Maurice Solovine explains in his introduction to this book how he came to meet Albert Einstein in Berne, when he was teaching physics for three francs an hour. At their first meeting, Solovine explained that he was "studying philosophy, but wanted to delve into physics so as to acquire a thorough understanding of nature". On the third day of their meetings, Einstein told Solovine, "As a matter of fact, you don't have to be tutored in physics; our discussion of problems that stem from it is much more interesting. Just come to see me and I will be glad to talk with you." Thus began the long friendship of Maurice Solovine and Albert Einstein -- and this book is a compilation of many letters from Einstein to Solovine, with photocopies of the German originals and translations to English following. While physicists may be somewhat disappointed to find that these letters to Solovine contain very little discussion of physics, most fans of Einstein will be enchanted to see him express his feelings about his family, his work, his peers, and politics.

THIS IS A REALLY GOOD BOOK! I RECOMEND YOU READ THIS BOOK!

It is inevitable that Albert Einstein's "private lives" will fall under the dissection knives of historians and biographers. There are already dozens of excellent biographies of Einstein on the market, ranging from the extremely scientific to the extremely personal. As the Einstein Papers Project continues to explore the personal correspondence of this remarkable scientist, we can expect the personal revelations to continue. Einstein, as were all great figures of history, was a very complicated person, and a very human one.

In this work, the authors take a very personal look at his life between the high school years and the publication of special relativity. Specifically, it focuses on his first marriage, to Mileva Maric'. Much about this relationship was kept intentionally hidden for years by Einstein's secretary Helen Dukas, and scientist Otto Nathan, who became the de facto protectors of the "Einstein image." Since they had known him in the era of his marriage to his cousin Elsa, they understandably sought to minimize and downplay any factors from his younger years that might reflect negatively upon him, and a failed first marriage, with an illegitimate child, could certainly be seen as less than flattering.

Highfield and Carter's book draws heavily on the work of the Einstein Papers scholars Stachel, Renn, and Schulmann. Einstein's voluminous correspondence from those years has shed much new light on such questions as the fate of the daughter Liseral, but without providing definitive answers. Considerable time is also spent on the issue of Mileva's role in the development of special relativity - topic that exploded with the force of a bomb in recent years.

Einstein has been dead for nearly half a century now, and it is certain now that his private life will be subjected to as intense scrutiny as has special and general relativity. This book, along with Overbye's "Einstein in Love" take a respectful but straightforward approach. Any Einstein admirer or general fan of the history of science should read this book.

As a marriage and family therapist I find this boook to be of enormous benefit to stepfamilies. Using humor to express common difficulties, the authors have done an outstanding job of offering concrete suggestions for parents who have remarried. This is a very user-friendly book that offers practical, useful information.

Einstein, A., The Theory of Relativity, The American People's Encyclopedia, 1949, reprinted in Essays in Physics by the Philosophical Library Inc. 1950, and republished here. This short essay, intended for the layman, clearly explains the core concepts of relativity. However, to be truly appreciated by the general reader, a review of high school mechanics prior to reading will be most advantageous. Einstein shows how the theory of relativity arose because of a need to consider the real world, ie, "..the same light ray cannot move with respect to all inertial systems with the same velocity c...it turns out, however, that this contradiction is only an apparent one which is based essentially on the prejudice about the absolute character of time or rather of the simultaneity of distant events." It is interesting that after Einstein's short essays on relativity and the equivalence of mass and energy in the above book, his 1936 essay "Physics and Reality" follows.

After I first read this book, I loved it. I have read several books on Einstein's theories and taken many classes on them, but this book gives a completely different perspective on all of that. Most "sci-fi" authors will focus on answering questions like "what is time like?" or "how does time work?"; however the beauty of this book lies in the fact that Lightman does not seek answers to these questions. The book is composed of little short stories, each beginning with a simple explanation and definition of how space and time work in that world. Then Lightman proceeds to answer a more interesting question: "what would people be like if time were like this?" He provides some wonderful depictions of alternative realities, but from the social perspective, not a scientific one. It is a great read, and quite quick as well, all you need is a few days. The book is composed of about 25 "dreams", each independent of the other, so it is great to just read a few stories and then put it down.

Highly Recommended.

I purchased and read this book after listening to NPR's Book of the Month Club in March 1998. I was driving from LA to San Diego and as soon as the radio show ended I pulled off the highway and went to 4 book stores before I found a copy. This book has impacted my life and reinforced the way I view the daily happenings around me. Lightman has constructed a wonderful book of fiction that reads like prose. Each chapter is truly a wonderful approximation of what Einstein's dreams clould have been as he toiled through his theories of time and space. It is important to note that I do not belive that Lightman wanted this book to read like a story. The beginning middle and end of a standard novel has no place in the concept of time as Einstein would have theorized. I also feel that Einstein's dreams (as told by Lightman) enable the non-scientific person come that much closer to understanding Einstein's theories. It also enables the reader to look at their individual enviornments with a more open understanding of their physical AND meta-physical worlds in which they live. I believe that the complexity of Einstein's theories is represented in the narrative prose in every chapter. I have purchased 17 copies of this book and no one who received it from me has been disappointed. (I still have more to buy) Open your eyes and your mind; everything doesn't have to appear as it seems!

Imagine a scientist and a writer contemplating the range and meaning of life experience and collaborating on how best to depict them on the printed page. Now imagine the scientist and the writer bundled into one person and you have Alan Lightman, professor of physics and writing at MIT.

This is a book of deceptive brevity and focus. It is not a novel. Instead, it is a collection of short essays lucidly joined togheter by the common thread of supposing that time could exist in forms apart from the linear that we take to be true. It brilliantly seizes upon the familiar and revered Albert Einstein (who hypothesized that time slows as one approaches the speed of light) during his patent office days. Einstein features in these essays only tangentially; rather, it is his well-known idea about the progress of time that provides the reader with a logical foundation and a springboard for ruminations (dreams) about other courses time might take. Time might be circular, endlessly repeating, it might run backward, it might go so slowly as to be almost frozen, it might last a day, or it might last forever. The possibilities are explored in thirty separate ways, and Lightman the scientist is imaginative and exciting indeed.

This is all very interesting, but the crux of the essays, it seems to me, is how the movement of time would affect people living in these different scenarios. Thinking about how these things might happen, the book opens a window into the human heart. Here Lightman the writer displays insight, conveyed with delicacy and fragility. The tender longings of the parent, for example, are, with a few deft strokes of the pen, drawn in aching wishes that their babies, toddlers, and children could stay - O so much longer - the little ones they are. Lightman has an unusual gift for conveying meaning, not only with his sentences, but also with sentence fragments. Ordinarly this would exasperate me, but in this book, the technique added to its soaring beauty.

Einstein's Dreams is so short that you can whiz through it, but I think that, in so doing, you would shortchange not only the depth this book has to offer, but also your own reading pleasure. If it is read slowly, so as to soak in its messages and the wonder of its language, you will come away with much joy and much to think about.

My first reaction to finishing this book was "Gee, That was interesting... now I would like to read a biography about Einstein."

This book is so focused on the details, that at times it becomes incoherent. In its pursuit of distilling Einstein to a more personal level, it still rings shallow. There were so many relationships discussed in such cursory detail, that I was not able to get a flavor for Einstein's interactions with magnificent scientists such as Born, Bohr, Plank, Milliken, etc.

The books strength is that it is fact laden. If you finish this book, then you will be able to discuss the individual elements of his life with 98% of people. It dispels a lot of lure, and at the same time illuminates some majestical quotes.

One of my biggest beefs with the layout of this novel is that the author goes to great pains to break his life into 1 to 2 year intervals (which I like), but the chapter titles never seem to come across in what is written. For example there is a chapter title called "The FBI Targets Einstein" yet the chapter itself has very little to do with that, and certainly doesn't differ from the surrounding chapters that discuss Hoover. Thus, I felt that an opportunity to explore various elements of Einstein's life were entirely lost. If it had been presented in relation to ideas as opposed to time frame, then perhaps Einstein would have been better illuminated.

I realize that this review is a bit harsh. The bottom line is that I feel that I am better off from having read the book. Nevertheless, I must be honest and say that as a scientist and idolizer of Einstein... I found this book extremely painful to read. It gives a lot of information, but not in a particularly user-friendly manor.

In this very readable biography, Brian conveys an extraordinary amount of information about Einstein's personal life so that the reader gets a real sense of what it must have been like to be around him.

Einstein's brilliance as a scientist did not turn him into a snob even tho' he clearly recognized that he had extraordinary abilities. He was both amused and repulsed by the trappings of celebrity that came with his status. Brian makes clear that Einstein was a kind man, a good friend, and a mediocre husband and father. The same man who labored intently over both scientific and social issues apparently put little effort into his family life. Brian does an excellent job of relating Einstein's family, social, and business world.

The 2 areas where this otherwise good biography falls short are the lack of context about Einstien's scientific achievements and the inadequate treatment of his interaction with other leading scientists outside of social and business matters. To the first matter, the book doesn't address why the theory of relativity mattered. He explains that it is a different model of the universe than what Newton defined centuries earlier; but, he leaves out any discussion of the impact. Similarly, the importance Einstein's quest for a unified theory is identified as an activity, but not why it was an important one. Brian never addresses why Einstein resisted Heisenberg's theories with such vehemence and for so long? The author provides little of Heisenberg, Bohr, or Plank's perspective of Einstein.

If you know the science already, this book is an excellent intrduction to the man. If you only know that Einstein was a "really smart guy," but not why his contributions mattered, then this is not the book for you.

Any reader who thinks it might be profitable to spend
some quality time with Albert Einstein - arguably the
greatest scientist of all time - should read this book. The
author, Denis Brian, knows how to write a biography
and, in his 'Alfred Einstein, A Life", he offers a
wonderful subject.
This reader - whose science background is close to
nil - approached this book with considerable trepidation
- needlessly. While the author deals properly and
necessarily with Einstein's scientific pursuits and
achievements - which means he sometimes employs
some 'heavy' jargon - like relativity theory, unified
field theory, quantum mechanics, electromagnetism,
superstring theory with 4 dimensions plus 6, photon
theory, neutrons, protons, atoms, particles - negative
and positive, etc. - he does so in a merciful fashion
that places few demands on the reader. NOT to
understand what Einstein was working on at any
given moment was always pretty much the norm,

anyhow, for even his peers and other world-class
scientists.
On the other hand, there is plenty in Einstein's life
that nearly any reader can understand and probably
relate to- much of which is highly fascinating and
illuminating. Here is a list of some of the subjects
and issues that Einstein chose or was compelled to
deal with - apart from his science: women and
romances and marriage, religion and the hereafter,
career decisions, anti-Semitism and racism, parenting
and a mentally ill son, celebrity-status and death
threats, Israel and Zionism, Russia and Communism,
Hitler and Fascism, Gandhi and pacifism vs. defense
needs, capitalism, atomic energy and weapons,
disarmament, Cold War politics, friends and relatives,
Germany and Germans, Americans and their culture,
world-wide lecture tours, mind vs. matter, Freud
and psychoanalysis, J.B. Shaw and literary criticism
and socialism, Upton Sinclair and social reform, and
the Rosenburg spy case. In short, while Einstein was always focused primarily on science and the mysteries
of the universe, he also found some time to do some
serious thinking, talking and writing about other serious,
mundane issues, as well.
The author does a marvelous job of researching and
organizing the materials in this book. I liked his decision
to introduce each chapter with a title, the years covered
therein, and Einstein's age during those years. I also liked
his thoroughness in including first-hand accounts, letters,
notes, and experiences of people of every possible age,
class, and status. The traits and qualities they describe
show clearly the essence of Albert Einstein: mental genius modest, shy, well-informed, explosive and lusty laugh,
absent minded, casual, unkempt, outspoken, impulsive, punster, impudent, kind, enthusiastic, energetic,
well-traveled, versatile, frugal, ebullient, stubborn, moody,
lucid, liberal, unpretentious, warm-hearted, informal, passionate, workaholic, direct, absentminded, prematurely
aged, pro-world government, tobacco addicted, endearing,
self-assured, handsome and noble face, sweet smile, radiant
and penetrating eyes, high brow, egalitarian, mischievous,
sparse eater, 'soft touch', metaphor lover, quick-witted,
non-swimmer boater, non-driver, walking and hiking
enthusiast.
David Ben-Gurion, Israeli Prime Minister at the time,
said this about Alfred Einstein: "He has the greatest mind of any living man...He's a scientist who needs no laboratory, no equipment, no tools of any kind.
He just sits in an empty room with a pencil, a piece
of paper, and his brain, thinking!"
"Thinking" was Einstein's favorite sport.
This book gets all the stars and 'thumbs up' I can give it.

In Relativity, Einstein trys to bring his theory of relativity to the masses. When the special and general theorys of relativity were concieved of by Einstein, they revolutionized our perception of space and time. This revolution was so complete that many of the most significant physicists of the time believed that it was nonsense. When Einstein won the Nobel prize for his work on the photoelectric effect, his certificate unequivocally stated that the award was NOT given for his theory of relativity. For much of his life, even Einstein was unwilling to accept some of the predictions of his own work such as black holes.

This is all very good, interesting science and history which should be read and understood by everyone. The problem is, though, that Einstein was not a particularly good writer. Einstein is too brilliant for his own good and it shows through frequently in this attempt to stoop to our level. His explanations are usually hard to follow and unintuitive(and I study physics even!). This book exists on an uncomfortable middle ground between rigor and easy reading.

If you would like to read this book simply because of its (and its author's) historical significance then I couldn't discourage that. If you know little physics and want to try to understand relativity, read Kip Thorne's Black Holes and Time Warps or the first few chapters of Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe.

In his effort to create a "simple explanation [of relativity] that anyone can understand" Einstein comes close to perfection.

His language is clear and lucid, and the thought problems he suggests in order to prompt his reader into understanding the faults of classical theory vs. the extraordinary coherence and power of the theory of relativity are downright fun. But make no mistake--this book is not easy.

The concepts behind relativity are difficult to understand and require some patience on the part of the reader. At times, this difficulty is exasperated by Einstein's desire to keep his explanations succinct.

I would start with Einstein's "The Evolution of Physics" in order to get a feeling for the general concepts behind relativity and behind physics in general before attacking this excellent but challenging book.

That having been said, I LOVED every minute I spent reading this book and happily recommend it to anyone interested in twisting their brain around some wild problems with wilder solutions.

This book is truly a scientific gem. Not only did the brilliant Einstein envision the theory of relativity, but he also felt compelled to inform non-scientists by writing this "less" technical explanation of his theory. The book's section on Special Relativity is not too difficult to grasp. However, having some basic understanding of algebra and classical mechanics is helpful. On the other hand, the section on General Relativity is quite profound, requiring the reader to imagine new concepts of space and time that are alien to one's sense of reality. Indeed, I had to read this section several times and I'm still not sure if I completely understand it. However, this is more of a function of my imagination skills rather than Einstein's literary abilities. For he uses an abundance of familiar terms and analogies to simplify the understanding of some of the more "unusual" implications of General Relativity. I would not recommend this book to someone averse to technical subjects. However, I do recommend it to those wishing to learn the basics of relativity theory.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile is a wonderful play, with a great deal of tongue-in-cheek humor, dry wit, and intelligent riddles. In this play, Martin has set out a very amusing treatise on some very important aspects of the 20th century, especially regarding art and science.

There are, however, three other plays in this collection. Two of them, Zig-Zag Woman and Patter for a Floating Lady, can hardly be called plays. They're not even one-acts. They have the appearance of just being filler that Martin wrote to pass the time. Wasp, the fourth play in the collection, has many high points, including an hilarious monologue the father delivers to the son. It contains enough dark humor and sarcasm to make it a good read.

Picasso at the Lapin Agile alone is worth buying this collection, but don't expect the other plays to live up to Picasso's status. It is, though, a good collection for anyone interested in this type of humor or drama.

Steve Martin has always been a "serious" writer, in that he is interested in using humor to make people think and to highlight ideas in new ways. "Picasso at the LapinAgile" is a delightful piece of theatrical slight of hand wherein he creates the meeting of the century that never happened between the most influential scientest and the most influential artist and, after a wonderful setup, does a quantum leap into the absurd. It's fun to read and on stage (I saw the production at Ford's Theater in D.C.) it is fantastic.

Recently on a trip to Paris I climed Montmarte Butte to find the site of the Lapin Agile, the bistro in which Martin's play is set. It is still there and still in business, but alas, never saw nor will see a coming together of intelligence, talent and ego such as that envisioned by Steve Martin in this play.This is very smart comedy but funny enough in other ways to work for most audiences. I highly recommend it.

Steve Martin's "Picasso at the Lapin Agile" is a well- constructed and amusing read. Seeing it performed is ideal, but reading it is also rewarding. The use of subtle humor and irony by Martin provides the reader with a quick and enjoyable read. With all of the recent talk about the entrance into the 21st century, the play's references to the turning of the 20th are especially funny. I recommend this play highly to anyone.

Overall a good read. This book is about so much more than just Einstein and his theories. About the first 100 pages or so is an introduction to physics--everything from the mechanics of light to gravity and uniform acceleration. It's presented an a relatively (no pun intended) easy-to-understand fashion.

A small portion of the book is biographical in nature, dealing with Einstein's personal and professional life. Even more, of course, is devoted to the development of his brilliant theories, especially the Special and General Theories of Relativity.

Beyond that, there's a lot of information on quantum physics. In my opinion, up to that point, most of the book is written such that the average reader could understand most of it. Of course, once you get to quantum physics, one might question whether ANYONE could really understand that topic!

I would have given this book 4 or maybe even 5 stars, if the author hadn't wasted his (and my!) time with overly-lengthy discussions into "modern psychology" (e.g., Freud, Kant, etc.) and "Eastern mysticism " (e.g., Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, etc.). While he tries to make a connection between these topics and his discussion of quantum physics, I didn't think it was useful.

I wish I had read this book earlier. Although I did relatively well in math and science in college, they don't come naturally to me. Mostly because I did not find them relevant to me. This book makes it relevant to me. Starting with the origin of physics, the author spends many chapters to explain how ideas and theories have been developed and evolved to pave the road for quantum mechanics. This book is about understanding Einstein and more, it's about understanding the world we live in. Throughout the book there is a sense of wonder expressed toward our universe that is both mysterious and orderly. It's an inspiring and informative book to anyone who has just started his/her scientific and spiritual pursuit.

This work is excellent, whether you are reading it as supplemental for high school or college or because of an actual interest in Einstein. As a high school chemistry and physics teacher, I was searching for a something to help me explain "special relativity". What I found was a book that would help me teach a wide array of topics, from Kepler and Newton's laws to electromagnetic energy.

There are three aspects of the book that I find most useful. First, being a "complete idiot's guide" means that it is written without being overly scientific. It allows the reader to understand these sometimes difficult topics without having a doctoral degree AND provides interest. Secondly, the integration of the history makes for a multidisciplinary approach similar to what I aim for in my teaching. If science and math are not your "true loves", then the historical and anecdotal notes will reach you. Thirdly, I especially think that the author's ultimately succeeds at his attempt to call for not just tolerance but understanding...whether it be for different theories or different cultures.

There is only one "bone" to pick. In the section on chemical bonding, the author fails to mention that Mendeleev's periodic table is not the one that we use today. Mendeleev organized his table based on increasing atomic mass, which is mentioned in the book. However, our table is based on increasing atomic number, thanks to Henry Moseley (who is not mentioned). This fact is often overlooked. Yet, as a chemistry major, I must fight for Moseley's right to be recognized for this vital contribution.

But one omission does not detract from the overall superiority of the book. This book is a "must have" for all physical science teachers!