Einstein: A Life - Softcover

Brian, Denis

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0471193623 ISBN 13: 9780471193623

Publisher: Wiley, 1997

Synopsis

Blends the brilliance of the scientific genius with the compassion, playfulness, and wit of the private figure

"A fascinating read with more interesting material about Einstein as a human being than I have ever seen before."--Robert Jastrow, astrophysicist and bestselling author

"A thoughtful and captivating account of one whom I had the joy of knowing and loving."--George Wald, Nobel Prize Laureate

His face is one of the most recognized on the planet. His very name is synonymous with genius. Yet, for all the attention and countless biographies, our images of Albert Einstein rarely go beyond the eccentric and larger-than-life scientist unraveling one cosmic mystery after another.

In this engaging popular biography, Denis Brian draws on a wealth of new information recently opened to the public to bring us a broader, more authentic portrait of Einstein than previously available. The first full-scale Einstein life published in 20 years, it is also the first to integrate Einstein's genius with his private and public life to give us a complete impression of the real person.

We meet an Einstein with a gift for friendship, a romantic with a roving eye for women. We confront a man whose countless scientific triumphs were tempered by tragic ironies in his personal life. We encounter Einstein the humanist who showed compassion for the children of others yet neglected his own sons. We learn from his former assistants how they revered Einstein, how he worked at his science, and of his warm relationships with other physicists.

Based on information drawn from new access to the Einstein archives as well as exclusive interviews with colleagues and friends, Einstein: A Life reveals an endearing and sensititve man, but one slightly detached from even those closest to him, as if he inhabited his own world of lofty thoughts and cosmic dreams.

DENIS BRIAN (West Palm Beach, Florida) is the author of The True Gen: An Intimate Portrait of Hemingway by Those Who Knew Him and Genius Talk: Conversations with Nobel Scientists and Other Luminaries.

About this title

From the Publisher

The first full-scale biography of the most renowned name in science to be written since those who closely guarded his privacy have died. Based on 20 years of research and interviews with intimate friends and associates willing to discuss Einstein as never before, this riveting book details his childhood and youth. Contains extensive material on his adult life never published before to reveal the crux of Einstein's personality and private life in a way few others have. Includes rare photographs.

From the Back Cover

Acclaim for Einstein: A Life

"Denis Brian's convincing picture . . . only makes our wonder grow at Einstein's sublime achievements." --The Washington Post

"Does much to reveal the man behind the image . . . Brian's intimate work proves that in literature, as in science, taking a careful look can be a rewarding endeavor." --Detroit Free Press.

"A fascinating, vastly enjoyable, deeply researched and fair account of Einstein the man." --Physics World

"Exhaustively researched, almost obsessively detailed, written with unobtrusive informality, the book is exemplary as a record of Einstein's personal and professional life." --The Spectator (U.K.)

"An utterly fascinating life of a great scientist full of new insights and very readable." --Ashley Montagu

"A fascinating read with more interesting material about Einstein as a human being than I have ever seen before . . . Once I started it, I couldn't put it down." --Robert Jastrow astrophysicist and bestselling author

"A thoughtful and captivating account of one whom I had the joy of knowing and loving." --George Wald Nobel Laureate

About this edition

• Publisher: Wiley
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0471193623
• ISBN 13: 9780471193623
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 544