Isaacson, Walter. Einstein: His Life And Universe

Einstein: His Life and Universe, is a biography written by Walter Isaacson, and first printed in 2007 by Simon & Schuster. It is a 675 page comprehensive book covering the life and times of Einstein. You can never read too much about Einstein; I must have read at least six books about him since the 1980s and he still fascinates me. Reading this book, you will learn many things not commonly known. For example, in school Einstein was a genius in mathematics, but given a poor grade because some of his teachers did not like him. The poor grade was often due to minor mistakes such as using the wrong type of paper, or making a spelling mistake.

Einstein believed that imagination and freethinking were more important than learning everything in a mechanical fashion, and as a result, he did not take some of the subjects very seriously. He preferred the freethinking expression that mathematics provided. He was actually brilliant in mathematics and could visualise equations, and more importantly understand how they related to the physical world around him. This is a very thorough book consisting of around 42 pages of references and notes. It would take an average person a lifetime to collate and build.

Description

[Braille Monitors] The dust cover side flap reads "ALBERT EINSTEIN is one of the greatest icons of our age; the kindly refugee from oppression whose wild halo of hair, twinkling eyes, engaging humanity and extraordinary brilliance made his face a symbol and his name a synonym for genius.

He was a rebel and a nonconformist from boyhood. His character, creativity, and imagination were interrelated, and they drove both his life and his science. In this first full biography since all Einstein's papers have become available, Walter Isaacson explains how his mind worked and also presents a clear picture of the mysteries of the Universe that he discovered -- and of the very human man who discovered them.

Working as a clerk in the Swiss patent office in 1905, Einstein produced four papers that redefined Physics. Helping him check his maths was his wife Mileva Marie, a Serbian, who had been the only woman in his college physics class. When their marriage faltered, Einstein offered her the money he knew he would one day win from a Nobel Prize if she would grant him a divorce. She took the bet and it eventually paid off - but not until years later, after the scientific establishment had finally caught up with his brilliance. By then he had married his first cousin and completed his crowning glory, the general theory of relativity, one of the most beautiful theories in all science.

Einstein’s success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace morality and politics based on respect for freedom of spirit and individuality. Tyranny repulsed him and he saw tolerance as a necessary condition for a creative society. All of which helped to make Einstein into a rebel but with a reverence for the harmony of nature, with just the right blend of imagination and wisdom to transform our understanding of the Universe."

Back Cover

[Braille Monitors]The back cover reads, "Walter Isaacson has captured the complete Einstein. With an effortless style, that belies a sharp attention to detail and scientific accuracy. Isaacson takes us on a soaring journey through the life, mind and science of a man who changed our view of the universe."

BRIAN GREENE, author of The Fabric of the Cosmos

Author: Walter Isaacson

What makes this book so great is the fact that Walter Isaacson not only understands Physics and Mathematics but is also an excellent writer. He captures the imaginative beauty of Einstein's scientific leaps, which makes this book a compelling read. He is able to bring forward Einstein's ideas in a way that the majority of the people can understand.

[Braille Monitors] The dust cover side flap reads, "WALTER ISAACSON is President of the Aspen Institute. He has been chairperson and CEO of CNN and Managing Editor of Time magazine. He is the author of Benjamin Franklin: An American Life, and Kissinger: A Biography. He is the co-author with Evan Thomas of, The Wise Men: Six Friends and the World They Made."

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