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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)

Featured Article: The Best Biography Audiobooks to Educate, Fascinate, and Inspire


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What listeners say about Einstein

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating

The theories are explained in non technical terms which made it easier for a mere mathematician to understand!
The narration was excellent.

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  • MD
  • 04-11-17

Interesting listen

Gives you an insight into Einstein and his theories and his struggles with theories and life in general.

Will recommend.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Great book and information

I love the biographical data more than the explanation of theories and experiments, but overall was a great story

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    5 out of 5 stars

A must read for a science person or for anyone

a great work by Water Isaacson. he shows that there is a Genius in every human and a human in every genius.

an absolute must read.

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Fascinating! !

I loved this book. The writer did a beautiful job and the narration was excellent.

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Excellent!

This book will have your mind tingling with curious information on Einstein. The fluidity of the writing is exemplified by the narrator. 5 stars all the way!

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating man, science and history

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

This is one of the best audiobooks I have listened to. It's a detailed, absorbing biography which gives a deep understanding of Einstein's personality, warts and all. as well as the historical events which affected his life, beliefs and political life.

What about Edward Herrmann’s performance did you like?

Edward Herrmann did an excellent job narrating, providing an excellent pace and listening clarity.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Two things I particularly enjoyed were learning about Einstein's deep and lifelong friendships with other scientists and the evolution of Einstein's spiritual growth as it evolved through his work. I also enjoyed learning that Einstein was a visual scientist and was always complaining about needing more math...how human.

Any additional comments?

Absorbing biography, history and science all in one great book.

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awesome

great book with excelent representation of einstein thoughts.
awesome narration .
I would love to re enxarnate in Einstein

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Great on Audio

I loved learning this history. I also know that if I was reading this in writen form, I would have stopped before the end. It was much easier to get through the scientific stuff via audio.

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    4 out of 5 stars
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    2 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

Good history bad performance

Last chapter and the file was broken and i have to download again! Really? I havent had this problem with others books before, is a shame!

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