Product Description
A new edition of the most definitive collection of Albert Einstein's popular writings, gathered under the supervision of Einstein himself. The selections range from his earliest days as a theoretical physicist to his death in 1955; from such subjects as relativity, nuclear war or peace, and religion and science, to human rights, economics, and government. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (49)

Really great to use, small prob with fax lately
Setup of my S405 was a snap, just followed the instructions and was using the printer in very little time. When I moved the printer from the room where it was hard wired to my hub and went wireless, that was easy too!
Received a firmware update from Lexmark concerning having a problem with the print head, that cleared that issue up. Now, when I fax I sometimes get a Phone line busy.....I turn the phone on and off, and I can send the fax. After that an incoming fax would not work. They said they kept getting a phone line busy....don't know what happened there.
Using the troubleshooting section from my desktop has been pretty easy. Usually one never finds the problem that is being experienced, but when I troubleshot the fact that the printer said it was scanningbut not moving any paper into it, followed the troubleshoot tips, got to the point, very fast, to just reboot power, and was faxing away in seconds!
The print quality is fantastic. My mother said the pictures we snail mailed them looked great. We used a Kodak paper, and she thought that they were from a lab!
Would I recommend this all in one, YES. Have had a couple of glitches, but got thru them.

A very good compilation of Einstein's mostly non-scientific writings
This is a combination of the material from "The World As I See It", which covers his non-scientific writings from 1922-1933, and "The Einstein Reader" (actually from the original version which was published as Out of My Later Years"), which covers his non-scientific writings and a few pieces of general science, written between 1934 and 1950.This paperback, which actually combines two books, costs a little more than either of these two books, but you are getting both, so it is very good choice if you want both.If not, I would recommend "The Einstein Reader".

As with the "The World as I See It" and "The Einstein Reader" (see my reviews for more information on these books), this book will appeal more to those deeply interested in Einstein and his writings, than to a more general audience.

Collection of Einstein's notes
This is a collection of notes by Albert Einstein. It was surprising to see him write / talk on broad ranging topics including politics, religion and economics. Though I found myself disagreeing with several of his opinions, his style is very rational and to-the-point. I enjoyed his descriptions of theories in physics - he hit the most important aspects of evolving theories without bogging down a layperson in a lot of details.

A non-relativistic understanding of Einstein
This collection of letters, speeches at scientific conferences, speeches at memorials, articles etc etc provides his perspective on topics like education, religion, fascism, economic crisis, politics, the role of government, socialism, peace efforts etc and gives a glimpse towards his efforts in creating a better society. You can notice his genuine efforts - leveraging his fame and position in the society - to address the political issues of his time; this can be seen in his speech at the disarmament conference, his articles, his letter to Freud and, in some instance, indicates his desperation and frustration. I've read at other places that Einstein at times was a bit condescending towards some of his fellow physicists, but from what you see here he comes across as a man full of humility and humanity. In an interview for a Berlin magazine he talks about his popularity "It strikes me as unfair, and even in bad taste, to select a few of them for boundless admiration , attributing superhuman powers of mind and character to them. This has been my fate and the contrast between the popular estimate of my powers and achievements and the reality is simply grotesque". Overall my respect and admiration for this man has only increased after hearing his thoughts on a wide ranging set of topics.

Astounding, simply Astounding
Captivating collection of Einstein's most brilliant ideas and opinions. He was quite the character. This book is a must-have. ... Read more

Product Description
Everyone has heard of Albert Einstein-but what exactly did he do? How much do kids really know about Albert Einstein besides the funny hair and genius label? For instance, do they know that he was expelled from school as a kid? Finally, here's the story of Albert Einstein's life, told in a fun, engaging way that clearly explores the world he lived in and changed. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Perpetuating An Urban Legend About Einstein
I happened upon this series and bought this book in the hopes it would be one I could read to children about Albert Einstein. In general, the writing is excellent and age appropriate. Some science concepts associated with Einstein are addressed, again at the appropriate level for the intended audience. However, I simply can not recommend a book that perpetuates the urban legend that "Albert was expelled from school." This is simply not the case. You can even find a copy of Einstein's high school diploma on the web. He did have issues with his high school teachers, but that did not lead to his being expelled. Apparently it led to his taking the necessary exams to graduate early. I also take issue with the author in a side bar where he discusses the "famous formula" linking energy and matter. The author highlights this sidebar with "Warning! Hard Stuff!". This kind of label becomes a self fulfilling prophesy in later years. If a child is told at a young age that something is "hard stuff", educators have seen that they hold on to this view well into their later years. Do a search for the study called "A Private Universe" and maybe you will better understand how misconceptions from early youth can stay with a person into their college years.

9 year old son and mom enjoyed book
My 9 year old son loved this book. This was one of three he read in the series. Walt Disney, Neil Armstrong and Albert Einstein. Each were great reads and he loved the information he got from the books. I enjoyed him reasing it out loud to me the second time he read it. My sons 4th grade class was assigned a biography book to read and report on. There was plenty of information as far as where they were born, how they accomplished what they each did and some sideline info on each of them that was interesting. However, the size of the words to a page and the difficulty would be more appropriate for 3rd grade not 4th.

Great for kids!
This was purchased for a very inquisitive 7 year old, and I must say, I have NEVER known him to literally devour any book so raptly. He read the entire book over the course of two days, even taking time during class to read it (with his teacher's OK!). This was my first experience with this series of books ---but it won't be my last. I can't speak for every kid -- but I think this series might be well worth at least TRYING for any child looking to learn about a particular person or even subject -- it will make a good lead-in.....

fun for friends party
This fit my gift ideas perfectly.Hope to enjoy the party with this gag.

School Reading Project
My son had to write about a scientist for a major reading project.This book was great & even has a time line in the back!That helped him complete one of the reading response requirments. ... Read more

Product Description
Two influential essays: Ether and Relativity (1920) discusses properties demanded of the ether of space by the theory of relativity; Geometry and Experience (1921) describes the limits within which the Euclidean or any other practical geometric system can be held to be approximately true in connection with the concept of a finite universe.
... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Amazing clarity
Clear and important essay on the relationship between geometry and physics and our prejudices about it.Similar essay on the history of the ether and how it evolved to fit data.An unmatched depth of understanding presented succinctly and clearly.Good read for both those with passing understanding of relativity and those with deeper understanding who want to see Einstein's clear thinking on paper.

Two Fascinating Lectures - Will Appeal to Physics Students
This 56-page Dover edition offers two lectures by Albert Einstein, "Ether and the Theory of Relativity" and "Geometry and Experience". The lectures are described as "devoid of complicated equations and abstruse terminology". Nonetheless, while the reader does benefit from Einstein's clarity of thought, these lectures do require careful attention. The first lecture presumes familiarity with physics; the second is largely a discussion of non-Euclidian geometry and is easier reading.

Ether and the Theory of Relativity, an address delivered on May 5, 1920 at University of Leyden:

Einstein recounts how the concept of ether originated and subsequently evolved. After some discussion of work by Hertz, Maxwell, Lorentz, and Mach, he notes that it became possible to take a position that ether does not exist. However, using an analogy of water waves, he explains that although the special theory of relativity does forbid us to assume ether consists of particles observable through time, the hypothesis of ether in itself is not in conflict with the special theory of relativity. Only we must give up ascribing a motion to it.

While it may seem superfluous to postulate a homogeneous, isotropic, ether-medium, Einstein contends that to deny the ether is ultimately to assume that empty space has no physical qualities at all. He then argues that according to his General Theory of Relativity "empty space" in its physical relation is neither homogeneous nor isotropic, compelling us to describe its state by ten functions (the gravitational potentials). There can be no space or part of space without gravitational potentials.

After noting that elementary particles may be considered condensations of electromagnetic fields, he concludes that our current view of the universe presents two realties which are completely separated from each other conceptually, although connected casually, namely gravitational ether and electromagnetic field, or as they might be called, space and matter.

Geometry and Experience - an expanded form of an address to the Prussian Academy of Sciences in Berlin on January 27, 1921:

Einstein begins by posing and answering why mathematics, a product of human thought, is so admirably appropriate to describing reality. In exploring limitations associated with applying Euclidian geometry to relations between rigid bodies, Einstein introduces other axiomatic systems, including Riemann's geometry. He argues that there are difficulties in applying geometry on the sub-molecular level, but it is less problematical to extend the ideas of geometry to cosmic orders of magnitude.

After some clarification of the meaning of a finite universe and an infinite universe, he devotes several pages to illustrating how to visualize a finite, three dimensional universe that is unbounded. Einstein concludes this lecture with an enthusiastic comment: "My only aim today has to show that the human faculty of visualization is by no means bound to capitulate to non-Euclidian geometry."

Experience vs Hypothesis
This is the first book of I have read in which Einstein wrote directly rather than the many reiterations of his works. Sidelights on Relativity is a two part book of lectures in which he gave in 1920 and 1921. The firsttitled "Ether and the Theory of Relativity." Einstein exploresthe concepts given by Newton, Maxwell and Lorentz of the ether arguing theuniverse is not mechanical in nature. The other argument is the purelyphysical aspect in which the mechanical perspective seems to propose whatis seen is that exists, and/or can be measured and proven to exist. That"space without ether is unthinkable," that is, the effects ofspce/time gives credence to ethers existence just as "the undulatorysurface forming the boundary between water and air alters the course oftime." This, then, creates the contradiction. The second lecture istitled "Geometry and Experience" in which Einstein arguesEuclidean geometry by noting the difference of experiencing and proposinglaws of earth-measurement. He demonstrates this through the plane and theglobe asking the reader to imagine the globe and a plane. While the planeis infinite in all directions, similarly one can fill the plane upinfinately. This is not an all together accurate picture of our universe.Rather if we imagine a sphere and fill that up, we realize only a finiteamount can fill up the space.

At this point, I will say that myunderstanding stands at a finite point in which it would be only arrogantfor me to claim I understood the entirety of the book. Nonetheless, I foundthis book completely readable, mostly due to the fact that there are noformulas to follow. My knowledge of relativity is limited and I have givenyou what I believe I understand. Its a short book with the writing clearand concise and logical; which surprised me hearing stories about Einsteinsgenius in which he is unable to explain in laymans terms. Highlyreccomended!

Professor Einstein
I read This book and I would like to buy it. However I do not use Credit cards, only Debit cards, Best Regards, Professor Gerardo Paredes F ... Read more

Product Description
To the majority of people Einstein's theory is a complete mystery. Their attitude towards Einstein is like that of Mark Twain towards the writer of a work on mathematics: here was a man who had written an entire book of which Mark could not understand a single sentence. Einstein, therefore, is great in the public eye partly because he has made revolutionary discoveries which cannot be translated into the common tongue. We stand in proper awe of a man whose thoughts move on heights far beyond our range, whose achievements can be measured only by the few who are able to follow his reasoning and challenge his conclusions. There is, however, another side to his personality. It is revealed in the addresses, letters, and occasional writings brought together in this book. These fragments form a mosaic portrait of Einstein the man. Each one is, in a sense, complete in itself; it presents his views on some aspect of progress, education, peace, war, liberty, or other problems of universal interest. Their combined effect is to demonstrate that the Einstein we can all understand is no less great than the Einstein we take on trust. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

A compilation of Einstein's early, non-scientific writings
This book is the English translation of selections from Mein Weltbild, which is a collection of Einstein's writings from the period of 1922 to 1933.It does not contain any of his scientific writings.The selections are grouped according to;The world As I See It, Politics and Pacifism, Germany 1933, and The Jews.For the most part these selections are from letters and brief memorial pieces.Unfortunately, there are no editorial comments to identify some of the people mentioned in these pieces, so the reader is left to do a considerable amount of research to make some of them very meaningful.The Germany 1933 section deals almost exclusively with an exchange of letters concerning Einstein's leaving Germany and his renunciation of the German citizenship that was bestowed on him when he took an academic position in Berlin (he retained his Swiss citizenship and considered himself Swiss, in spite of having been born German).

A good book for those deeply interested in Einstein, but of more limited interest to others.

Again only relative
This book comprises a collection of Einsteins confessions and ideological statements. Beside contemporary historical and political questions and thoughts Einstein gives account about his scientific work and its embedding into the social context. Einstein belongs to the people, who deserve it to be listened, what they have to say. It is good to know that he himself uttered his ideology, his personal faith in written form. This spares us some speculations.
From what he says you can conclude that he cared honestly for the future of mankind. He was a humanist endowed with humbleness. A combination not to scandalize or tend to agitate. This becomes clear in his statements. He was no universal scholar like Alexander von Humboldt or Leibniz, he was neither theoretist given to philosophyzing. Therefore you cannot expect life-alien considerations or too much of abstract revelations from his pen. Readable and instructive are his announcements nevertheless. Einstein comments the meaning of life, the true value of man, Good and Bad, religion and science, war and peace, politics and pacifism. You do not find any new ideas, nothing radical, everything seems to be balanced.

One chapter is dedicated to the National Socialism. He immigrated as a German Jew from Nazi-Germany and was confronted with the decision to share in the fight against the Nazi-regime. Another chapter shows what occupied him most of his life, he calls it the "Jewish problems". He was obliged to the Zionismus, but he was no follower of the Jewish belief ("The Jewish God is only a negation of superstition") and also no follower of Christianity (only a teaching, "which would be able to heal the humankind of social diseases"). There is also a letter to an Arab. Of course he sees also in the Palestine conflict only a peaceful co-existence as aim to strive for.
The last chapter deals with the main topic of his life, the scientific work. Striking is, that this is the last headline: "For the humiliation of the scientific man".

Hence I believe, that man serves best when occupied with a good thing, refining him hereby indirectly." Hm, the construction of the atomic bomb must have been an object of refinement? Einstein was sorry to have had his effects on it.
"Everything that has been made and thought by man, is just for satisfaction of felt requirements and the stopping of pains." Is man really to be reduced to this alone? What was his satisfaction?
Einstein`s credo: "A God who rewards and punishes the subjects of his creation, who has at all a will of the kind we ourselves realize in us, is not what I can fancy. Also an individual who outlasts his bodily death, I do not like and cannot imagine: may weak souls out of fear or ridiculous egoism nourish such thoughts. For me the mystery of the eternity of life and the conscience and the idea of the wonderful construction of the existence is enough."

Such kind of utterances prove that Einstein had his prejudgment too. There are people who are not in fear of death but life`s continuation. Hindus and Buddhists for example feel the eternal wheel of rebirths as burdensome. For them redemption means to break it. All people are egoists, but this has mostly nothing to do with their ideology, rather with their nature. It is true, an expert is only an expert in his special field!
And what is the meaning of life? Einstein is in doubts that there can be something like that at all. This is consequent, because to give such a meaning of life to oneself would be contradictory. Nobody made himself to live. Instead you can proclaim idealistic ideas. Einstein does, "Goodness, beauty and truth" are his declared contents of life, not "welfare" and "happiness", which he calls the "Ideal of the swineherd". Is there a certain contempt for the average people recognizable? For them he uses other animalistic comparisons: About the majority of the stupid he said: "To be a flawless member of the sheep herd, you have to be a sheep before everything else!" Not quite without humour!

Mainly this book deals with his sayings on physical science. And there he was a keen thinker. "In so far as the sentences of mathematics relate to reality, they are not certain, and in so far as they are certain they do not relate to reality!" Great achievement to get this as a passionate mathematician.
For decades he tried to prove that everything could be built into the classical physics and not to disprove the conclusions of the quantum physics, which surpass the limits of the measurable universe, but to tame them. Besides the fact that he failed in this, it does not seem to have brought him to reconsider his own ideology, an ideology limited to that what is visible and measurable.

Better options out there...
I read "Ideas and Opinions" before diving head first into this one, and I'm glad I did.Had I read this first, there's a great chance I never would have read "Ideas and Opinions" which I found to be fascinating.In "The World As I See It,"I found it to be a bit jumbled and thrown together without too much thought as to why it's presented the way it is, etc.There are some good bits and pieces included in this book, but overall I just couldn't get into it.

Normally, I like to read while lying in my bed with a dim lamp on, and normally it's not an issue.I can read for hours like this--but I needed to read "The World As I See It" outdoors or with music on, otherwise I was constantly falling asleep after a mere one or two pages.

Again, there are some good things to take from the book, but I think you'll do yourself better by exploring other Einstein works that are out there.Just one man's opinion.

world as Einstein sees it
To most of us the name Albert Einstein is synonymous with the formula E = MC-squared. Because the formula is such a simple statement of a complex idea, the public tends to see Einstein as both a simple and complex man. Like a god of sorts, he is omniscient, omnipotent, unknowable, and incomprehensible all at the same time.

The World as I See It presents a clear and coherent picture of Einstein. It contains numerous Einstein's non-technical writings organized in four major parts: The World as I See It, Politics and Pacifism,Germany 1933, and The Jews. My favorite part is by far the first. This part is packed with pure wisdom on a variety of topics.I enjoyed reading things like: "To be sure, it is not the fruits of scientific research that elevate a man and enrich his nature, but the urge to understand, the intellectual work, creative or receptive" (p. 7).Such insights glue the entire book together.

The reader will see in this book Einstein, the scientist, and Einstein the person, both in one unit. Einstein the person was very encouraging to others and thankful to people and things in the world. His letters to a college freshman, to an Arab admirer, to Japanese schoolchildren and so on, all have the same calmness of purpose to them as his messages to VIPs like Lorentz, Berliner, Katzenstein, and others.

In these writings, Einstein distinguishes religion from science. It is clear for instance that he did not believe in God at the time of his writing. Even so, there is no evidence that he sought to dehumanize and ridicule believers, only to defend science and humanity. And defending it he did in Germany, Italy, everywhere.His defense was based on the notion that "There is nothing divine about morality, it is a purely human affair" (p.29).

It is clear that Einstein loved science. It is not hard to understand from the writings in this book how he was a pacifist. He believed in democracy as an ideal, and not surprisingly, he declared in "Germany 1933" that "As long as I have any choice, I will only stay in a country where political liberty, toleration, and equality of all its citizens before the law are the rule" (p. 81).

This is a great book -highly recommended.

Amavilah, Author
Modeling Determinants of Income in Embedded Economies
ISBN: 1600210465

einstein's essay
einstein's essay was a good readbut the rest of the letters didnt really get to me ... Read more

Product Description
This series introduces young, inquisitive readers to the world's greatest science thinkers and the challenges they faced. Einstein's astonishing theory of relativity transformed every aspect of physics--from the study of atoms to the study of stars. Here his "Theory of Relativity" is explained in simple, accurate language that young readers can comprehend. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Patronizing And Verbose
This book is patronizing and verbose.For example, there is a passage in which Einstein reflects upon his appearance as he stands before a mirror.Surely this entire episode was invented to fill space since no historian would ever record such mundane private thoughts.This wasted space might have been used to discuss the physics that made Einstein famous.Instead, this book contains long passages on history and politics but only limited discussion of science.

Good bio of America's favorite wacky scientist
I read this book in elementary school and fully understood it.This book provides a good biography of Albert Einstein, a good introduction to the world of physics at the beginning of the 20th century, and how Einstein's theory of relativity changed it.The book traces Einstein's life from birth in Germany, his move to Switzerland where he made a name for himself while moonlighting as a patent office clerk, and his move to the USA to escape the Nazis.

The book balances both Einstein's scientific achievements and his political ones too.The latter include his letter to the US president on the possibilities of nuclear weapons, and his later stance of pacificism and nuclear disarmament.Another plus of this text is its willingness to address Einstein's Jewishness, how this affected his life and career, and how he dealt with bigotry and prejudice due to his faith and heritage.The book does leave out Einstein's marital problems, which is probably the best for a book addressed to pre high school students.Overall a good book.

My views on Albert Einstein
Albert Einstein and the Theory of Relativity is a pretty good book but I had a little bit of hard time under standing some of it. This Bibliography was on Albert Einstein who is know for his many theories and thoughts like E=mc2. Albert Einstein was born on March 14, 1879 in Ulm Germany. He was the son of Hermann and Pauline Koch Einstein. He had a younger sister, Maria, whom he called Maja born in 1881 Hermann moved the family to Munich when Einstein was two. When he was five he was given a compass and he started to become curious about how things work. Albert wasunhappy early on in school because he had been told it was a place to learn about ideas and far -away places. But it was a place to memorize and repeat lessons. A lot of his learning came on his own. He won the noble pirze in 1921 and was named TIME magazine's "Person of the Century." He was a very inspiring and impressive scientist. He did not just work as a scientist for Germany, but in many countries. It was very interesting to learn about all he accomplished and what his discoveries meant to our world.

Einstein and the Theory of Relativity
In 1879 Albert Einstein was born in Ulm, Germany. He moved to Munich, Germany when he was a baby. When Einstein was a child, he witnessed the town theater being lighted up by his father and uncle's D.C. generator. In that time his town did not have electricity. Later that night he was marveled by the power of light. He was determined to find the secret behind light and the way it worked.
As a child Einstein did not enjoy school at all. He usually daydreamed in class and was not interested in what the rest of the class was doing.He also hated the teachers and the way they taught.He thought they were like the military, strict and very unimaginative. Soon his family left for Italy and left Einstein behind to finish school. He became the class clown and was later expelled from school. The author tells all the things that Einstein went through as a child, as a young adult, and as a man.
What I liked about the book was all the theories, experiments, and the way the author describes everything so thoroughly. I recommend this book for people who are interested in famous American heroes or are just interested in Albert Einstein. I really hope you read this book.

My Science Students Say "This book is really cool"
I am a 5th grade science teacher and require my students to read and report on a scientist biography each semester.This book does an excellent job of retelling the story of Einstein's life, including his lifechallanges (personal and academic).The book deals with the Nazi rise topower of the 30's and its effects of the scienctific community.This isall done while still giving a accurate and understandable explaiation ofEinstein's work.And, most importantly, my students really enjoy it. ... Read more

Product Description
All children know who Albert Einstein grew up to be--but what was he like as a child? The clear text in this book is enhanced by illustrations and paintings, documents and photographs from the Smithsonian and the National Gallery. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

Engages 10-yr old
My 10-yr old granddaughter was engaged by this biography of Albert Einstein. She was struck by the fact that Einstein was considered dull as a student. She knew of him only as a brilliant mathematician. She is inspired by the story of a boy who appeared to be unsuccessful in grade school and yet who made a huge success of his later life by pursuing his passion. She loved the book.

Einstein's Childhood
This is a very nice children's biography of Albert Einstein.It provides a good portrait of the young man, Europe and what it might have been like to be him.Einstein was great at mathematics but poor in reading and writing.He suffered for it and almost wasn't allowed to go on to higher education because of it.Einstein worked hard and was able to enter a university in Switzerland then flee to the United States as Hitler took over many European countries.A good story for kids.

Great book
Very well written, and easy for a child to read and understand. Also quite inspirational.

Great book
This was an ultimate book about Einstein's life. ... Read more

Product Description
Albert Einstein. His name has become a synonym for genius. His wild case of bedhead and playful sense of humor made him a media superstar—the first, maybe only, scientist-celebrity. He wasn’t much for lab work; in fact he had a tendency to blow up experiments. What he liked to do was think, not in words but in “thought pictures.” What was the result of all his thinking? Nothing less than the overturning of Newtonian physics. Once again, Kathleen Krull delivers a witty and astute look at one of the true “Giants of Science” and the turbulent times in which he lived. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Too Advanced for Young Readers
Although a good read, I thought this book was too advanced for my son who is 10 years old. We purchased the book for him to read for a biography book report. The book focused much more on Einstein's discoveries and theories than on his life in general. My son is an advanced reader, but much of the vocabulary was over his head. I had to read the book and explain a great deal in order for him to understand enough to do the report.

A lively 140-page biography perfect for any young adult interested in producing reports of famous people
ALBERT EINSTEIN is illustrated with black and white drawings by Boris Kulikov and explores a genius who was not actually a scientist in the ordinary sense of the word. Einstein didn't like to work in a lab, rarely did experiments to back up his theories, and had trouble working on math proofs - but he was a thinker whose 'thought experiments' changed the world of physics. ALBERT EINSTEIN provides a lively 140-page biography perfect for any young adult interested in producing reports of famous people.

This book will give you a glimspe of a genius who was a lot more than a formula!
No one thought the boy would amount to anything at all.He had a temper and would throw things at his little sister, Maja.He probably exasperated his parents because even the maid said he was "the dopey one" and his governess said he was "father bore."The kids at school, who didn't mince words,had some very unkind words for him.The family lived in Swabia, Germany as did his Uncle Jakob who became his mentor. He also was fortunate enough to have Max Talmud as an "informal tutor."Albert Einstein needed a lot of help because he just wasn't like other children.There were many fallacies surrounding this eccentric genius such as claims he did poorly in school, but the fact of the matter was that he "got good grades in everything, including math."

For some time things didn't bode well for him. He dropped out of school when he was fifteen and to add insult to injury, the family finances became troubled.He didn't do well with authority figures and had "no tolerance for fools."It looked like the family was going to be stuck with a dunce and "lazy dog."Finally, after a long struggle, he was accepted at Polytechnic and met Mileva Marie, someone who had faith in him. He later garnered a job as a patent clerk, but was "turned down for every academic position he applied for."He had many "beautiful ideas" in his head and by 1905 began to publish numerous stunning papers.What happened that made this "dopey one" get up and make the world take notice?

I enjoyed the way this book was written because it didn't throw out a simplistic account of Einstein's life, it threw in everything from the physics to the scandal and intrigue.I discovered a few things about him I had never known, specifically a few of the more scandalous items (no spoilers here).In the back there is a thorough index and source materials, many that can be used for further research if one is attempting to do a report.This was a fun look at someone who was a lot more than a formula.I think if you choose to read this one you'll be more than satisfied when you finish! ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (7)

another winner
bought for my 8yr old grandson and we both were mesmerized. overall a wonderfully written and presented book.

Einstein... what can we say?
What ARE you going to say about Einstein that'll fit in a picture book for the 4 - 8 crowd?

Quite a lot, apparently. Like many children, young Albert (and this book does focus mainly on his youth) never fit in. The other children liked sports, and watching soldiers on parades; he didn't. Other children talked and cooed at two; he didn't. Other children answered questions quickly in class, and bothered with the classes they didn't like, and socialized at parties... not so Albert.

The author covers Einstein's childhood admirably (I especially recommend this book to autistic/aspie children, who may readily see aspects of themselves in his behavior. This does *not* mean I necessarily agree with the hypothesis that Einstein was on the spectrum, just that it may be a useful book for kids on the spectrum), and then rapidly sums up his adult accomplishments without going into too much detail. Quotations from Einstein on himself, or from other people about him, are used to great effect to help make his personality more vivid.

One thing about this book, it's a bit awkward as a readaloud. It's a longer book, for one, and also, it's written in the historical present. Reading about events over 100 years ago in the present tense... well, I suggest if you're going to read this book aloud that you do a quick read-through first to make sure you don't slip-up midsentence. That just sounds awkward.

Please note that this book is definitely not going to teach your children the theory of relativity :) If you want a more science-y book for children, this isn't it.

Great book for 9 yr old
Son had tobio for school and this was a great and fun way for him to learn about Einstein..

Great Biography
Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Great story for most children but especially for the child who deems himself out of sync with his classmates. Young Albert proves the point that we all have something to offer, faults in all.

Excellent book for "special kids"
Some very smart kids just don't fit in the classroom.They learn differently.This book assures those kids that they are not "weird", but just might need to learn lessons differently.Unfortunately, most state educational programs do NOT address these needs.

Hopefully, these different-learning kids will learn to accept themselves rather than to succumb to any titles that may be assigned to them, ie, slow learner. ... Read more

Product Description
THE PRESENT book is intended, as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus 1 of theoretical physics. The work presumes a standard of education corresponding to that of a university matriculation examination, and, despite the shortness of the book, a fair amount of patience and force of will on the part of the reader. The author has spared himself no pains in his endeavour to present the main ideas in the simplest and most intelligible form, and on the whole, in the sequence and connection in which they actually originated. In the interest of clearness, it appeared to me inevitable that I should repeat myself frequently, without paying the slightest attention to the elegance of the presentation. I adhered scrupulously to the precept of that brilliant theoretical physicist, L. Boltzmann, according to whom matters of elegance ought to be left to the tailor and to the cobbler. I make no pretence of having with-held from the reader difficulties which are inherent to the subject. On the other hand, I have purposely treated the empirical physical foundations of the theory in a ?step-motherly? fashion, so that readers unfamiliar with physics may not feel like the wanderer who was unable to see the forest for trees. May the book bring some one a few happy hours of suggestive thought!

Table of Contents

Part I: The Special Theory of Relativity
1. Physical Meaning of Geometrical Propositions
2. The System of Co-ordinates
3. Space and Time in Classical Mechanics
4. The Galileian System of Co-ordinates
5. The Principle of Relativity (In the Restricted Sense)
6. The TheoAmazon.com Review
How better to learn the Special Theory of Relativity and theGeneral Theory of Relativity than directly from their creator, AlbertEinstein himself? In Relativity: The Special and the GeneralTheory, Einstein describes the theories that made him famous,illuminating his case with numerous examples and a smattering of math(nothing more complex than high-school algebra). Einstein's book isnot casual reading, but for those who appreciate his work withoutdiving into the arcana of theoretical physics, Relativity willprove a stimulating read. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (86)

This edition created by OCR, many errors!
This edition of Einstein's wonderful book was, according to the publisher, "...recreated from the original using Optical Character Recognition software to keep the cost of the book as low as possible. Therefore, could you please forgive any spelling mistakes, missing or extraneous characters that may have resulted..."

It's obvious that the publisher didn't bother to proof read the result of the OCR scan. There are many errors throughout the book. Some are obvious, others make it hard to read, or understand what the original text said. Here's an example from Section 2:

m
SPACE AND TIME IN CLASSICAL MECHANICS
"rTTHE purpose of mechanics is to describe how I bodies change their position in space with time."

Another example from section 3, which shows an incorrect formula: W = C | V.
It is supposed to read: w = c-v

Footnotes are jumbled, and references to the footnotes are left out.

The edition is readable, thus two stars. But the poor or non-existant editing makes it harder. Avoid this edition and get one where you don't trip over all the errors introduced by OCR.

be careful which copy you buy
Do not buy the copy of this book with ISBN 978-1452841212 !!! You have been warned! The equations which are set out as images (ie any that require more than simple typesetting) have not been printed, and the text just shows the file name instead eg. eq1.gif. I can't believe that they're selling this book! The other copies are ok from what I have seen on the preview pages.

Great book - Kindle edition readablity needs work (Driod only?)
Caveat - The equations are written in a very small font and thus on the kindle edition are next to impossible to read.I should indicate that I'm reading on a Driod.Thus, readers using other viewers might not have a problem.If it were possible to zoom into the equations, this would not be an issue, but as far as I can tell on the driod you can't zoom in.

Relativity Explained by the Master Himself
Professor Einstein wrote this book for the general audience who had an education "comparable to that of a university matriculation examination", as he felt there was a great need of introducing the idea to the public; however, the original papers were too technical. He did warn that reading the book would require the reader to exert some effort, and I certainly did. However, I derived some solace from the fact that out of all the books on relativity in the (university) library, this book is one of the few that is comprehensible to me!

He first sets out conventional thinking of the day on relative motion and invites us to consider the "truth" carefully. He reviewed the concept of reference frame (i.e. coordinate system) and the use of Euclidean geometry to describe relative motion, including the 'intuitive' addition of velocity. Then he reveals that this line of thought is problematic.

At this point it is worth digressing into the means which he presents the theory of relativity. His presentation is elegant - not in the linguistic sense, but in the structure of his argument. Normally, one can start with a set of empirical data and try to work out a pattern, from there on, a theory. One can also formulate questions, let imagination and reasoning suggest a hypothesis, then find experimental data to test the hypothesis.

Einstein did it another way still, at least in this book. His general pattern is to explore some thought experiments and to see their implications. From there, he formulates the postulates and work out a coherent theory from the postulates. Experiments only come much later in his style of presentation. In particular, he postulates that (i) the speed of light is constant for all observers and (ii) physical laws are the same for observers in all reference frames. He then conducts a thought experiment, the now-famous train/lightning experiment. The two lightning bolts appear to reach the stationary observer "at the same time", but not so for the observer on the train - the notion of "simultaneity" is in doubt.

He gives credit to Lorentz - for his work of Lorentz Transformation - and incorporates it into his Special Theory of Relativity. Relative motion is no longer a simple additive relation but a more complicated one - though still manageable.

Only then he mentions the Michelson-Morley experiment but in a way that makes it appear to be peripheral to the development of his theory. He also introduces Minkowski's (his teacher) spacetime quite late, in spite of the fact that the idea is central to Special Theory of Relativity from a physics and mathematics point of view. To put it simply, it is the Pythagorean Theorem with an additional dimension of time (albeit with a form much more complicated than the 3D theorem).

He introduces the General Theory of Relativity by highlighting that the conditions which the Special Theory is valid - i.e. constant velocities - severely restrict its descriptive power. Mathematically, Euclidean geometry does not work when a given region of space is not "equally dense," as in the case above. He introduces Gaussian Coordinates, which is the generalization of geometrical continua, with Euclidean geometry being a special case.

Special Relativity and General Relativity are different because spacetime is "equally dense" (i.e. flat) in Special Relativity, since only constant velocity cases are considered; but this is not so in General Relativity. The Gaussian coordinate system is necessary to describe them. GR can then be formulated as "All Gaussian coordinate systems are essentially equivalent for the formulation of the general laws of nature." He concluded by considering the application of GR in cosmology, with such implications as perihelion of Mercury and unbounded yet finite universe.

By this point (that is, if you had patiently read this far), you might question my addition of the precis of the book here. "Couldn't I just google it?" But chances are that introductions to Special and General Relativity are similar elsewhere, and this is how Professor Einstein did it. If you had read Walter Issacson's Einstein: His Life and Universe or Abraham Pais's Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein (the latter is even more technical), this book should also demonstrate how Einstein thinks - idea first, mathematics second!

True, the theories are not something simple to grasp; but I am doing economics yet enjoy reading it - not to mention I am able to get the idea! The style of English is admittedly a little archaic but that is a relatively (no pun intended) small impediment of appreciating this great work. I would recommend that you set apart some moments in a quiet surrounding so that you could concentrate on following his arguments - that's the best way of reading the book IMHO!

Relativity -- authored by A. Einstein
I thought it interesting to read a book authored by Einstein himself and get a sense of how he thought about it.The book was a fairly quick read, about 4 commuter train rides.He was able to introduce Special Relativity without the use of math; although I'm glad he does shows the Lorentz transformation and has an appendix to hint at the derivation.

On the other hand I was disappointed with the material on General Relativity and had hoped to see more depth of discussion.The GR is the barest of an introduction.


... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
2005 has been designated "World Year of Physics" to celebrate the publication of Einstein's Theory of Relativity one hundred years ago.In commemoration of this landmark anniversary, Oxfor University Press brings Abraham Pais' major work on Einstein's life and work to a whole new generation of readers. Since the death of Albert Einstein in 1955 there have been many books and articles written about the man and an numbe of attempts to "explain" relativity.Throughout the preparatio of this book, Pais has had complete access to the Einstein Archives and the invaluable guidance of the late Helen Dukas--formerly Einstein's private secretary Written with Pais' intimate and incomparable knowledge of Einstein, Subtle is the Lord will delight an dinspire anyone fascinated by the man whose revolutinary ideas have defined modern physics. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

Subtle is the Lord and physics is not easy
I glanced quickly through this book some years ago at an airport book store. Somehow an impression of beauty and excellence settled in my mind. Finally I bought the book, just before a 6-week holiday period. Full of anticipation I started to read. Yes this is an excellent book and I agree with all the jubilant comments on the backcover. Pais takes his readers on a journey. A journey with beautiful vistas on the life and works of the great Albert Einstein. It is not an easy journey with just beautiful vistas though; I got often stuck in quagmires of physics concepts, mysterious formulae, historical dates and hundreds of names of physicists. Sometimes I first had to drain the marsh (i.e. go to other resources to find clarification on certain ideas of some physicist; fortunately such resources are now readily available thanks to Internet and Wikipedia) before being able to move on to the next vista point. In conclusion: this book is for physicists and for those that like to be taken on a tough but rewarding journey.

A good scientific biography
This is a scientific biography written by a physicist and friend of Einstein's.Only about 20% of the book is non-technical biography, the rest being a very technical discussion of Einstein's physics, the prior work that influenced it, and its impact.Being a friend of Einstein's, the author puts him in the best possible light. For instance, missing is any reference to the daughter he fathered with his first wife Mileva before they were married, the reasons for their divorce, the events surrounding his relationship with his second wife, etc.(To be fair, before the unsealing of many of Einstein's personal papers, the existence of this daughter was a well-kept secret; one almost definitely unknown to the author of this book.)Of more concern is a lack of very much discussion of most of his non-physics related interactions, so if you want the personal Einstein there are better, more modern, books.However, if you want to know more about Einstein's physics, its development and its impact, then this book is a very good choice, providing that you have the necessary background. The book contains a very extensive timeline of Einstein's life, especially of the events that had a bearing on his technical work. This timeline should be a great reference for Einstein's life as most of the events are referenced to specific days, not just to the year of its occurrence.

As noted the author is a physicist and the book is written from that perspective.He goes into Einstein's physics in considerable detail so a physics background is necessary to get the most from this book.For the most part, there is no attempt to provide the necessary scientific background for these discussions, so if you are completely ignorant of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics or theoretical physics in general, you will likely find yourself having to skip over large portions of the text.There are a lot of sentences that contain "it is well known from ...that ...", so if this is not well known to you, you may have to skip over that portion of the text, and perhaps the rest of the chapter.There is also a lot of mathematical notation that is not explained or developed, so you may be lost if you are unfamiliar with it.However, the book is very good for those with the necessary background because it describes how Einstein developed his physics and what influenced this development.

I recommend this book for people with some background in physics; the more the better.This might be a five star book for a theoretical physicist, but only a one or two star book for someone with little or none of the necessary background.On average, I rated it as a four star book because, while I do not have all of the necessary background, I had enough to follow the discussion.I am also very interested in the development of Einstein's ideas, so this book was a natural for me.I only wish that I had a better background, because then, for me, it might have been a five star book, so please consider this rating from that perspective.

A great portrait.
A scientifically sophisticated but also highly sensitive portrait of the great man. It is a biography written for physicists or students of physics, among whom I count myself fortunate to be. Strongly recommended.

Writing in Honey
I had to skip over most of the mathematical formulas in this book other than to note that there was a little fine tuning going on in crunching the numbers that all physicists have to do in the course of their research.

I appreciated Einstein's concept that philosophizing was like *writing in honey: it all turns to mush.* Perhaps modern science has been too Westernized to find a unified field theory without have to revert to a grand unifier such as Spinoza intimated. I was glad to see that Einstein was attracted to Spinoza, who was known as a God-intoxicated atheist.

A good read for those who want to learn more of the Divine Man.

An excellent read if you love physics
This is a well-written and entertaining biography of one of the world's greatest and most famous physicists: his life, his times, and especially his science.As other reviewers have correctly emphasized, this book does not shy away from mathematical formulas and details of the physics.While it does contain a lot of "traditional biographical" information, there is a heavy emphasis on the science -- which is great if you love physics and have the background, but I doubt many would enjoy that part.

The author (Pais) was an eminent theoretical physicist who knew Einstein near the end of Einstein's life.

Among the interesting tidbits I learned:Contrary to the lore I had always heard, Einstein was a top-notch student.Also, back in his day it was much harder than today to get a job in physics research, and university positions didn't pay well either.Even Einstein had trouble initially finding an academic job !Of course, when he (working at a patent office) published a series of ground-breaking papers on theoretical physics, his academic career took off.It was also interesting to learn how little he knew about the scientific literature and how much he invented and re-invented physics on his own, especially when he was in isolation in the patent office.It seems all the great ones work that way, R. Feynman being another example that comes to mind. ... Read more

Product Description
FOR USE IN SCHOOLS AND LIBRARIES ONLY. Recounts the life of the scientist whose theories of relativity revolutionized the way we look at space and time. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (10)

Excellent insight into life of a great mind!
Excellent insight into life of a great mind! Got in conisderable expectation timeline and the book is in great condition. Content is very good..

Quick and exactly what I needed.
My son had checked this book out from school and lost it.I needed a replacement quick.

Thank you!

Laura Petersen

Informative and Interesting
I liked this book because it was very informative and interesting.It was short and quick and I found out things about Albert Einstein.It covers his background, personal life and professional life.As a boy he was fascinated with a compass and wanted to know why the arrow always pointed north.When his father told him about magnetic fields, he was very excited about magnetism.That was just the beginning of his quest for discovering new things.In addition to enjoying equations and explaining his theories in an understandable way, he played the violin and liked sailing too.He denounced his German citizenship and became a citizen of the United States, none of which I knew before reading this book.

His advice was to always ask questions and never lose your curiosity about things.A lot of his teachers didn't like that he asked so many questions that they couldn't answer.When he became a professor, he encouraged his students to ask questions and was never upsset if he didn't know the answer.He just told them he didn't know.

Karen Arlettaz Zemek, author of "My Funny Dad, Harry"

Personal stories and facts kept my interest
Reviewed by Spencer Zaborowski (age 12) for Reader Views (12/07)

"Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein" is a biography, which is a story of a person's life, of the famous German scientist.He was born on March 14, 1879, in Ulm, Germany.He had one sister.He was thought of by his parents as being slow and not very bright, because he had an unusually large head when he was born and he did not speak much until he was nine-years-old.He was not a good student and was teased a lot by his teachers and other students, because he was different and questioned them a lot. He finally moved to Switzerland and worked for awhile before being accepted into college.He was curious about the world around him, especially science.He was a professor at universities in Switzerland and Germany, and he worked very long hours finishing scientific papers.He wrote the famous Theory of Relativity in 1916.Albert Einstein came to the United States in 1933 and lived in New Jersey because he was worried about how Jews were treated in Germany.He married twice - his second wife was his cousin.He died in 1955.

At first, I thought this book would be boring and full of science and facts, like some other biographies I have read.But after the first few pages, it was hard to put down!The reading was interesting, and the black and white pictures throughout the book helped to make the story easy to follow.There were not a lot of technical words that would be hard to understand.The book did not go into detail about the scientific things that he wrote about. Instead, the book was more about his personal life and his odd personality.I learned a lot of things about him that I had not known.For example, Einstein never learned to drive a car because he was confused by mechanical things.That was very funny to me.

I would recommend "Ordinary Genius: The Story of Albert Einstein" to middle school-aged kids.I don't normally like to read nonfiction books--only when I have to for school--but this one kept my interest because it told a lot of personal stories and facts about Einstein that made him seem ordinary, like the title says.

ordinary genius
I love this book it gave me alot of great information, I did'nt have to go to other sources to get information about his life.I'm doing a report on his life for a school project. I'm going to dress like he did and memorize a speech I'm going to write and then give it in front of my school and all the parents of our school. ... Read more

Product Description
On the 100th anniversary of the publishing of the special theory of relativity, this National Geographic photobiography chronicles the life of one of the most brilliant scientists who ever lived. Through compelling text and stirring archival photographs, the author recounts Einstein's life from his privileged childhood in Austria through the crucial years during World War II, and his death 50 years ago in Princeton, New Jersey. Young readers learn about Einstein's remarkable theories that still influence technologies of today and discover the causes he passionately supported such as disarmament and civil liberties. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Genius
Genius, was an excellent biography of Albert Einstein, talking all about his life. Starting from when he was born, the book takes the reader on a journey, through his schooling, his research, coming to America, all the way till his death.The book also explains his major scientific discoveries, like his theory of relativity winning him the Nobel Prize, and the unified field theory he tried to figure out. This book has a lot of information, but is a very quick read. Overall, it is a great book.

Genius:A photobiography of Albert Einstein
I ordered this book for my mentally challenged son, hoping it would be simple enough for him to grasp, and it fulfilled my hopes very well.It's simple, yet comprehensive, and the photographs are superb. ... Read more

Product Description
"What holds the sun and planets in space?" "I want to know what is beyond the sky. My mother said you can tell me." "One question I would like to ask is if you make any mistakes?"

We are often amazed by the wide-eyed innocence and boundless curiosity of children and the questions they ask. And letters to and from children are always appealing, especially so when they are written to someone famous. In DEAR PROFESSOR EINSTEIN, Alice Calaprice has gathered a delightful and charming collection of more than sixty letters, most never published before, from children to perhaps the greatest scientist of all time. Obviously, Einstein could not respond to every letter written to him, but the responses he did find the time to write reveal the intimate human side of the great public persona, a man who, though he spent his days contemplating mathematics and physics, was very fond of children and enjoyed being in their company. Whether the children wrote to Einstein for class projects, out of curiosity, or because of prodding from a parent, their letters are amusing, touching, and sometimes quite precocious.

Enhancing this correspondence are numerous splendid photographs showing Einstein amid children, wearing an Indian headdress, carrying a puppet of himself, and donning fuzzy slippers, among many other wonderful pictures, many published for the first time in this book.

Complete with a foreword by Einstein's granddaughter Evelyn, a biography and chronology of Einstein's life, and an essay by Einstein scholar Robert Schulmann on the great scientist's educational philosophy, this wonderful compilation will be welcomed by teachers, parents, and all the young, budding scientists in their lives. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

A bit disappointing
An amusing look at letters Einstein received from children, and some (very few actually) of his responses. I appreciated most the forward from Einstein's granddaughter and those few responses to some letters.

I wish there had been more responses included, but realize that would have been difficult to do. In light of that, I wish they had chosen a better title.

A better title than book
The idea conveyed by the title is wonderful, and to some degree the notion is realized.Unfortunately, it doesn't really fly.While there still may be merit in study of Einstein's educational comments to children, this volume doesn't offer much insight.

The book starts with Einstein's grand daughter's recollections of grandpa, then her personal bio of Einstein, then another two mini-bio's by 3rd parties and a bunch of Einstein photos.Finally, we get to the letters, but 'Einstein' only replies to about 1 of 5 letters.Maybe this is enough if Einstein had addressed actually addressed the issues, but they generally offer polite parental advice: study hard and hope for the best.

A few answers might give us a peak into Einstein's metaphysics, but the author doesn't explore them.For example, one child asks if scientists pray.Einstein answers that A) Scientist know prayer cannot influence the laws of physics, so they don't pray. B) But, scientists know their knowledge is limited, so C) they realize God might work in a restricted domain.D) This means scientists have a very special relationship with God.Left unsaid was the less than politically correct D) So, scientists still pray.

Misleading Title
I had been looking forward to this book's release for some time.As yet another self-confessed Einstein fan, the idea of a collection of correspondences between the greatest scientific mind in the history of human endeavour, and curious children from around the world, was irresistable.So, when I finally got my hands on it, I wanted to enjoy it very much.However, in the end, I felt a bit cheated and misled.

First of all, virtually the entire first half of the book (the first 110 pages!) contains no letters whatsoever.Instead it covers a biography of the scientist, discussions on his education, a photo gallery etc...While these were reasonably interesting, you can find similar material elsewhere, and was not the reason why I purchased the book.

And the letters themselves were a bit disappointing.While I enjoyed reading the funny and childish letters written to Einstein, the questions and comments they included whet my appetite for how Einstein might respond (are you going to go insane because all geniuses are said to go insane? Did Houdini discover the 4th dimension, allowing him to walk through walls? etc...).However, there were very few actual replies from Einstein (though the few there were were fascinating to read).Furthermore, many of the letters by Einstein included those to his own relatives or to grown ups - which I felt was not in keeping with the promise of the book.

This book reminded me of those music albums you buy because you hear one or two songs that you really like, only to discover that the remaining eight songs are just fillers to make up the space.Similarly, this book took a few gems and then made a book of it by adding a lot of extra stuff.

This book, titled "Dear Professor Einstein - Albert Einstein's Letters to and From Children" is misleading.I would have felt less cheated if it read something like "Dear Professor - a Biography of Einstein, including letters written to him (mainly from children) and the very few responses we could find that he made".However, that is a bit of a mouthful and probably less appealing from a marketing point of view.

I still gave it a 3 because it's about Einstein...did I mention I was an Einstein fan?

Not what I expected
A good book, but it was not what I expected.Only half the book is actual letters.There are very few with responses from Einstein.There are more letters from children than to children.

Get to know the other side of Einstein!
This is a beautiful and touching book. The letters from children are printed exactly as they are written, spelling errors and all--some letters are even printed in their handwritten form. It is amazing how insightful some of the questions from the children are. Einstein's responses are written on the level of the original letter-writer, and are always well thought-out. I'm a big Einstein fan, and this was a gift that I greatly enjoyed. There were also some very interesting pictures of Einstein included in this book. ... Read more

Product Description
For the first time in paperback, here is a newly expanded edition of the best-selling book that was hailed as "setting a new standard" for quotation books. Tens of thousands of readers have enjoyed The Quotable Einstein and The Expanded Quotable Einstein, with translations into twenty-two languages. This updated edition--which appears on the 100th anniversary of Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity and the 50th anniversary of Einstein's death--offers more than 300 new quotations, or over 1,200 altogether. Nearly all are by Einstein himself and a few are about the self-professed "lone wolf" Time magazine named "Man of the Century" at the turn of the millennium.

The New Quotable Einstein also includes a new section, "On Aging," and fresh material has been added to the appendix-from a touching account by Helen Dukas of Einstein's last days to a day-by-day summary of Johanna Fantova's telephone conversations with Einstein during the final year and a half of his life.

Also included are a poem called "Einstein," by Robert Service; and three virtually unknown verses to the song "As Time Goes By" (made famous in the movie Casablanca) that refer to Einstein. New photographs have been selected to introduce each section of the book.

Through well-documented quotations and supplementary information, The New Quotable Einstein provides a bigger and better biographical account of this multifaceted man-as son, husband, father, lover, scientist, philosopher, aging widower, humanitarian, and friend. It shows us even more vividly why the real and imagined Einstein continues to fascinate people across the world into the twenty-first century.

• 300-plus new quotations, more than 1,200 in all
• A day-by-day summary of Johanna Fantova's phone conversations with Einstein toward the end of his life
• A touching account of Einstein's last days
• A new section, "On Aging"
• Three virtually unknown original verses of the song "As Time Goes By" (from the movie Casablanca) that refer to Einstein
• Robert Service's poem "Einstein"

Customer Reviews (6)

the Professor knows best!
I completely enjoyed this book and savored every page!I have the ultimate respect for Dr. Einstein and his legacy, discoveres, wisdom and his humor!If you believe as i do that the professor was likely the most important man of the 20th century, and wish to delve more into his thought process about life, love, liberty, race, religion, patriotism and countries...you will love this book!I highly recommend the book!

Love this book!!
Great quotes from a great man! I pick it up and read it over and over again. There's always something in it that pertains to what's going on in our world, even if the quotes are decades gone by.

It's relative after all
The new edition five years after the previous one has added sufficient new quotes to make me buy it even though I had the 2000 edition. It only raises the question why the editors had not worked harder five years ago since most of the material appears to be accessible then. A new introduction would have increased the value of the book though. The older edition was a little more compact and easier to walk around with. One cannot imagine the depth of Einstein's philosophical musings until he reads this book. If he weren't a scientist he would have made a good philosopher or writer. He has a lovely sense of humour and wit. "I have firmly resolved to bite the dust, when my time comes, with a minimum of medical assistance, and up to then I will sin to my wicked heart's content."

Who Can Resist Dr. Einstein?
Centainly not confined to accolades about Dr. Einstein's genius, but an entertaining insight into his sense of humor, his practical side, his views on education, of God, of war, andhuman nature, all salted withirreverent humor,critical analysis,and refreshing self-deprication. A multifarious man, Einestein's commentaries on life are surprising and colored.A great gift book.

A good companion book:Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions, 1982 Crown Publishing.

Einstein's mind on many matters...
I have long loved quotes and especially quotes from Einstein, becaues like many great men, he did not think solely in one area on science. He thought greatly about many things. that doesn't mean that he was a perfect man. Far from it. He had major problems with personal relationships, was lacking in parenting skills, was very often not a great husband. Yet he tried to his utmost to use his immense intelligence to the good of mankind. I think he found it easier to deal with humans on a group basis, rather than an individual one. That does not mean that he did not leave an immense area of thought from which we can learn and put into use in our own lives.

Calaprice does a great job of sorting through the many quotes that were attributed to Einstein, but were not actually his. HOw best to get your ideas into print than to state they were words from the premier physicist and statesman of his time. I've seen some I often wondered about and shall have to change the way my mind memorized these statements (they are still often quite good statements).

It does not surprise me to see how greatly, especially in areas such as religion that Einstein changed his views: especially in organized religion. But his basics remained the same. That man and woman can work in science and other fields to achieve greatness, and that greatness can be used for good or for evil. As with the discovery of fission of the atom, it is evident that we decide our own fate, and that that decision is made on an individual basis.

Sometimes, when I am overwhelmed with work, or just life in general, I like to go get this quote book and randomly read through Einstein's thinking process. I don't always agree with, but he always makes me think. I cannot think of a better book to get on this anniversery of his life and death.

Karen Sadler,
Science Education,
University of Pittsburgh,
Chemistry,
CCAC ... Read more

Product Description
Uniphase defines the “fifth dimension” as mentioned in the book The Bible Code, by Michael Drosnin and presents a solution to Albert Einstein’s “Unified Field Theory,” as mentioned in the book, A Brief History of Time - from big bang to black holes by Stephen Hawking. This explanation or solution is presented without applying any mathematical equation, formula or diagram. Uniphaseexplains “spirituality” applying basic modern optical physics (no equation, formula or diagram). ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (6)

The Genius of Man and His Editor too!
In Paul Arthur Schilpp's ALBERT EINSTEIN, PHILOSOPHER-SCIENTIST (which includes essays by Niels Bohr, Kurt Godel, Gaston Bachelard, Margaret C. Shields, Andrew Paul Ushenko and others) we get a reference library of science, philosophy, and one man's incredible influence on mankind- and, oh yeah, did I mention his autobiography too?
Ah, but wait! Like a late night TV offer there's more. With the autobiography you also get two versions- one in German and the other in English for a price well worth the nominal expense.
While it is easy to struggle with the concepts, theories and math formulas contained within the 800 pages or so the dual language approach offers we German language practitioners something to study as well. Think your ability to read German is good? Test yourself against the facing page in English and as you do you'll get a firsthand feel for his native tongue and piuck up something more in the process.
Read on and you'll also find a few philosophical views Einstein tossed in as he penned his words. Consider this: " For, however brief and limited one's working life may be," he wrote, "and however predominant may be the ways of error, the exposition of that which is worthy of communication does nonetheless not come easy- today's person of 67 is by no means the same as was the one of 50, of 30, or of 20. Every reminiscence is colored by today's being what it is, and therefore by a deceptive point of view."Or this: "It is easier to denature plutonium than it is to denature the evil spirit of man."
Astute observations given more credence by our own reminiscences or today's headlines. The essays by the others in this book offer more looks at this complicated man and his ideas, filling in the gaps and spaces of what we thought we knew.
Schilpp put together a wonderful and profound book that could have easily been several or even a series of books. But it gave us something worthwhile to add to our ever on going education. There's genius there too.
I just hope there's no written final exam but I guess that too is all relative.

Uncle Albert's Legacy
In spite of his lasting fame and eminence, Albert Einstein remains largely misunderstood by most of us to this day. Yet it's not for lack of trying. His presence is ubiquitous in high school math classrooms throughout the United States, where he is often depicted on glossy posters as an old man amid the stars with e=mc2 hovering nearby. Most children eventually learn that Einstein and his famous equation are the reason we have atomic bombs. Beyond that, they know next to nothing.

But "Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist" edited by Paul Arthur Schilpp can change all that, provided one makes the effort. After the introduction and preface the book opens with Einstein's "Autobiographical Notes," written in German at the age of 67. We may read both the German text and English translation on the facing pages, and compare the two, which I often did, especially with difficult passages. And there are some "difficult passages" to be sure.

The next section contains a series of essays by Einstein's esteemed colleagues and contemporaries. Among them are Wolfgang Pauli, Max Born, Niels Bohr, Kurt Godel, Gaston Bachelard and others of equal stature. Some contributors disagree with Einstein's position on statistical quantum theory, Max Born in particular. Others tackle the epistemological issues of their time, illuminating subtle philosophical considerations that quickened the numerous advances in theoretical physics during the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. One essay: Philipp G. Frank's "Einstein, Mach, and Logical Positivism" reveals an astounding fact. "Because of the close connection, which obviously exists between Einstein's theory of relativity and Mach's philosophy, Lenin feared that Einstein's theories might become a Trojan horse for the infiltration of idealistic currents among Russian scientists and among educated classes in general."

I find this appalling. Apparently, even devout atheists can lack an open mind.

Happily, Einstein answers each contributor at the end of the book in his "Remarks to the Essays Appearing in this Collective Volume." He begins with Pauli and Born, primarily because of their position on statistical quantum theory, whereupon Einstein launches into a fascinating defense of his own position. But as with all the contributors, the tone throughout was gentle and respectful. And one comes away with the impression that Einstein was beloved by his contemporaries because he returned that love in kind. The result was a mighty collusion of powerful minds that changed the world. Now, if only politicians and preachers could do the same!

Al Einstein only Autobiography...so called "Obituary"
Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey.He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote.Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers.The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book.Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book.It is nota "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

Of note, Einstein's"Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

"When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality"This comment alone is worth price of the book.

The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century.We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli.One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science.Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone.This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.

Al Einstein only Autobiography...so called "Obituary"
Albert Einstein lived the last thirty years of his life in the United States and passed away in 1955 in New Jersey.He wrote three great papers in 1905 at the age of 26.

This book is the only thing ever coming close to an autobiography that Einstein ever wrote.Needless to say, offers of money and prizes were offered to him, unlike the millions offered to ex-U.S. presidents to write a book. He never accepted any of these offers.The only offer he accepted was from Professor Schilpp to write an intellectual autobiography of himself.

Incredible and Timeless is only ways to describe this book.Einstein labels as his "obituary", for a man who was considered the "Person of the Century" by Time Magazine.

Friends, his own "obituary" in his own hand is a worthy read and cost of the book.It is nota "personal" life but his "thinking" on science and of course on physics. We all know the two great theories of physical was created in the early 20th. century: the theory of relativity and quantum mechanics. Einstein alone created relativity and was also one of the founders of the quantum theory. We also know now that Einstein never accepted quantum theory till the end.

Here, Einstein fully describes the failure of classical mechanics and the rise of the electromagnetic field, the theory of relativity and of the quanta.

Of note, Einstein's"Evolution of Physics" is a general lay discussion of the same issues. This is Einstein's technical discussion of the evolution of physics.

"When I was a fairly precocious young man the nothingness of the hopes and strivings which chases most men restlessly through life came to my consciousness with considerable vitality"This comment alone is worth price of the book.

The essays sections includes writing of the great scientist of the 20th century.We only read about them in textbook but here they are in their own words: Niels Bohr, Louis De Broglie, Arnold Sommerfeld, Max Born, Kurt Godel, Hans Reichenbach and Wolfgang Pauli.One only sees their picture in physics textbooks.

This book really belongs in all who are professional scientists or are interested in science.Unlike Newton "Principia" or Darwin's "The Origin of Species" Einstein papers are scattered everyone.This is the only definitive book on Einstein by Einstein himself.

Moreover, it is a scholarly and scientific book, so it should last for a long time and of value to all future generations.

Profound
Here, Einstein clearly shows the world that he was a first-classintellectual and scientist.

--Lonnie R. Gardner (Math Teacher) ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A superbly produced series
A premier publisher of books-in-series of young readers, one of The Child's World newest offerings is 'Basic Biographies'. This eight title series is specifically designed and written for children preschool through second grade. Featuring a first grade reading level in terms of vocabulary, each 24-page volume comes with a reinforced binding and features both full-color and historical photographs. Available individually, the series features the biographies of Albert Einstein, Barack Obama, Charles Schulz, Helen Keller, Jackie Robinson, Michelle Obama, Rosa Parks, and Thomas Edison. A superbly produced series, this biography series is particularly recommended for school and community library collections and should be obtained as a complete set.
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Product Description

Customer Reviews (7)

hard for non-physicist
My title says it all. I was disappointed. Thought there would be more explanations from Hawking

Not worth the cost
Essentially a reprint of Einstein's own (and freely available) writings on relativity with a 20-odd page introduction by Stephen Hawking.While it may be worth $11 when printed on paper, it is decidedly not when purchased on Kindle.

Otherwise it reads like a good college Mathematics textbook - a slow and rewarding read if you have time to digest it.

Stephen Hawking
Mind expansion. Mind bending. If you have never read anything by Stephen Hawking, or if you have, and have never read this book, read this! Cosmos, outer space, time, distance, travel, big and small, like you have never thought of them before. Great book!

A very sobering and demystifying look at Einstein and his Contributions through his own Papers
A very sobering and demystifying look at Einstein's contributions to the development of the Special and the General Theories of Relativity, his work on Cosmology (and his greatest mistake in positing the Cosmic constant), his unsuccessful quest for a "Final Theory of Everything," as well as his thoughts on politics, philosophy, history and religion. The substance of this collection of Einstein's papers we have seen before but not the lore and the deep understanding of Einstein the man and his technique as scientist, as it is so artfully annotated and portrayed by the holder of the Lucasian Chair of mathematics at Cambridge University, the renown Stephen Hawkings.

What Hawkings give us that is new here is a clearer understanding of where Einstein's true genius lay: It was it seems in understanding the full import and the subtleties of the theories that went on before him, both experimentally and mathematically, and then accepting and utilizing them all to the max; without, hesitation, doubt or reservations. With the single exception of the Quantum theory where he uttered the now famous sentence that "God Does not Play Dice with the universe," Einstein was confident in his approach even when he was not confident in his ability to carry his projects through to their conclusions. In short, Einstein believed deeply in the proven (and only in the proven) science of his day. For instance, he never believed in the "luminiferous ether," nor was he deterred by the profound implications of the constancy of light: that the rest of the universe of science would have to be rearranged to accommodate this new profound fundamental and underlying truth.

It is not just coincidental that both versions of relativity leaned heavily on the monumental work of James Clerk Maxwell's description of electromagnetic forces, or on Hendrick A. Lorentz mathematical transformations, and later on the new four-dimensional geometry of Hermann Minkowski as well as that of Bernard Riemann, but also, on the results of the Michelson-Morley experiments, proving once and for all the non-existence of the imagined ether. It seems that it was a signature characteristic of Einstein that he had the vision and the foresight to know that important discoveries were whirling about him. More than most of his contemporaries, he seemed to have had a "second sense" to know that he was in the midst, and was a key part of, a new scientific revolution. And thus, much to his credit (and much underplayed), Einstein did not care about "scientific orthodoxy," nor about the fact that the mathematical tools and talents that he came endowed with were often insufficient for the tasks he was undertaking. He simply, forged stubbornly ahead anyway, seeking help from mathematicians and fellow scientists more talented than he.

However the thing that really sets his genius a part from that of other scientists of his era was the fact that he could recognize a "foundation truth," and did not waver or allow scientific orthodoxy to cause him to alter his views. He was as tenacious as a foxhound onto the scent of a fox in pursuing the logical consequences of fundamental truths.That is what won him the Nobel Prize, for his work on the "Black Body" experiment and on Brownian Motion, rather than for the Relativity theories that he is most famously known for.

This is an engaging book. The more I see of Hawking's mathematical explanations the more comfortable I become with them. The book is supremely accessible for anyone who has mastered elementary calculus. Four stars

Difficult reading but I loved it.
Before getting my PhD in mathematics, I had gone to graduate school in geography, geodesy and industrial engineering.In each of these sciences I found myself weak in mathematics.It is interesting that both Hawking and Einstein shared the same experience.

Einstein was certainly the most noted scientist in the 20th century.Hawking has put together many of his best works in this book.If you can understand everything in this book you are indeed a gifted person.Otherwise, like me, you will be in awe if Einstein's great gifts to science. ... Read more

Product Description
Albert Einstein did not impress his first teachers. They found him a dreamy child without an especially promising future. But some time in his early years he developed what he called "wonder" about the world. Later in life, he remembered two instances from his childhood--his fascination at age five with a compass and his introduction to the lucidity and certainty of geometry--that may have been the first signs of what was to come. From these ordinary beginnings, Einstein became one of the greatest scientific thinkers of all time. This illuminating biography describes in understandable language the experiments and revolutionary theories that flowed from Einstein's imagination and intellect--from his theory of relativity, which changed our conception of the universe and our place in it, to his search for a unified field theory that would explain all of the forces in the universe. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A short biography
This is a short biography of Einstein. It is very easy and joyfull to read. It is not very serious biography, it does not go into details, double lined short stories, cover major stages of his life. I recommend to all who wants a brief summary but nice one. I read it in one day, you do not want to drop the book. Very nice. ... Read more