Einstein's War

How Relativity Triumphed Amid the Vicious Nationalism of World War I

By: Matthew Stanley

Narrated by: Matthew Stanley

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

The birth of a world-changing idea in the middle of a bloodbath...

Einstein’s War is a riveting exploration of both the beauty of scientific creativity and enduring horrors of human nature. These two great forces battle in a story that culminates with a victory now a century old, the mind bending theory of general relativity.

Few recognize how the Great War, the industrialized slaughter that bled Europe from 1914 to 1918, shaped Einstein’s life and work. While Einstein never held a rifle, he formulated general relativity blockaded in Berlin, literally starving. He lost 50 pounds in three months, unable to communicate with his most important colleagues. Some of those colleagues fought against rabid nationalism; others were busy inventing chemical warfare - being a scientist trapped you in the power plays of empire. Meanwhile, Einstein struggled to craft relativity and persuade the world that it was correct. This was, after all, the first complete revision of our conception of the universe since Isaac Newton, and its victory was far from sure.

Scientists seeking to confirm Einstein’s ideas were arrested as spies. Technical journals were banned as enemy propaganda. Colleagues died in the trenches. Einstein was separated from his most crucial ally by barbed wire and U-boats. This ally was the Quaker astronomer and Cambridge don A.S. Eddington who would go on to convince the world of the truth of relativity and the greatness of Einstein.

In May of 1919, when Europe was still in chaos from the war, Eddington led a globe-spanning expedition to catch a fleeting solar eclipse for a rare opportunity to confirm Einstein’s bold prediction that light has weight. It was the result of this expedition - the proof of relativity, as many saw it - that put Einstein on front pages around the world. Matthew Stanley’s epic tale is a celebration of how bigotry and nationalism can be defeated, and of what science can offer when they are.

Personality rights of ALBERT EINSTEIN are used with permission of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Represented exclusively by Greenlight.

*Includes a PDF with scientific and mathematical illustrations.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Matthew Stanley (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“A thrilling history of the development of the theory of relativity...a superb account of Einstein's and Eddington’s spectacularly successful struggles to work and survive under miserable wartime conditions.” (Kirkus, starred review)

"Stanley’s is a superb book, one that scientists, historians of science, and the general public will enjoy in equal measure. It is written for a wide audience. Those wary of technical jargon will be delighted by Stanley’s lucid explanations. With almost all books written in a generalist vein, there is some worry about what might be lost - however much else is gained - by not dwelling on the details provided in the academic work on which they are based. Einstein’s War, however, is that very rare work from which I came away understanding the scholarly literature better for having had its context presented to me in gripping and readable prose." (American Scientist)

"Few books about events a century ago carry as relevant a message for today’s world of resurgent nationalism.... Stanley is a storyteller par excellence.... [His] riveting, blow-by-blow account of Einstein’s struggle...is an unusually reader-friendly journey into relativity theory.... Einstein and Eddington would have liked it.” (The Washington Post)

Fantastic

I could not get enough of this book. As a physicist who has studied Einstein's work academically, this was a fantastic view into not only Relativity's creation, but the philosophical motivations behind the math. It has helped me further understand this enigmatic topic, while also providing me with a plethora of new knowledge about WWI, Sir Arthur Eddington, and the strange historical intricacies that are often left out of a science class.

I recommend this to anyone, especially in today's political climate, who is curious about what it means to look at humanity above nationality.

Historically Accurate

I appreciated the detail that went into the story and the historical accuracy. However, the reader is the author, and no disrespect towards him but I just didnt like the style of reading. It seemed like the inflections of his speech were plqced differently than my own, though I attribute that to difference of vernacular between us. Give this book a listen, wonderful story.

Very Interesting, but Mr. Stanley's Performance

While I appreciate the work that was done by the author to write this book, the performance took getting used to. Mainly what bothered me was the author's reading intonation, the bothersome raising of the voice at the end of statement sentences where usually the voice should go down. I nearly quit listening, but glad I didn't. The information was very interesting and I learned a lot. The writing style could be better.

Great story but they should have hired a pro to read it

Well written and enough new material to make this a must read, but listening was grating. The author/reader clips his sentences and uptalks before most ends of sentences. Extremely annoying to the point it ruined an otherwise worthwhile book!

Science, morality, conviction, passion and the best of humanity come alive in this thrilling story.

I thought I knew this story but, wow, I learned so many new amazing details from Stanley’s research, and he made the entire story more accessible, entertaining, educational, and downright thrilling than any book about Einstein, or science for that matter, I’ve ever read. The vividness of a movie, the clarity and rigor of the best science literature. Einstein and Eddington and many more essential men and women who have otherwise been forgotten from most tellings, come to life with such personality, humanity and unsentimentality that I feel like have now travelled with them. There is also a fierce, full blooded accounting of the Great War, and a spectacular portrait of the shockingly wide range of the morality spectrum on which scientists of all nations conducted their lives and their work. Stanley has a gift for rigorous reportage skillfully woven with honesty, solemnity, humor and joy. Highly recommended for young and old... lovers of history, science, adventure, intrigue, excitement and the deepest mysteries of nature and the human mind.

When will I learn?

When will I learn to never listen to an audiobook narrated by the author? The author’s narration is mind numbingly undulating and at times sounds like he is merely reading a grocery list. What are they thinking? Are they just trying to save money by not paying a narrator who is actually a good actor or professional narrator? It’s a shame that’s such a good story had to be dragged along with this narration.

Informative and engaging

I really enjoyed this book. It gave me a brand new perspective on Einstein and WWI. It also brought to life Eddington’s role in organizing and publicizing the 1919 expedition that made Einstein a household name. I have read a lot of popular books on physics and Einstein, and this one provided a wealth of new information.

Of course a great story, but this version highly duplicate

Perhaps I have read too many books recently that generally cover the history of physics from Newton to the present, but I did not find that this book offered much more specificity regarding Einstein than I had got ten from these other more general books. I expected to get much more depth on Einstein in this one . Plus this book somewhat duplicative even within itself. However the author does a very good job of presenting the material so it was not a painful read.

Seeking scientific truths amplifies collaborations

Both Einstein and Eddington were excited by ideas and unified by their pursuit of the knowledge promised by those ideas