Einstein: His Life and Times

by Philipp Frank

Book Overview

Much has been written about Albert Einstein, technical and biographical, but very little remains as valuable as this unique hybrid of a book written by Einstein's colleague and contemporary. Both rich in personal insights and grounded in a deep knowledge of twentieth-century science, Phillip Frank's biography anchors the reader with a lucid overview of physics and draws an intimate portrait of the Nobel Prize-winner.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 030681109X
• ISBN13: 9780306811098
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Da Capo Press
• Length: 358 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Einstein: His Life and Times

In this intriguing biography, Philipp Frank provides a well-researched and impeccably thorough account of Einstein's life while simultaneously presenting an understandable explanation of the great scientist's theories and works. In this description of Einstein's family history, youth, education, and professional life, Frank comments on the personality and psychology that resulted in the theories that revolutionized the science of the twentieth century. The biography chronologically relays the major events of Einstein's life with a significant focus on the public perception of his theories and the contrast between that perception and the actual meaning of the theories. Frank conveniently glosses over events, such as Einstein's divorce, which could possibly place the scientist in an unflattering light. This factor in addition to Frank's backhanded insults directed towards any critics of Einstein serve to reveal the author's admiration of Einstein. Through the course of the book, it is clear that Frank felt compelled to clarify the positive quality of Einstein's work and personal character by depicting his life in a complementary biography. The book moves at a stop-and-go pace as Frank alternates between narrative and scientific explanation. Despite this slight sense of incomprehensibility, this biography skillfully illustrates the character and accomplishments of one of history's greatest scientists by connecting his theories with his personal experiences. Overall, this depiction of Einstein's life is as thought-provoking as it is in-depth, and it provides the reader with a sense of clarity about a topic that has been notably difficult for most people to fully understand.

Einstein: His Life and Times

Einstein: His Life and Times was written by Philipp Frank, Einstein's close friend and colleague. It includes a plethora of information about Einstein's life and ideas as well as the effects of his work. The biography begins with information about Einstein's family, childhood, and early schooling along with the first signs of his interest in intellectual topics. The book discusses Einstein's personality and his relationships with others including colleagues, friends, and students. The book is not constrained to physics alone. It also goes very deep into philosophy and how philosophical ideas have shaped the world of science and physics. Besides Einstein's personal life and struggles (e.g., with anti-Semitism and finances), Philipp Frank explains Einstein's major theories (including the theory of relativity, the quantum theory, and the equivalence of mass and energy) and scientific ideas. Obviously, Einstein's theories are very complex, and even many scientists of his day could not fully comprehend them. However, Frank tries to explain these theories in terms that can be understood by most people. The book is interesting because it is not overly simple (it includes some very difficult concepts and proofs), but it isn't overly complex either. Frank covers many topics, ranging from curved space to the relativity of time to the atomic bomb. There is also lots of discussion of politics and the effect of the Nazis and World Wars on Einstein and physics. Philipp Frank has written this book for several reasons. Firstly, Einstein was a great influence on his life because they were colleagues and good friends. In addition, Einstein appointed Frank as his successor as the professor of Theoretical Physics at the University of Prague. Frank must have felt extremely fortunate to be connected with a man of such intelligence and fame. Frank wants to provide the reader with his personal insights and experiences with the world's most recognized genius of the modern age. His purpose was to perhaps provide a clearer picture and understanding of this enigmatic man known as Einstein. Frank even says in the introduction, "I am writing this biography of Einstein...for people who want to understand something of the contradictory and complicated twentieth-century world....[A]nyone who comprehends even a little of Einstein's personality, his work, and its influence will have taken a long step toward [such] an understanding." Anyone who is at all interested in Einstein's life, his ideas, or abstract concepts regarding physics and philosophy should read this book. The book is absolutely full of interesting facts, experiences, and information. I had a lot of fun reading it especially because it is suited for both the layman and the more advanced.

An Ultimate Biography

When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.

An Ultimate Biography

When discussing the life of Einstein it is never clear whether one's focus should be on the simple biographical facts, the scientific work or his political and social activism. This book attempts a distillation and mostly succeeds because it captures the essense of the man who was simultaneously many things - a complex, gentle person who became a persona.For a long time he was defined by the equation E=MC2 but over time his other theoretical work has been explored (and many times dismissed) and more importantly, his early years and the ideas that emerged from that era have come more sharply into focus. The author provides a wealth of data on the European life of Einstein which is interesting in itself.The author waxes eloquently on the non-scientific side of the man, the humanist that that the world knows today. This is a beautiful, complete work covering all aspects of Einstein's life.

A classic biography of Einstein, deep and beautiful

Phillip Frank was the German professor who replaced Einstein when he left Prague for Berlin. Frank was a fine theoretical physicist and a very cultivated man. Afterwards, in America, he became a philosopher of science at Harvard, I believe. This book is not the most complete biography of Einstein, but I still think it is the most intelligent, and the most beautifully written. Having had many conversations with Einstein at the peak of his career, he offers wonderful portraits of both the early life of the genius and of his work. I lost the count of how many times I read this book!