Rating: 
Summary: Einstein - A Life
Review: Einstein - A Life, is a marvelous recounting of one of the worlds most celebrated historical figures. This work reveals the human side of A.E. while maintaining the genius he was. A must read for all biography fans.
Rating: 
Summary: Not too bad... however not what I was looking for.
Review: I am pretty much in agreement with the fellow amazon reviewer - herrdirektor's impression of this book. It is a very well researched biography. However, the book looms away from Einstein, the man and focuses more into his works. Brian writes of his scientific researches in great detail and in a manner which may not be too convenient for any reader unrelated to the scientific field. I was particularly looking for a book which gave me a glimpse inside the mind of the philosopher/scientist. With its prime focus on his career, this book fails the philosopher that Einstein was. I feel that those philosophies played a very important role and maintaining his mass popularity even after decades of his death. This missing element may disappoint some of the readers.
Rating:
Summary: Not too bad... however not what I was looking for.
Review: I am pretty much in agreement with the fellow amazon reviewer - herrdirektor's impression of this book. It is a very well researched biography. However, the book looms away from Einstein, the man and focuses more into his works. Brian writes of his scientific researches in great detail and in a manner which may not be too convenient for any reader unrelated to the scientific field. I was particularly looking for a book which gave me a glimpse inside the mind of the philosopher/scientist. With its prime focus on his career, this book fails the philosopher that Einstein was. I feel that those philosophies played a very important role and maintaining his mass popularity even after decades of his death. This missing element may disappoint some of the readers.
Rating:
Summary: Best biography I've read about Albert Einstein!
Review: I started reading about Einstein about 1 year ago and once I read the first book my hunger for knowledge about this person grew so I picked up this book by Denis Brian. I've read a few books about Albert Einstein, "Creator and Rebel" by Banesh Hoffmann, "Der private Albert Einstein by Peter Bucky", "Am Sonntag kuess ich Dich muendlich" by Albert Einstein & Mileva Maric, "Einstein sagt" & "Die Welt wie ich sie sehe" by Albert Einstein. I've enjoyed all these books yet none of them really gave me a big glimpse at who Einstein really was (except for his quotes and his love letters to Mileva, but that's only one side of him). Some of these books attempted to portray the private Einstein but at the same time were careful not to show to much or hide things which weren't thought of proper at the time of publishing (what happened to the Media since then ? ;-) Denis Brian tries to uncover this very private person and does so successfully considering how well protected Einstein was from the public by his close friends, co-workers and neighbors. If you are out for "dirt" on this great scientist, you have the wrong book. You will find out facts, some of them will not enlighten you but at the same time, he was only human. But if you are out for scandalous news about him, forget it, you won't find it here. Back to this book, I found it to be very informative but definitely not boring, very entertaining and delightful. You will catch yourself laughing out loud or snickering at some of the things Einstein said or did and he will remind you of the kid next door, very down to earth. Anyway, I could go on and on, but I really would like to recommend this book. Denis Brian did his homework, the materials have been researched very well (impressive bibliography) and at the same time are written in an entertaining style. Even though I already read a few books about Einstein, I still discovered plenty of new material. If you are looking for a book to become aquainted with the human behind the genius, this will be your best bet!
Rating:
Summary: Incredible biography
Review: 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.
Rating: 
Summary: The Story of Einstein the man, not Einstein the Scientist
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough but Hollow Biography
Review: My first reaction to finishing this book was "Gee, That was interesting... now I would like to read a biography about Einstein." This book is so focused on the details, that at times it becomes incoherent. In its pursuit of distilling Einstein to a more personal level, it still rings shallow. There were so many relationships discussed in such cursory detail, that I was not able to get a flavor for Einstein's interactions with magnificent scientists such as Born, Bohr, Plank, Milliken, etc. The books strength is that it is fact laden. If you finish this book, then you will be able to discuss the individual elements of his life with 98% of people. It dispels a lot of lure, and at the same time illuminates some majestical quotes. One of my biggest beefs with the layout of this novel is that the author goes to great pains to break his life into 1 to 2 year intervals (which I like), but the chapter titles never seem to come across in what is written. For example there is a chapter title called "The FBI Targets Einstein" yet the chapter itself has very little to do with that, and certainly doesn't differ from the surrounding chapters that discuss Hoover. Thus, I felt that an opportunity to explore various elements of Einstein's life were entirely lost. If it had been presented in relation to ideas as opposed to time frame, then perhaps Einstein would have been better illuminated. I realize that this review is a bit harsh. The bottom line is that I feel that I am better off from having read the book. Nevertheless, I must be honest and say that as a scientist and idolizer of Einstein... I found this book extremely painful to read. It gives a lot of information, but not in a particularly user-friendly manor.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough but Hollow Biography
Review: My first reaction to finishing this book was "Gee, That was interesting... now I would like to read a biography about Einstein." This book is so focused on the details, that at times it becomes incoherent. In its pursuit of distilling Einstein to a more personal level, it still rings shallow. There were so many relationships discussed in such cursory detail, that I was not able to get a flavor for Einstein's interactions with magnificent scientists such as Born, Bohr, Plank, Milliken, etc. The books strength is that it is fact laden. If you finish this book, then you will be able to discuss the individual elements of his life with 98% of people. It dispels a lot of lure, and at the same time illuminates some majestical quotes. One of my biggest beefs with the layout of this novel is that the author goes to great pains to break his life into 1 to 2 year intervals (which I like), but the chapter titles never seem to come across in what is written. For example there is a chapter title called "The FBI Targets Einstein" yet the chapter itself has very little to do with that, and certainly doesn't differ from the surrounding chapters that discuss Hoover. Thus, I felt that an opportunity to explore various elements of Einstein's life were entirely lost. If it had been presented in relation to ideas as opposed to time frame, then perhaps Einstein would have been better illuminated. I realize that this review is a bit harsh. The bottom line is that I feel that I am better off from having read the book. Nevertheless, I must be honest and say that as a scientist and idolizer of Einstein... I found this book extremely painful to read. It gives a lot of information, but not in a particularly user-friendly manor.
Rating:
Summary: Thorough but Hollow Biography
Review: My first reaction to finishing this book was "Gee, That was interesting... now I would like to read a biography about Einstein." This book is so focused on the details, that at times it becomes incoherent. In its pursuit of distilling Einstein to a more personal level, it still rings shallow. There were so many relationships discussed in such cursory detail, that I was not able to get a flavor for Einstein's interactions with magnificent scientists such as Born, Bohr, Plank, Milliken, etc. The books strength is that it is fact laden. If you finish this book, then you will be able to discuss the individual elements of his life with 98% of people. It dispels a lot of lure, and at the same time illuminates some majestical quotes. One of my biggest beefs with the layout of this novel is that the author goes to great pains to break his life into 1 to 2 year intervals (which I like), but the chapter titles never seem to come across in what is written. For example there is a chapter title called "The FBI Targets Einstein" yet the chapter itself has very little to do with that, and certainly doesn't differ from the surrounding chapters that discuss Hoover. Thus, I felt that an opportunity to explore various elements of Einstein's life were entirely lost. If it had been presented in relation to ideas as opposed to time frame, then perhaps Einstein would have been better illuminated. I realize that this review is a bit harsh. The bottom line is that I feel that I am better off from having read the book. Nevertheless, I must be honest and say that as a scientist and idolizer of Einstein... I found this book extremely painful to read. It gives a lot of information, but not in a particularly user-friendly manor.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfull man
Review: Perhaps i misunderstood what the author was saying, People didnt come from the earth? I dont know im an idiot. I bought this book for a book report and it was great source of imformation and is very well organized woth the facts. If your interested in him buy it.
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