myself bored too much of the time. The book could have been condensed in some parts in my opinion.

I really enjoyed learning more about Einstein's life and trying to get to the core of who he was. The stuff about his theories was boring to me. There was a lot devoted to it. Anyone who really cares about that is going to read a physics textbook, so I think the author should have put less of that in there.

The book cleared up some of the myt...more

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Mar 26, 2008 Amy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Einstein was a great read - I gained a new appreciation for Einstein as a person and his scientific world. In the beginning of the book, I didn't know quite what to think of Einstein. I couldn't tell if he possessed great confidence or if he crossed over to being arrogant, and I wasn't impressed with how he handled his personal relationships. However, as the book went on, I gained an appreciation for his thirst for knowledge, his independent thinking, confidence, determination, and even kindness...more

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Aug 29, 2007 Madmadam rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: voyeurs

I read until the second chapter and briefly flipped through the book in its entirety when I decided I’m against biographies. I’ve always been an Einstein fan. I thought it would be interesting to read about his life. It was interesting, I suppose. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of intrusion when reading into his personal matters. Really, and this biography in particular is a perfect example, I’ve come to the conclusion that the biography when written by an author who does not sensitively treat...more I read until the second chapter and briefly flipped through the book in its entirety when I decided I’m against biographies. I’ve always been an Einstein fan. I thought it would be interesting to read about his life. It was interesting, I suppose. But I couldn’t shake the feeling of intrusion when reading into his personal matters. Really, and this biography in particular is a perfect example, I’ve come to the conclusion that the biography when written by an author who does not sensitively treat information with regards to a person’s privacy, is no better than a tabloid. It’s glorified and scholarly, perhaps, yet it is still no better than those nasty magazines that build up celebrities only to tear them down triumphantly by pointing out their human flaws. They seem to fill a base psychological need to bring a hero down in order to boost the average ego’s confidence. Fans of Walter Isaacson’s biography of Einstein probably read the book, scanning for failures to make them feel better. Perhaps they have common failures. Who wouldn’t feel a bit grander drawing parallels between one’s own life and the life Einstein whose name is synonymous today with intelligence? Or worse, perhaps they’re malicious, and look merely for the flaws. “Ah”, perhaps they think, “look at the “great” Einstein… Failed marriage, poor parenting… I may not be brilliant but at least I have people skills.” Maybe I’m too cynical. Another reader might applaud the book for the same reasons I put my thumbs down. Taking a giant, like Einstein, and showing him to be human like everyone else may encourage and elevate others to greatness, in the same way it’s encouraging (though to me it’s daunting) at the number of tries Edison had to go through before he lit his light bulb. I don’t know. It’s difficult for me to play devil’s advocate here.
Perhaps I’m old fashioned in the belief that the dead should be respected. Some of the papers the author used were only recently released. These papers were sacredly private to Albert during his lifetime and were carefully guarded by his family. It seems a pity to make a dead man’s secrets open for public speculation.
Perhaps my review is unfair. I didn’t finish the book. I merely read the first few chapters then skimmed briefly til the last few paragraphs, which kindly paid tribute to the man, Albert Einstein by celebrating his nonconformist attitude, humble awe of nature, and of course his brilliant thought. But I can’t help asking in my mind, would the subject be pleased? Or.. would he cringe?

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Aug 04, 2011 Marty Ross rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

I really enjoyed this biography, though generally, I'd say I'm not the biggest fan of the biography format. This was a bit of a twist in that it actually did go through many of Einstein's mental processes to arrive at a theory of relativity, special and general. What I found pretty impressive was that it delved not just into the implications of the theory, but the origins as well; the people who influenced his thinking, the people who came right up to the idea, but stopped short, unable to leap...more

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Aug 29, 2007 Charles Cavanaugh rated it 5 of 5 stars

I'm still reading this book, and it's endlessly fascinating how Einstein's personal life meshed with his scientific insights. What's intriguing for me is how certain events (schooling, patent office, childhood events, etc.)helped steer him towards the stature and genius he achieved.
Just as an example, as a young man he desperately wanted a job as a university professor, but no one would hire him. He got the civil service job in the patent office which allowed him to conduct his brilliant thought...more

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Mar 02, 2008 Maggie rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2008

I liked learning about the human being "Einstein" but wasn't as interested in his accomplishments...both are in the book and it's a nice narrative in the time line of his life, which I did think was nice. It did put his accomplishments in the context of what was happening in his personal life via letters and this was the part I was interested in the most. Also what was interesting was learning how his political and religious views changed and/or stayed the same as his life went on. Thank God I l...more

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May 17, 2012 Mahendra Palsule rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I listened to this biography by Isaacson after I had read his Steve Jobs biography, so I knew what to expect, and I was not disappointed but, rather, delighted.

Isaacson researches his background very deeply, presents his unbiased view meticulously, while being comprehensive so as to present all viewpoints of each perspective. It is a fascinating exploration of one of the most famous geniuses of the 20th century.

He also has a unique gift of simplifying complex concepts - from relativity and quant...more

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Dec 27, 2008 Jeff rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: favorites

This excellent biography of Einstein was my first in-depth exposure to a giant of science. Isaacson’s challenge was to document Einstein’s life in the context of his revolutionary contributions to science without completely losing the reader in descriptions of physics before and after. Since scientific knowledge builds incrementally on the discoveries, some rudimentary knowledge of Newtonian physics is a requirement for understanding this book. The author helps us understand how the famous theor...more

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Apr 09, 2013 Bob Nichols rated it 3 of 5 stars

As presented by Isaacson, Einstein's early success as a thinker can be largely credited to his relative isolation from academic physics. That, combined with his intelligence and anti-authoritarian temperament, allowed him to work outside the established paradigm to probe new ways of looking at reality. In his later years, Isaacson said Einstein became captured by his own revolutionary perspective (the 1905 papers and his general theory) and he was unable later to fully accept or attend to the im...more

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Feb 17, 2013 Jonathan rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good choice as an intro to Einstein, the guy, and Einstein's science. If you already know a bit about him, still worth reading, mainly for the wealth of biographical detail covering all phases of his long life. There's a lot of texture here, about Einstein's first wife and family, his struggles to find academic employment in turn-of-the-century Europe (the anti-semitism that he took for granted now really stands out in the way it complicates every aspect of his life), and his intuitive mastery...more A good choice as an intro to Einstein, the guy, and Einstein's science. If you already know a bit about him, still worth reading, mainly for the wealth of biographical detail covering all phases of his long life. There's a lot of texture here, about Einstein's first wife and family, his struggles to find academic employment in turn-of-the-century Europe (the anti-semitism that he took for granted now really stands out in the way it complicates every aspect of his life), and his intuitive mastery of the challenge worldwide celebrity-- his ability to enjoy and cultivate a charismatic public persona while maintaining a separate, inviolable private space in which to do his work should be a lesson to anyone aspiring to 21st century fame.

Isaacson does a decent job with the inevitable long passages of scientific explication; he seems to take the view that most of Einstein's major theoretical achievements amounted to flashes of logical insight, and that the math could have been done, probably more accurately, by anyone. It's both inspiring and a little deflating to think that, although he could ponder a single problem for decades, the achievements only come, unbidden, in isolated instants of time, as if progress were ultimately out of his control. In the second half of the book, this view takes on increasingly tragic proportions as Einstein obsessively pursues "insights" that, so far anyway, turn out to be wrong. We see both sides of the role of imagination in science: used correctly, it can open up vast new landscapes of unexplored thought, but when untethered from observation and evidence, it can fall victim to the hopes and prejudices of the human being using it. In other words, just because something seems like a good idea doesn't mean the universe agrees with you.

My only disappointment with this book has to do with the personal stuff. Although there are plenty of facts about what he was doing when and with whom, the revelations seem to go only so deep. You start to feel as though you're standing on Einstein's front lawn, aware that he's in the house going about his day, but not quite sure what that day consists of. For example, we're repeatedly of his longstanding, mutually-devoted relationship with his personal assistant Helen Dukas, but we learn virtually nothing about who she was or how they interacted. We learn what theoretical approach he took to problem A during year B, but not what he was doing day-to-day to advance his research. This may be an unavoidable consequence of Einstein's intense privacy, but since this is really a book about a creative mind, I have a natural curiousity about how that mind thought from day to day, while waiting for the "a-ha" moments to arrive.(less)

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Feb 14, 2013 Melvin Pedersen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: finished-reading

Einstein, An amazing read.
I wish I had the time to tell you everything in this book.
One thing I really liked was the way the author, Walter Isaacson,
was able to make Einstein's physics almost as clear as day, and so simple to understand.
I had to read each paragraph twice to interpret many simple representations. Walter Isaacson follows through on representing Einstein's magical way of developing ideas from something simple into something worthy of much study. A quote from Einstein says it in es...more

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Feb 08, 2013 Ralph Hermansen rated it 5 of 5 stars

Walter Isaacson did a excellent job bringing Albert Einstein back to life in our minds. His technical book advisors include the biggest names in physics. After all, a story about Einstein is a story about physics.

I didn't realize that the atomic view of matter was not taken that seriously when Einstein began to publish. His belief that atoms are real was key to many of his great discoveries. I also learned that Einstein made a valient effort to be a father to his sons. I had somehow picked up th...more

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Jan 14, 2013 Sassan rated it 5 of 5 stars

"Einstein, His Life and Universe" is a fascinating account providing a unique and intriguing insight to what made Einstein, Einstein! This book provides amazing details and unparalleled levels of Einstein's writings and correspondence from his youthful days in which he was first falling in love with his first wife to his later years when he was stuck in his unrelenting quest for his "Unified Field Theory". We learn not only the different steps Einstein journeyed throughout his life and what it t...more "Einstein, His Life and Universe" is a fascinating account providing a unique and intriguing insight to what made Einstein, Einstein! This book provides amazing details and unparalleled levels of Einstein's writings and correspondence from his youthful days in which he was first falling in love with his first wife to his later years when he was stuck in his unrelenting quest for his "Unified Field Theory". We learn not only the different steps Einstein journeyed throughout his life and what it took for him to become the nonconformist and revolutionary that postulated Special Relativity and later General Relativity - but also how he ended up in some ways becoming the "reactionary physicist" that earlier in his younger days he had defied with his revolutionary theories. Most importantly, Isaacson provides Einstein's own words and deeds in allowing the reader to see that despite the amazing humanitarian Einstein was, he was human and had flaws like the rest of us. Saying this, his love for humanity was without doubt one of his greatest motives of his life and although he would often times leave the realm of the "merely personal" and delve into his scientific work to escape life's stresses - the quest for world peace encompassed his ultimate moral value in which he believed in the universality and paramount importance of individual freedom and free expression of the mind and human spirit. Without these universal values, Einstein believed creativity stifles and the human spirit hampers in the abyss..

Truly fascinating book... I only take one issue with Walter Isaacson in this book. I was interesting in reading more about Einstein's lack of belief in a personal god and in the chapter "Einstein's God", the chapter is very terse and does not provide us many details. In addition, Isaacson takes more of a subjective and opinion based approach to that chapter. I have studied Einstein's religiosity (or lack-of) and while he indeed was not an avowed atheist, he time and time expressed his non-belief of religion and based on many of his writings and quotes, one can come to the conclusion that even the "cosmic divine" in which Einstein sometimes referred to was simply metaphoric as during a period when Einstein was in the United States, he was blasted on all sides (whether from civil society, media, and press) in what was believed to be his being a "heretic". Therefore, Isaacson does not take a fair and objective overview of Einstein's own words throughout his life in which Isaacson jumps to the conclusion based on a lack of an overall review of Einstein's quotes and thoughts throughout Einstein's years in asserting that Einstein believed in a "divine providence" - although, Isaacson at least does admit that Einstein did not believe in a personal god.

But overall, that chapter on "Einstein's God" was the only chapter that was quite terse and was based more on subjectivity rather than objectivity. Great book, and I recommend it to EVERYONE! (less)

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Dec 30, 2012 Louise rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography, scientists

This is a very readable portrait of this complex and gifted man. Readability is a triumph because Isaacson tackles physics, explaining Einstein's theories, their development and established and competing theories.

Despite the lay terms and everyday examples, at first I was flipping back to previously explained concepts to follow the physics. Once I realized that through Isaacson's presentation of their import I could understand their essence, I didn't worry about the details and no longer flipped...more This is a very readable portrait of this complex and gifted man. Readability is a triumph because Isaacson tackles physics, explaining Einstein's theories, their development and established and competing theories.

Despite the lay terms and everyday examples, at first I was flipping back to previously explained concepts to follow the physics. Once I realized that through Isaacson's presentation of their import I could understand their essence, I didn't worry about the details and no longer flipped back. To paraphrase Elsa Einstein "Understanding the theories was not essential to my enjoyment of the book".

From his inability to find his first job, to his worldwide fame, Einstein remembered his roots. Not just his Jewish roots, which he declared his greatest identity, but his compassion. Perhaps in going to Lincoln University as a renowned physicist, he revisited himself as a youth, unable to pursue his goals, and perhaps the inability of his first wife to pursue hers as well.

The book has one missing element. Family relations are described but not explained. Einstein appears to have abandoned his son Eduard in all but financial terms (and maybe, at times, this too.) and seems to undermined Hans Albert in word and deed. He spent 7 weeks vacationing with Elsa when at least a few days could have been shared with his sons. I didn't understand the last days of Maric, did Einstein sell her house out from under her? There are hints that Maric or her family may have had schizophrenia or some other serious problem, but no real information is given.

Today Einstein is a cachet, an idiom, a brand name and a synonym for genius. Isaacson reminds us that before his was a household name, "women patriots" and others wanted him out of the county. He and his colleagues who created the foundation of the arsenal, and the arsenal itself, upon which US might is based were turned on as they warned the world of their dangers.

I liked the cover photo, showing the vital Einstein, not the stereotype his name conjures up. The book designers have done a good job in layout. The photos are well selected and well placed. I especially liked the equation "in his own writ" on p. 543. (less)

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Dec 19, 2012 Sue rated it 4 of 5 stars

Walter Isaacson had access to a huge volume of Einstein’s personal correspondence, released in 2006, making possible this wide ranging biography. The world already knew much about Einstein’s science, and the correspondence gave Isaacson full scope for broader exploration of his life, including his complicated family relationships. I gravitated to this biography on the strength of Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, intrigued as well by an interview of Isaacson about his interest in people of except...more Walter Isaacson had access to a huge volume of Einstein’s personal correspondence, released in 2006, making possible this wide ranging biography. The world already knew much about Einstein’s science, and the correspondence gave Isaacson full scope for broader exploration of his life, including his complicated family relationships. I gravitated to this biography on the strength of Isaacson’s Steve Jobs biography, intrigued as well by an interview of Isaacson about his interest in people of exceptional creative talent, a subject I find fascinating.

The book does not neglect the science, however. I don’t have the scientific background to do justice to those chapters, but I think he did a remarkable job of traveling the reader back a century, to remind us of what was not known, and to capture the magnitude of Einstein’s theoretical leaps.

As an irreverent young man, Einstein lived a bohemian life and pursued a life of the mind. This meant reading philosophers like Kant and Hume and engaging in discussion with other bright young men, in addition to doing science. It did not mean preparing lectures and satisfying academic requirements for promotion, because he hadn’t succeeded in finding a university job (possibly because he had burned some bridges with the people in a position to recommend him). Isaacson thinks it’s a good thing Einstein was removed from the academic environment and was safely ensconced in the patent office in Bern, thinking and visualizing a new version of the universe.

Einstein did eventually become an elder statesman of the academic world, but he remained rebellious, particularly in his politics. His natural embrace of pacifism persisted through his life, but it could not be sustained in World War II. As a Jew, he became energized about the creation of Hebrew University, but he was dismayed ultimately at the nationalistic fervor for the state of Israel. After the war he worked passionately for a world government, and he was a fervent critic of McCarthyism. From his earliest days in the United States, his pacifism alarmed the FBI, and thus began his long file.

Einstein was – at best – erratic in his attentions to his first wife and their children. That his later domestic life with his second wife became more orderly is perhaps not so surprising. As a middle-aged man, he gracefully lived the bourgeois life he had sneered at as a young man, managed by several doting women: wife, sister, stepdaughter, secretary. By then, he also was not stunning the physics world. But to the day he died, he was searching for a unified field theory, a vigorous pursuit in which he never flagged, but also never succeeded.

That singlemindedness, that absorption with the universe, that ability to think differently – those are the things that earned Einstein the “Person of the Century” accolade.
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Nov 03, 2012 Adriel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I wonder what it would have been like for a Princeton undergrad to ride back to school on the Dinky and find himself seated next to Albert Einstein or to see him seated at the corner ice cream store on Nassau Street where he would stop on his walk home. Einstein would walk daily to his office chatting with his friend Kurt Goedel. Interesting that these two monumental minds found such a bond, with Goedel who described the limits of logic and Einstein who explained the great expansive energy of th...more I wonder what it would have been like for a Princeton undergrad to ride back to school on the Dinky and find himself seated next to Albert Einstein or to see him seated at the corner ice cream store on Nassau Street where he would stop on his walk home. Einstein would walk daily to his office chatting with his friend Kurt Goedel. Interesting that these two monumental minds found such a bond, with Goedel who described the limits of logic and Einstein who explained the great expansive energy of the universe.

Walter Isaacson explains the basics of Einstein’s theories in a way that, mercifully, the average reader can understand. By average reader, I mean, all of us who struggled with math and are baffled by physics. And it is decidedly not true that Einstein was backward as a child and could not learn mathematics. He mastered calculus in his teens was good enough at it to tutor the lesser minds of fellow students. On the other hand, he was slow to take up language, but then again, it is clear that all his life he thought deeply and thoroughly before speaking.

It is interesting and surprising to learn that his discoveries were made mostly of thought experiments, rather than by actual physical testing. That task was left largely to others who proved his theories. It is also a surprise that this man of science insistently denied that he was an atheist. In fact, he surprised several friends who assumed that he had no belief in a grand designer of the incredible design of nature. On the other hand, he said he had no belief in a personal God, but rather believed in Spinoza’s God. Spinoza defined God so broadly and was so opposed to what he termed the superstitious stories of the Bible, that it would be hard to say in what kind of deity Einstein did believe.

On thing is certain, he was proud of his Jewish heritage and hated the German nationalism even before Germany turned to the Nazis. Einstein was also somewhat skeptical of the growing nationalism in Palestine that eventually brought about the state of Israel. Nonetheless, he lobbied for the founding of Israel and was even offered it first presidency which he wisely declined.

Isaacson debunks many of the things we think we know about Einstein but it is true that there actually was some reason in the suspicions that the FBI had about him during the war. Apparently he never knew it, but in his later years the woman he dated was indeed a Soviet agent. His last years were spent quietly and peacefully in Princeton where he was thought to be just as he was, a thoughtful man who had every right to display superior airs, but didn’t. His neighbors had a little daughter who would sneak over to Einstein and get help with her mathematics homework and he obliged. She complained to him that her math problems were so difficult, but Albert Einstein, the patient genius, told her that his math problems were even more difficult.
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Sep 17, 2012 William Matthies rated it 4 of 5 stars

Years ago I read Ronald Clark's "The Life and Times of Einstein", remembering it as a difficult book to get through. Since I recall so little of that now I thought another attempt was in order, this time coming from noted biographer Walter Isaacson, particularly after reading glowing reviews for his Steve Jobs bio.

I am now about a quarter through and each page reminds me of how tough I found Clark's effort to be. Maybe that is indicative of a biography about a person's whose life work I have no...more

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Apr 30, 2012 Elliot Ratzman rated it 4 of 5 stars

Citizen Einstein was a radical pacifist who changed his mind after Hitler; against nationalism, he worked for the Zionist cause and later criticized the treatment of Arabs. He was a life-long democratic socialist, a critic of Soviet Communism and American anti-Communism, and did what he could to eliminate racism. He rejected organized religion and the idea of a personal god but revered the mysteries of nature. Though he set the stage for quantum uncertainty he believed in an ordered reality: “Go...more

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Mar 27, 2012 Cheryl rated it 5 of 5 stars

You probably have to be a geek to enjoy this book, so now you know what I am :)

I read this mainly because they had an excerpt of it in Time magazine that peaked my interest. The book itself tells of his life, of course, and some of that was interesting; but what intrigued me the most were his actual theories and the experiments he did to come to those conclusions. Previously I read a book called "A Brief History of Time" that explained scientists views of the world from the beginning (the world...more

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Mar 23, 2012 Libyrinths rated it 5 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Isaacson did a very nice job of combining his personal life with his intellectual life, and of explaining as clearly as possible his major ideas.

Several aspects of this book I particularly appreciated. The first is that Isaacson did indeed follow his intellectual life, and tried to show how Einstein's mind worked throughout the book. This meant one got a perspective on what made him different, if he was that, and why he was the one to come up with relativity. But...more I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Isaacson did a very nice job of combining his personal life with his intellectual life, and of explaining as clearly as possible his major ideas.

Several aspects of this book I particularly appreciated. The first is that Isaacson did indeed follow his intellectual life, and tried to show how Einstein's mind worked throughout the book. This meant one got a perspective on what made him different, if he was that, and why he was the one to come up with relativity. But additionally, following Einstein's intellectual life meant that Isaacson gave us a good idea of what he was actually working on after his general relativity paper. So much of what I've read before has tended to sum that up in one sentence without giving much meaning to it. This thread also meant the reader got a coherent feeling for Einstein's philosophy of science. So, I really appreciate Isaacson's focus here, as it's something fresh, in my opinion, and clarifies many disparate things one reads about Einstein.

Another aspect of the book I appreciated was how so many people in his life became real people on the pages, especially his first wife, Mileva Maric, but not only her. I don't think I'd ever had such a good picture of their relationship before. There were tidbits of well-known stories involving others -- be they scientists or friends -- which were new to me and gave things a fresh slant.

I liked that Isaacson made a few dedicated chapters to discuss some of the more important science concepts, rather than stopping in the middle of a chapter on his life and trying to do that. This not only made the science clearer, but meant one could read most of the book at a comfortable pace, slowing down for only a few chapters.

The book was interesting, lively, compelling. In his endnotes, Isaacson occasionally takes the time to show other biographers' viewpoints on a particular issue, which I appreciated a lot. And he lists sources for further, or deeper, reading on a number of topics related to Einstein's life and thinking.

Despite its length, it reads far faster than one would think. If you plan to read one biography of Einstein, I heartily recommend this one.

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About Walter Isaacson

Walter Isaacson lives in Washington, DC, where he is the president and CEO of the Aspen Institute. He is the author of acclaimed, best-selling biographies of Albert Einstein, Benjamin Franklin, and Henry Kissinger.

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“To dwell on the things taht depress or anger us does not help in overcoming them. One must knock them down alone.” — 3 people liked it

“(In a letter from Einstein to Curie) Do not laugh at me for writing you without having anything sensible to say. But I am so enraged by the base manner in which the publc is presently daring to concern itself with you that I absolutely must give vent to this feeling. I am impelled to tell you how much I have come to admire your intellect, your drive, and your honesty, and that I consider myself lucky to have made your personal acquaintance in Brussels. Anyone who does not number among these reptiles is certainly happy, now as before, that we have such personages amoung us as you, and Langevin too, real peole with whom one feels privileged to be in contact. If the rabble continues to occupy itself with you, then simply dont read that hogwash, but rather leave it to the reptile for whom it has been fabricated.” — 2 people liked it

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