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Einstein  By  cover art

Einstein

By: Walter Isaacson
Narrated by: Edward Herrmann
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Editorial reviews

Why we think it's Essential: Isaacson is the modern master of the biography, so it was only natural that he turn his pen to Einstein. And more than any biography of the past, Isaacson's account unravels the life behind the brain and provides a full picture of the man who embodied the scientific spirit of the 20th century. Edward Herrmann is stirring and moves effortlessly from humorous anecdotes to scientific theories. — Chris Doheny

Publisher's summary

Winner of the 2008 Audie Award for Biography/Memoir

How did Einstein's mind work? What made him a genius? Isaacson's biography shows how his scientific imagination sprang from the rebellious nature of his personality. His fascinating story is a testament to the connection between creativity and freedom.

Based on the newly released personal letters of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson explores how an imaginative, impertinent patent clerk, a struggling father in a difficult marriage who couldn't get a teaching job or a doctorate, became the mind reader of the creator of the cosmos, the locksmith of the mysteries of the atom and the universe. His success came from questioning conventional wisdom and marveling at mysteries that struck others as mundane. This led him to embrace a morality and politics based on respect for free minds, free spirits, and free individuals.

These traits are just as vital for this new century of globalization, in which our success will depend on our creativity, as they were for the beginning of the last century, when Einstein helped usher in the modern age.

It's all relative: listen to more about Albert Einstein.
©2007 Walter Isaacson. All rights reserved (P)2007 Simon and Schuster Inc. All rights reserved.

Critic reviews

  • Audie Award Winner, Biography/Memoir, 2008

"[A] lucid account." (Publishers Weekly)
"Isaacson has admirably succeeded in weaving together the complex threads of Einstein's personal and scientific life to paint a superb portrait." (Arthur I. Miller, author of Einstein, Picasso)
"Isaacson has written a crisp, engaging, and refreshing biography, one that beautifully masters the historical literature and offers many new insights into Einstein's work and life." (Diana Kormos Buchwald, General Editor of the Collected Papers of Albert Einstein)

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What listeners say about Einstein

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Unique

You think you know all there is to know about a historical figure, having studied them through school. This book gave me a different view of Einstein, the eccentric scientists, but also a man, husband, father, and advocate for humanity. He was a unique human with amazing insight.

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Great Listen about an amazing life...

I'm not really a huge biography reader/listener, but I've always been interested in Einstein's life...

When I saw that Walter Isaacson wrote a biography on him, (my first biography by him was Steve Jobs) I downloaded it immediately and was not disappointed for even a second...

The author catches Einstein's life in interesting ways and tells a good story about the good and bad of his life.. Enjoyed every second..

If you are looking for a good listen about a great man, give it a try..

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Mind-bending and entertaining

This book full of the good humor and wisdom of Einstein, not to mention plenty of mind bending physics. I didn't realize just how little I knew about Einstein until I read this book, so it was a great learning experience too.

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Well done

very enlightening to hear the human side of such a figure of history. thank you for the input

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Curious reader

Very interesting insight into a brilliant humanistic being. Very pleasant voice for narration! Recommend to daughter a physics lover at the USAF Academy!

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I couldn’t stop listening!

The narrative structure of this masterpiece could be complicated. You must know this book is about a man of science, the author goes deeper in details about physics, math and equations. My recommendation: take notes, don’t give up if you stuck with an unknown terminology, personally I struggle a lot with quantum mechanics, understanding the Theory of Relative. Please trust me, you will love this book.

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I heart Einstein

to overcome such adversity... the more I learn of others' struggles, the more I know we can all persevere as long as we stay true and have some common sense.

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Lover of Biographies, This One Stands Out

I’ve read almost every major biography, all of the classics that you think of when you think of the genre. This stands out to me as an incredible work. It paints a wonderful picture of a man’s life that’s both so complicated and so simple. Highly highly recommend.

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Loved it!

I could have done with less description of complex physics but overall I thought it was really good.

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Complexity in simplicity.

This text is the perfect representation of Einstein's life. It's simple in its thesis...a drive for creative freedom, but complex in its depth and the process to that end; just as was Einstein's life. He was an advocate for humanity and his humanism would be his undoing at times as much as it was the scaffolding that held his vision and drove him forward. Isaacson's prose captures this complexity perfectly. It was a fun and enjoyable read!

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