Einstein: His Life and Times

Rating:
Summary: A classic biography of Einstein, deep and beautiful
Review: Phillip Frank was the German professor who replaced Einstein when he left Prague for Berlin. Frank was a fine theoretical physicist and a very cultivated man. Afterwards, in America, he became a philosopher of science at Harvard, I believe. This book is not the most complete biography of Einstein, but I still think it is the most intelligent, and the most beautifully written. Having had many conversations with Einstein at the peak of his career, he offers wonderful portraits of both the early life of the genius and of his work. I lost the count of how many times I read this book!

Rating:
Summary: An Ultimate Biography
Review: When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.

For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.

The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.

Rating:
Summary: An Ultimate Biography
Review: When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.

For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.

The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.