Einstein

His Life and Universe

By: Walter Isaacson

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 7 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

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

"[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)

A Fasinating Perspective of Einstein's Life

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this book to a friend. You don't have to be a science buff to follow the many concepts covered throughout the book, however some knowledge helps to shed light on understanding of the many topics discussed. I was shocked to find out about Einstein's aloofness toward his family.This was a great book! It was easy to listen too and follow.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Einstein?

Of course... when he had his break through moment E=mc2

Great book; glad I did the abridged version.

I’ve been wanting to get into the life and works of the great Albert Einstein. I was debating between the full and abridged version, and I feel like I chose wisely. Other reviewers complain about how much detail was given to the physics... but I was interested in this from the onset, so it was a perfect amount for me. I don’t have hardly any physics ‘training’ in my background, but I’ve been wanting to have some understanding of Einstein’s concepts. Also, the book was a good amount of his personal life and insight.

Should've bought the unabridged version

This is the abridged version. It is good but now having finished the book I wish I had chosen the unabridged version.

Informative for Einstein Enthusiast!

Where does Einstein rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

Make sure you understand this is a abridged version - meaning shortened version of the book! If you want the full version word for word download the unabridged version.

Who was your favorite character and why?

MAX PLANCK ~ NIELS BOHR

If you were to make a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?

Rockstein

A 3D portrayal of Einstein and his science

Einstein is no longer an abstract concept to me after reading this book. Glad I picked it up!

Just the right level of details

What other book might you compare Einstein to and why?

I listened to this book because it was by Walter Isaacson and I really liked his biography on Steve Jobs. This book on Einstein did not disappoint.

Any additional comments?

I listened to the abridged version of this book and believe it was the right level of detail. I can't imaging more details about Einstein in the unabridged version that wouldn't result in it being too long.

Einstein

Would you consider the audio edition of Einstein to be better than the print version?

Haven't read the print version

Who was your favorite character and why?

Einstein

What does Edward Herrmann bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

He shows the human side of the man. Einstein was no doubt one of the premier scientists of all time, but in spite of his theories, was vulnerable to human frailty. It seemed that his personal life was almost as big a disaster as the success of his science.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Einstein the man of irony

Einstein's life, loves, politics, humor

Although I didn't understand much of his physic's breakthroughs, Isaacson proofs once again why he's such a great biographer. Einstein's life, loves, politics, humor, etc. dominate the story.

interesting points of a life of a genius

What disappointed you about Einstein?

The biography was a little boring even thou many interesting points of his life. What made the biography a little slow is the description of all the physic laws and his experiences. Maybe for someone who enjoys more physics will find more interesting than I did.

What three words best describe Edward Herrmann’s performance?

Edward's performance is very good.

Expected more Life Story, less Physics Lesson

Would you try another book from Walter Isaacson and/or Edward Herrmann?

Walter Isaacson is an incredible writer and brings his subjects to life. His book "Benjamin Franklin, An American Life" took me on an amazing two year journey, ending with getting kicked off the grounds of Monticello by the Park Rangers for staying past closing time because I was so engrossed in the history of the place (nothing bad happened, just went on my own walking tour and missed the last bus off the mountain).

After finishing his recent book on Steve Jobs, I bought Einstein to keep me company. While most of the content about Einstein's life interests me, I found it delving too deeply in his physics pursuits. While this content defined Einstein's life, I found it too heavy to listen to and was forwarding past some sections to get to the content about his family and school life. I also found Einstein to be a not-so-loveable character, quite honestly, so that may have colored my opinion of this book as well. This is one of those books that I had to force myself to finish as I didn't want the money I paid for it to go to waste.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Einstein was intriguing and a genius of his time, but he had significant flaws that I found less than appealing. While I applaud him for his pursuits and his dedication to knowledge, I didn't like some aspects of his character. I won't go into them here, given that I don't wish to spoil the read for the future reader.

Did the narration match the pace of the story?

Great narration.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from Einstein?

In this type of book, you either accept the person or you don't. I wouldn't change or cut any scenes becuase all of them contributed to making Einstein the person he ended up being. So much good has come from his work (primarily his lesser known works) and he is such a beloved character for those that know about him only in passing, I am happy to accept the good with the bad.

Any additional comments?

Not a book that I would recommend to my friends. If you are facing of choice of purchasing this book or another Isaacson, I would recommend either the Franklin or Jobs books above Einstein.