Einstein: A Life in Science
by Michael White, John Gribbin
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To the modern world, Albert Einstein is the archetypal scientist. His name is synonymous with genius, his image is instantly recognized, and his life's work is universally acknowledged as the bedrock of contemporary physics. In this absorbing book by the authors of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, Einstein's life and work are recounted in an unprecedentedly accessible way. Although his most important work dates from 1905, the figure of Einstein still towers over the twentieth century. The show more one equation everyone knows is E=mc[superscript 2], but most of us could not explain what it means. The man to explain it is John Gribbin, a masterful science writer, who elucidates the special and general theories of relativity, as well as electromagnetism, space-time, and other mysteries. Along with lucid descriptions of Einstein's milestone contributions, Gribbin recounts his debates with fellow scientists and the failures that shadowed his later scientific life. Einstein was also a political activist, violin player, and family man. The twists and turnings of his life, so closely linked to the turbulent history of the era, are nimbly charted by Michael White. The questions White tackles are personal ones: What became of Einstein's illegitimate child? Did his first wife, Mileva, contribute to the early, groundbreaking work? We learn of Einstein's possible schizophrenia early in life, his two marriages, his friendships with such figures as Franz Kafka and Bertrand Russell, and the search for security and sanctuary that led him from one country to another in Europe, and then from Nazi Germany to his tenure as a "scientific saint" in America. White portrays Einstein as a man brimming with paradoxes - a pacifist who advocated the creation of an atomic weapons program, a man who hated regimentation but who was beguiled by the strict beauty of mathematics, an atheist and a dedicated Zionist, a figure revered by the world yet kept under surveillance by the FBI. Einstein is an example of biography at its best - a truly exceptional portrait of a man who was not only an intellectual giant but who also possessed an instinctive morality that demanded he try his utmost to make the world a better place. show lessTags
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Michael White is a British writer. He was born in 1959 and studied at King's College London. He has been a science editor of British GQ and a columnist for the Sunday Express in London. From 1984 to 1991, he was a science lecturer at d'Overbroeck's College in Oxford before becoming a full-time writer, of both fiction and non-fiction. Among his show more non-fiction works are: Coffee with Newton, Galileo Antichrist: A Biography, The Fruits of War, Tolkien: A Biography, Leonardo: The First Scientist, and Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer. White also collaborated with John Gribbin on 'A Life in Science' Series, featuring biographies of Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein and Charles Darwin. His novels include: The Art of Murder, The Borgia Ring, The Medici Secret, and Equinox. He has also written numerous novels under pseudonyms, including; the E-Force trilogy as Sam Fisher, and The Titanic Enigma, as Tom west. Most recently, White co-wrote the international bestseller Private down Under, with James Patterson. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
180+ Works 15,877 Members
John R. Gribbin (born 19 March 1946) is a British science writer, an astrophysicist, and a visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. The topical range of his prolific writings include quantum physics, human evolution, climate change, global warming, the origins of the universe, and biographies of famous scientists. He also writes show more science fiction. In 1984, Gribbin published In Search of Schrödinger's Cat: Quantum Physics and Reality, the book that he is best known for, which continues to sell well even after years of publication. At the 2009 World Conference of Science Journalists, the Association of British Science Writers presented Gribbin with their Lifetime Achievement award. (Bowker Author Biography) John Gribbin, visiting fellow in astronomy at the University of Sussex. He is married to Mary Grivvin, also a science writer. (Publisher Provided) show less
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- Canonical title
- Einstein: A Life in Science
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- English, Polish, Turkish
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- ISBNs
- 9
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