This book is not for the usual reader, it contains many articles from the beginning of the 20th century in physics that are now classics.
Basically it deals with the birth of relativity theory, in form of a collection of articles related beetween them and that describe the early evolution of the theory in the circle of physics. The original audience was cientists, so the usual reader will be daunted by formulas and formal description of theories and hipotheses.
It is however a must read for physics students and those interested in theory of relativity and a strong reference for PHD thesis and cientific works.
I bought it to use in my PHD thesis as reference as the basis of the view of the world where there is no priviledged point of reference, that is, everything is relative, wether in physical sciences or social sciences. This is the essence of the relativism that permeates the post-modern view of world, and historiography today.
I strongly recommend it for use as reference for cientists and students, but it is daunting in mathematics, You can use it without knowing lots of math, but you need to understand the concepts derived from the math. They are surprisinlgy well described by einstein and the others, after all they were geniuses.

I do not know how I can adequately review this. That this is indispensible to any theoretical physicist is pretty much the extent of what I am about to say. I mean, here you have the greatest scientific giants of all time grappling with some of the deepest, most complicated issues of 20th century physics: you not only get the opportunity of finding out what they really thought about relativity, with all mathematical and philosophical details, but you also are able to see how truly great minds go about solving difficult problems (which, I feel, should be an inspiration for modern theoreticians as to how to solve the problems associated with quantum gravity, string theory, etc.). Just the section of Einstein's paper The Foundations of a General Relativity Theory on the deep, philosophical reasons why a theory of nature should be generaly relativistic are well worth getting this book; I personally think that this one paper is the greatest scientific publication of all time (Principia is certainly bolder, more revolutionary, but Einstein's deepest ruminations, I feel, are almost religious). To be sure, one needs certain mathematical training to get the full benefit of this book, but this could be said of relativity in general; I personally do not think that one can fully comprehend relativity theory, in all its beautiful glory, without this training. Despite this, I still think it is possible, even without sufficient mathematical training, to get a real feel of how these titans thought and felt, even if just by osmosis (you know that profound thoughts are being expressed when you can almost grasp them without really understanding them). In short, it is the duty of every physicist, maybe even every scientist, not just to read, but to EXPERIENCE this book (that is the only way I can adequately describe this; it is an experience).

If you are serious about relavity, read this book and no other. It has original papers from Einstein and others, and they are not as difficult as they say they are. In fact, since Einstein mentions everything in full detail, he sounds much more convincing and clearer than all those authors who hide intricate details of the subject.

This book is not for you unless you want to get to the fine MATHEMATICS of it. If you are serious about relativity, then you must get the mathematics too. And if you want mathematics too, get this book.

I initially bought this book for a presentation I was doing in college on "time". I had already read A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking, but this book seemed to offer clearer explanations of the sometimes tough concepts, although I still can't figure out imaginary time. I really enjoy reading the quotes he inserts at the beginning of the chapters-they really make you think. Probably what most impressed me, though, was the style of the book: whenever there is an obvious, or not so obvious, question or criticism about a concept that Davies is explaining, he beats you to it. Most every question that you would ask when reading this book IS ASKED in the book and Answered in the book. Lastly, I understand that all of his answers may not be understood, and, well, probably much of the book is hard to comprehend. It is easier to cope with than Hawking's, though, even without the pictures. Davies sums it up best in the Preface to this book, "Nevertheless, you may well be even more confused about time after reading this book than before. That's all right; I was more confused myself after writing it." Time is confusing, but Davies makes it about as clear as possible

When I initially read of experiments that measure stray gravity waves from outer space, I was not only interested in measuring and studying these waves myself I was interested in learning more about their origin and cause, this book has been a great source of information to help me get started on my quest!

This book is great for anyone looking for a 'one stop shop' so to speak on many scientific theories based around 'time' ranging from Newton law, relativity and quantum physics!

In his book he puts many theories in perspective including Heisenberg, Bohr, Einstein and other scientists and observors of the universe. Davies is not biased in anyway and only attempts to summarize how while many studies of theory fit together, some do not!

One of the things you will get out of this book is an explanation of how gravity itself affects light and time. It explains why clocks run differently on earth's surface versus out in space, and how the massive gravity force of our sun bends the surrounding light of stars that we observe here on earth.

I think of this book as an encyclopedia.

This was such an enjoyable and lucid book I was sorry it wasn't even longer! Although I've come across many of the concepts in other books on quantum and relativity physics and cosmology, this is the first book I've read that was specifically dedicated to time itself. I was amazed at the number of ways there are of analyzing time. Among a myriad of other topics, Davies discusses it: as an historical subject of conjecture among the early Greeks, a subjective experience of the human mind as a byproduct of consciousness, a possible artifact of the "big bang," a possible reversible process in the event of the "big crunch," a vector quantity exhibiting directionality, rate of movement and even possibly a rate of change, the multiworld hypothesis and the possiblity of different types of time in these other worlds, and so on. Although some of the book is a little dated--the information from the Hubble orbiting telescope is mentioned in future tense--on the whole almost everything that can be said of time is included in the book in a clear fashion. I'm not a math-physics type person really, but I found the Davies book quite understandable. I especially enjoyed his insertion of a "devil's advocate," so to speak, who could point out problems or ask pertinent questions of the author. It was like attending a class with a particularly gifted student in its midst. Very much worth the time!

I had expected this book (foolishly judging it by the cover) to present a new theological interpretation of cosmology, or perhaps a theory based on new astronomical observations. In fact it seems as if Aczel had the title "God's Equation" thrust on him by a publisher eager for more sales.

The book is actually a pretty enjoyable and readable introduction to special and general relativity, interwoven with some more modern physics and plenty of anecdotes about Einstein's life.

The author has conducted unique research of his own, commissioning his father to translate some of Einstein's previously unpublished letters. And so an intriguing character sketch emerges, blended seamlessly with the science. It dwells at length on the "greatest blunder", the cosmological constant, which is still debated by cosmologists today.

The explanations of the physics are really rather good. I would highly recommend this book to someone who's after an easier read than Hawking's Brief History of Time, and not yet ready for the Elegant Universe.

A very personal, thoughtful, and welcome book.

This is one of the best popular books I have read about cosmology. What I liked in the book is that it does not try to dazzle the reader with exotic and complicated words. It describes in plain words how Einstein's idea of the "cosmological constant" developed over the years. When it was introduced it looked like a good idea, but was clearly marginal to the interests of current science; later, Einstein himself thought that it was a big blunder; now, almost a century later, the cosmological constant has become a key problem, which links the study of the origin of the Universe with the study of the ultimate building blocks of matter. Aczel's book tells this fantastic story.

After reading it I realized that that the book's title is very proper: it is the story of the search of God. But this is not the God of the common religions: it is Einstein's God, the Mind who wrote the ultimate equation. No title could better describe Einstein's motivation.

While telling this story, Aczel describes the life of Einstein and his times: I read many things about Einstein that I did not know. In conclusion, it is a book worth reading.

This is a review of the AUDIBLE.COM version of this book.

Although I enjoy books on science, I was hesitant to purchase this one. I am not very interested in mathematics and was unsure how interesting the book would be. I was surprised to discover that this is a thoroughly enjoyable book. Aczel is able to take topics that many people would consider to be dry and uninteresting (unless you're a mathematician) and weave them in a captivating tale. Through Einstein's writings and those of others, we follow Einstein along his life's journey as he developed his theory general relatively and ultimately to his search for the structure of the universe. Along the way we meet many interesting physicists, mathematicians, and astronomers - each of which adds another piece to the puzzle or provides real-world proof of Einstein's theories.

Even if you have a mild interest in Einstein and theoretical physics I think that you will enjoy this book.

I was particularly struck by the fact that the "Theory of Relativity" isn't a relativistic theory, but is absolutism, in Einstein's own words. I liked the many quotations which flow flawlessly in a logical sequence. It gave me many insights into the theory I would not otherwise have had. I didn't know that the space-time idea is an ancient idea. I had never heard of Preston, Lange, Marcolongo, Palagyi, Varicak, Bateman, etc. I didn't know about Flammarion's story of Lumen or Poe's Eureka, which by the way are available on the web. Bjerknes is eloquent. He has carefully, though seemingly effortlessly, crafted an irrefutable argument. The writing is indeed scholarly, entertaining and intellectual. The proof is all there with the original words next to Einstein's plagiarized words. It is amazing how thorough this book is. I can't find many of the names and facts I find in Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist in any of the other histories. For a historian of science, it is a treasure chest of rare gems. I like the sharp focus it holds and the immense volume of information it shares. The book has the finest set of references for the theory of relativity available anywhere.

Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist is by far the most comprehensive documentation of the history of the theory of relativity I have ever read, and I have read many. There certainly is an impressive "body of evidence" that Mileva Maric was involved with the Annalen papers, if not the lone author. Albert Einstein stated in one of his letters to Mileva Maric that it was their relativity theory, not his. I don't know why anyone would deny this fact. The Annalen papers were signed Einstein-Marity or Maric. There have been several articles written on Mileva Maric and her contribution, which are referenced in the book. The book Albert Einstein: The Incorrigible Plagiarist is a clear enunciation of the facts. There are no fictionalized stories in it. If there were, you can be certain that Einstein's fans would find them and specifically point them out. When you read the book, you will discover that many people from 1905 onwards have accused Einstein of plagiarism. I have heard that new evidence is coming out regarding David Hilbert, which will show that he, too, was robbed by Einstein. Those "skeletons" are coming out and are rattling those who love Einstein, in spite of the facts. If you want to know what this is all about, I suggest you read this book. You will instantly see that if there were any mistakes, they would already have been discussed, because the book gives references for almost every statement. Let those who would argue against it do so with specific facts, not vague misrepresentations, if they can (but no one has been able to, as you can see). You don't have to accept the book on faith. The citations are all there and every one I have looked up for my research has been exactly as it is represented in the book.

Obviously controversial, this book nevertheless contains numerous valuable references and quotations and gives a complete and documented history of the theory of relativity. Everyone "in the know" realizes that Einstein relied upon his first wife, and that Lorentz and Poincare developed the special theory of relativity before Einstein and his first wife. But the history doesn't end there and this book shows Lorentz's and Poincare's sources for the "Lorentz transformation" and the principle of relativity and "time-space". After quoting from many of Einstein's fellow physicists, and raising doubts in your mind about Einstein, the book then quotes the original sources and Einstein's words, which sound hauntingly familiar. It is hard not to draw the conclusion that there is nothing new under the sun. Most people who know that Einstein did not create the special theory of relativity believe that he did originate the general theory of relativity, but I now have my doubts. E = mc^2, space-time, the a-bomb, they all have a history before Einstein and Minkowski, an extensive history as this book shows. I found chapter 6, Einstein's modus operandi, especially ineresting. I used to think Einstein was brilliant with the two postulate deduction of the Lorentz transformation. It never occured to me that Einstein might have just begged the question. Almost every statement is documented with a reference, which is important in a book this controversial. I checked a couple of the ones I doubted, and they all checked out. After I read the book, I went back and read some of Einstein's papers and his book "Relativity, the special and the general theory". Einstein sure didn't go out of his way to acknowledge his sources. I don't know if you can absolutely prove that someone was a plagiarist or not, but I believe this book is credible and logical and very well documented. There is an amazing amount of information in it. I am curious about what skeletons will creep out of the closet now that this book is out. The social and historical aspects of the issue are also very intriguing. There certainly is a lot of undeserved hero worship for Einstein. The book shows the facts that Lange and Bateman published articles asking for acknowledgement of their ideas, which they published before Einstein. It is fascinating that they weren't able to get their names in the history books. After reading the book, my whole view of Einstein changed. He was just a guy who was thrust into the spotlight and given credit for every idea in modern physics. I don't know how much he stole credit and how much he was just wrongly given it. I do see the need for this book to set the record straight, with the facts. It does a good job of that. Even if Einstein wasn't a plagiarist, it is really weird that the facts prove that he didn't create the theory of relativity, but almost everyone thinks that he did. Almost everyone also thinks that Newton discovered gravity, but that's not true, either.

For a long time I've desired an understanding of relativity. Having just finished this book, I have achieved my goal -- without struggling with impossible equations. Thank you, Nigel Calder. (Albert Einstein is not a co-author of this book, by the way).

Due to the complex subject, this book isn't a particularly easy read. But the author keeps it very interesting and does as good a job as possible in translating the theories into understandable concepts. If you want a basic understanding of gravity, time, space, energy, and mass, and how they are all tied together via relativity, then this book is for you.

There is an incredible amount of information packed into the pages. The famous equation E=Mc2 has never meant anything to me, but after reading just the first 25 pages of this book, I was able to explain to my wife the meaning and significance of the equation and some of the thought processes that led Einstein to developing it! I feel so much smarter now!

There were only a few places where I thought the author could have done a better job explaining some concepts, and some illustrations here and there would have been very helpful. But if you are capable of understanding the Doppler effect, you are capable of understanding the major concepts of relativity.

Now I feel ready to tackle the basics of quantum theory!

I read the 1979 version of this book, not the newest version. I've always thought that no one could explain relatively better than Issac Asimov, but finally someone has. With almost no math, Calder explains how gravity and speed affect time, space, and other characteristics of our universe. Superb!

It is this book that made me switch my major halfway through college. It is a lucid, fascinating journey into a world most people mistakenly think that they cannot understand. I have read many books on the subject and none deliver such a thorough, qualitative understanding of Einstein's work.

In the first chapter that deals with Einstein's personal attitude toward religion, we learn the followings: Einstein regarded science and religion as mutually depending on each other, which is evidenced by his words, "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." However, the predominant motivations that led him to his development of the theory of relativity were purely physical considerations. Like Spinoza, Einstein denied the existence of a personal God, and used the term "cosmic religious feeling" to describe the sublimity and marvelous order in nature.

Near the end of the first chapter, the author asks a question, "Did Einstein's conception of religion affect his scientific work?" and derives a positive answer. The story that Einstein's introduction of the cosmological constant was religiously motivated concludes the chapter.

The second chapter discusses what Einstein has written about the nature of religion and its role in human society. Einstein's "Credo" about the cosmic religious feeling is cited repeatedly. In his essay read at a conference held in 1940, Einstein called the doctrine of a personal God not only unworthy but also fatal. The author writes about many responses Einstein got in reaction to this essay. At the end of this chapter the author analyzes Spinoza's role in the development of Einstein's religious philosophy.

As can be seen from the above, topics given in the first two chapters are quite attractive, and explanations are instructive to the reader who has interest in the mental background of Einstein's academic work. The scholarly style of the author's writing is enjoyable.

However, the third and final chapter that studies the influence of Einstein's scientific work on theology was not interesting to me at all. After finishing the book, I read Introduction section of the book again. To my great relief, I found the following words of the author near its end: "It is possible that [Einstein] would have rejected all of the arguments in chapter 3 if he were alive." The reason why I was not interested in the final chapter was that my thought about religion was the same as Einstein's!

Thus I recommend the first two chapters to all those who have interest in Einstein or religion, but do not recommend the third chapter for those who think like Einstein.

Three chapters: two for the everyman and one for the brave physicist/mathematician. The first two chapters are an excellent discourse on a Universal and Logical but impersonal God, the creator of the Universe. Well worth reading for those confused by the inconsistencies in Christianity, Judaism and Islam. Places forgiveness, ethics and morality squarely on the shoulders of the individual. And chapter three really nails it down even though it required six reads for this mathematician.

This book explains clearly what Einstein thought about God and religion.
I quote the author: "A God who rewards and punishes is inconceivable to him for the single reason that a man's actions are determined by necessity, external and internal, so that in God's eyes he cannot be responsable, any more than an inanimate object is rsponsible for the motion it undergoes".
For Einstein the demon of Laplace was all too real. He believed in total determinism. For him there was no free will. I quote Einstein: "I do not at all believe in human freedom in the philosophical sense. Everybody acts not only under external compulsion but also in accordance with inner necessity. Schopenhauer's saying, 'A man can do what he wants, but not want what he wants,' has been a real inspiration to me since my youth."
This stance by one of the most brilliant scientists ever is, for me, unbelievable. It had a profound influence on his later scientific work, where he tried in vain to refute quantum mechanics. He knew too well, as Bohr stated, that quantum mechanics gives free will a new background against the mechanical concept of nature.
On the other hand, could Einstein's stance be an excuse for his not so high standard moral behaviour when he was a young man?

The last part of the book "Physics and theology" is only for theologians. It reminds me of the stubborn fight of Paul Davies in his book 'The mind of God' to find a place for God in modern physics and the quantum universe. Davies only found ... mysticism as a solace for the faithful.
A revealing book.

not to say that einstein wasn't exceptionally clever, but i found the tone of this book to be leaning a bit to far to the 'worship einstein as a minor deity' side of things. any potential cause to think less of old albert is glossed over in an unapealing way. the examples that come to mind are the minimal treatment that poincare's accomplishments regarding relativity recieve, and the minimal information on his divorces. i wish the authors had stepped down from the altar of the holy einstein long enough to give him a human treatment. even the title is a bit much. creator and rebel? it would be funny if it weren't sadly earnest.

In the first chapter the author uses a meeting Albert Einstein had with Charlie Chaplan to criticize the way in which ordinary people have come to worship famous people. Yet a few pages later, page 14 to be exact, the author writes, "...considering little Albert was to become none other than Einstein..." Perhaps I interpreted this statement wrong, but it seems as if the author is falling into the very hero-worship that he attacked earlier. I don't know.

I am aware that Einstein had a certain philosophy regarding the correct way to write a biography, but this book was extremely dry. I was constantly reminded that I'm reading this for a physics class. Zzzz.....

I have read several biographies of Einstein, some of which are among my list of all-time favorite books. None however, approach the intimacy or sense of personal connection as Hoffmann and Dukas' 1972 classic "Creator and Rebel." Perhaps because of Helen Dukas' influence, this book contains perhaps the most intimate look at the man and, thanks to Hoffmann, the one of the clearest explanations of his science. Though other biographies are also must-reads for Einstein devotees (Folsing and Frank, for instance), this one goes to the top of my list.

Thank you Amy of Chicago, for pointing out that this indeed was a blank notebook. It is a shame that a few pseudointellects tried to make it sound like more. In a world of recession and near poverty incomes it is a shame to mislead people this way. I am sure Professor Einstein would have frowned on the lack of humanity that these few show in trying to appear more intelligent than they apparently are.

This book is perfect for the scientist and layman alike. Within the covers of this book, you will find a veritable cipher of information on Einstein's ideas and theories. Though some may be wary of his genius, there is nothing in the book that a person with a high-school level knowledge of physics can't understand. But at the same time, the most educated scientist in the world wouldn't object to the way the book's contents are plainly laid out. This is a must buy for anyone interested in Einstein!!

Sometimes it is not what is written, but that which is absent that is truly revealing. In this tour-de-france, Einstein displays his prodigious genius in a subtlety rivaling no other by inviting the reader to participate and - indeed - celebrate in the joy of creation. Relativity is further ironically thematized by the implicit inference that the best stories are one's own. In short, one need not read between the lines to see that this masterpiece is not only an unfinished project, but one in the making. Bravo!

Readers should be aware that this edition of "The World As I See It" is, in fact, an abridged version of the original publication. Without bothering to mention this on the title page, it has dropped the entire fifth section on "Scientific Questions," including such classic popular expositions of Einstein's basic philosophy as "Geometry and Experience" and "Principles of Research." Editing a book of Einstein's writings which deliberately excludes all mention of science is like publishing a biography of Mozart - without any reference to music.

It is, I think, significant of the dumbing down of American publishing that the German edition of the same book ("Mein Weltbild," published by Ullman) has continuously added new material on politics, fascism, Judaism, peace and science over the years! Readers who want to know what Einstein was really like should obtain a used copy of the original full version.

To know Einstein's thoughts is to understand the nature of one of histories finest minds. Beyond all else, Albert Einstein was a man, a man of deep social & moral conscience. As I read this book, I was struck by the thought of George Santayana, "Those who do not study the past are condemned to repeat it." To be able to travel back nearly 100 years and view the world throught the mind and spirit of Einstein is a pleasure indeed. I found myself at odds with some of what Einstein thought. However, what a great experience it was to explore those thoughts and how many still appear true today. Albert Einstein once said "Imagination is more important than knowledge". The man knew what he was talking about.

The book reveals, the thoughts of the great mind known as Albert Einstein. His social life was as enlightening, as his intellectual mind. He had god given gift of opening god's secrets, and he did it beautifully, and humbly. I have read this book many times, and feel divine about thinking about Albert Eintein.

Albert Einstein led an interesting life, from his beginnings as a mathematical prodigy, to his heyday when he popularized physics, to his old age where his status as a living legend afforded him many opportunities. Folsing does a great job detailing Einstein the man in each of these sections. Generally he uses Einstein's own writings, either in letters or in papers, a technique that some find off-putting but I found useful and relevant.

Two things about this book, though, did trouble me. First, it was overlong. There were some sections that felt either redundant or padded, and did little to provide further insight into Einstein the man. Second, the physics explanations went over my head. As a layman, I wasn't expecting a dumbed-down approach meant to pander to the dimmest of readers. I do have some math background, and usually take to the subject easily. But Folsing never gave me a chance. I went in hoping for some comprehensible explanations regarding the special and general theories of relativity, but got nothing more than page after page of jargon that assumed plenty of prior knowledge. Even an explanation of why they (along with the equation "E=mc2") received critical and popular acclaim was missing.

Now, I'm willing to concede that something got lost in the translation, for the book was originally written in German. Folsing is by trade a physicist, and later a science journalist, so should know his stuff and have the skills needed for concise explanation. I suppose it was enough to ask that he attempt to share some of his knowledge of Einstein's science, while making Einstein's life a gripping and interesting tale.

This is the BEST biography of Einstein that I have read. The writing style is 'European' in that all dimensions of Einstein are explored and referenced. A strong point of this biography is the extensive research and documentation that backs up the text. Einstein's life in science AND out of it are explored thoroughly. My only quibble is that the quality of pictures in the text is shoddy. I have the Penguin edition. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. If you want a quick superficial biography try Banesh Hoffman's Einstein (still in print?). If you want a fairly good biography I recommend Denis Brian's Einstein. If you want a very precise and detail biography get this one and enjoy!

At the height of Einstein's career it was joked that only about a dozen people in the entire world actually understood the master's theory of relativity, which leads to the question of whether we mere mortals should even attempt this 882-page tome. The answer is a resounding yes. Albrecht Holsing never forgets that he is writing a biography, not a physics text. The result is a colorful biography of a learning disabled civil servant with perhaps the most fertile imagination in the history of science. Holsing's Einstein is a man without a country, an unabashed lover, an avowed pacifist, a born-again Zionist, bon vivant and alleged subversive. And yes, smart and eccentric as hell.

Between 1905 and 1920 Einstein, a patent claims inspector, produced a series of papers on the subject of physics so outlandish that the world collectively gasped. Put simply, Einstein postulated connections between dimensions that had been considered unbridgeable until his day. He was not a scientist in the way we traditionally think of the discipline. He was in reality a science fiction writer who challenged the white coats to prove he was wrong. Most of the time they could not, to their own amazement. And when they did, he seemed to delight even more. God, he remarked, may be mysterious, but never malevolent. For Einstein the universe was a playground.

Einstein enjoyed wonderful timing. By 1900 the telescope and the microscope had been perfected to the point that the bigness and the smallness of the natural world began crashing into the complacency of Newtonian physics and Euclidean geometry. Einstein, whose own spacial-temporal development was delayed until early adulthood, began to play with possibilities. Is the universe so big that the traditional absolute theorems of geometry might be disproved? Consider the classic geometric postulate that two parallel lines will stretch into infinity without ever touching. Einstein dared to question such a basic law in several ways: if the universe itself is not linear but perhaps curved, the lines would eventually meet. And second, what influence would gravitation play upon these two lines? It was these daring interplays of factors that set Einstein apart and led to his famous speculations about relationships between mass, time, and energy.

It is a credit to Holsing that he is able to describe Einstein's mental journeys as lucidly as he does. This is not to say there is no hard work required. Einstein had a hand in nearly all branches of physics, including optics, electricity, and radiation, and he was in constant dialogue with other noted thinkers of his age, including Niels Bohr and Max Planck. For an older reader unfamiliar with quantum physics, the scientific debates over the nature of light may as well be written in Vulcan. Be that as it may, the faithful reader will probably take away enough science to be dazzled and deeply impressed when Einstein's most audacious speculation-that light is bent by gravitational pull-is dramatically proven during a total eclipse of the sun in 1918.

For all practical purposes, Einstein's creative career ended around 1920, the same time he began to attract respectable university and lecture fees. The years between 1920 and 1955 are remarkable in their own way: Einstein became one of the world's most recognized celebrities in an era of renewed interest in popular science. Like many celebrities he grumbled about the distractions but rarely missed a good dinner. Universities that hired the grand thinker after 1920 did so at their own risk: Einstein traveled widely and allowed his life to be governed by the Muse of creativity. He spent three decades working unsuccessfully to eliminate mathematical kinks from his general theory of relativity. [Ironically, since 1995 astronomical discoveries of the magnitude of dust and gas in the universe have tended to smooth out the rough edges of the relativity theory.]

Although he lived and worked in Germany for many years, Einstein carried a deep-seated suspicion of German militarism. He was disillusioned with the conduct of most of his scientific colleagues during World War I, and he was early to see the direction of Nazi policy. Relocating to Princeton, New Jersey, he lived the final two decades of his life in the United States. As Folsing tells it, the United States government kept Einstein at arm's length, perhaps due to a 1930 speech in which he remarked that if as few as 2% of a nation's draftees refused to serve, its military force would crumble. The speech made Einstein an icon among pacifists, and "2%" buttons became popular leftist items throughout the 1930's. Given Einstein's political leanings, it is one of history's better fortunes that Franklin Roosevelt took seriously Einstein's warnings about German development of a fission bomb. However, Einstein was considered too much of a security risk to be considered for the Manhattan Project and was systematically excluded from any information about the project.

Folsing chronicles the struggles of Einstein's two marriages and the somewhat flagrant adulteries of his middle years. Contrary to popular belief, Einstein was in fact a handsome and captivating younger man. It was only in later years that hygiene and fashion tended to deteriorate, perhaps as a statement of sorts to his prim Princeton neighbors. Folsing captures Einstein's wit: once, when the mayor of his town apologized for sewerage fumes from a treatment plant wafting toward the Einstein residence, the good scientist confessed that on occasion he had "returned the compliment."