Einstein: A Hundred Years of Relativity - Softcover

Robinson, Andrew

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0691169896 ISBN 13: 9780691169897

Publisher: Princeton University Press, 2015

Synopsis

An authoritative and richly illustrated biography―published on the centenary of Einstein's general theory of relativity

"The eternal mystery of the world is its comprehensibility … The fact that it is comprehensible is a miracle."

―Albert Einstein, 1936

Albert Einstein's universal appeal is only partially explained by his brilliant work in physics, as Andrew Robinson demonstrates in this authoritative, accessible, and richly illustrated biography. The main narrative is enriched by twelve essays by well-known scientists, scholars, and artists, including three Nobel Laureates. The book presents clearly the beautiful simplicity at the heart of Einstein’s greatest discoveries, and explains how his ideas have continued to influence scientific developments such as lasers, the theory of the big bang, and "theories of everything." Einstein’s life and activities outside of science are also considered, including his encounters with famous contemporaries such as Chaplin, Roosevelt, and Tagore, his love of music, and his troubled family life. The book recognizes that Einstein’s striking originality was expressed in many ways, from his political and humanitarian campaigns against nuclear weapons, anti-Semitism, McCarthyism, and social injustices, to his unconventional personal appearance.

Published in association with the Albert Einstein Archives at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, the book draws on this exceptional resource of Einstein’s private papers and personal photographs.

This new edition, published to recognize the centenary of the publication of Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity, includes an important new afterword by Diana Kormos Buchwald, the director of the Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology.

The contributors are Philip Anderson, Arthur C. Clarke, I. Bernard Cohen, Freeman Dyson, Philip Glass, Stephen Hawking, Max Jammer, Diana Kormos Buchwald, João Magueijo, Joseph Rotblat, Robert Schulmann, and Steven Weinberg.

About this title

About the Author

Andrew Robinson is the author of more than two dozen books, including The Story of Measurement, Genius: A Very Short Introduction, and biographies of Jean-François Champollion (Cracking the Egyptian Code), Michael Ventris (The Man Who Deciphered Linear B), and Thomas Young (The Last Man Who Knew Everything). He writes for many newspapers and magazines and is a former literary editor of the Times Higher Education Supplement.The Albert Einstein Archives: According to the terms of Albert Einstein's will, the Hebrew University of Jerusalem is the last depository of his personal papers and holds the copyright to his literary estate. Today this unique collection forms the Albert Einstein Archives, the world's foremost such resource. Its goal is to preserve, restore, and expand its holdings, enhance accessibility to the material, administer Einstein's literary estate, and increase public awareness of the scientific achievements, political activities, and moral and humane values of Albert Einstein.

Edition details

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication date: 2015
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0691169896
• ISBN 13: 9780691169897
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 256