Albert Einstein : a biography

Albert Einstein's Achievements Are Not Just Milestones In The History Of Science; Decades Ago They Became An Integral Part Of The Twentieth-century World In Which We Live. Like No Other Modern Physicist He Altered And Expanded Our Understanding Of Nature. Like Few Other Scholars, He Stood Fully In The Public Eye. In A World Changing With Dramatic Rapidity, He Embodied The Role Of The Scientist By Personal Example. Albrecht Folsing, Relying On Previously Unknown Sources. And Letters, Brings Einstein's Genius Into Focus. Whereas Former Biographies, Written In The Tradition Of The History Of Science, Seem To Describe A Heroic Einstein Who Fell To Earth From Heaven, Folsing Attempts To Reconstruct Einstein's Thought In The Context Of The State Of Research At The Turn Of The Century. Thus, Perhaps For The First Time, Einstein's Surroundings Come To Light. Family -- School -- A Child Prodigy -- Vagabond And Loner : Student Days In Zurich -- Looking For A Job -- Expert Iii Class -- Herr Doktor Einstein And The Reality Of Atoms -- The Very Revolutionary Light Quanta -- Relative Movement : My Life For Seven Years -- The Theory Of Relativity : A Modification Of The Theory Of Space And Time -- Acceptance, Opposition, Tributes -- Expert Ii Class -- From Bad Joke To Herr Professor -- Professor In Zurich -- Full Professor In Prague, But Not For Long -- Toward The General Theory Of Relativity -- From Zurich To Berlin -- In A Madhouse : A Pacifist In Prussia -- The Greatest Satisfaction Of My Life : The Completion Of The General Theory Of Relativity -- Wartime In Berlin -- Postwar Chaos And Revolution -- Confirmation And The Deflection Of Light : The Suddenly Famous Dr. Einstein -- Relativity Under The Spotlight -- Traveler In Relativity -- Jewry, Zionism, And A Trip To America -- More Hustle, Long Journeys, A Lot Of Politics, And A Little Physics -- Einstein Receives The Nobel Prize And In Consequence Becomes A Prussian -- The Marble Smile Of Implacable Nature : The Search For The Unified Field Theory -- The Problems Of Quantum Theory -- Critique Of Quantum Mechanics -- Politics, Patents, Sickness, And A Wonderful Egg -- Public And Private Affairs -- Farewell To Berlin -- Exile In Liberation -- Princeton -- Physical Reality And A Paradox, Relativity And Unified Theory -- War, A Letter, And The Bomb -- Between Bomb And Equations -- An Old Debt. Albrecht Fölsing ; Translated From The German By Ewald Osers. Includes Bibliographical References (p. 821-847) And Index. Cover Acknowledgments Contents Foreword I CHILDHOOD, YOUTH, STUDENT YEARS 1. Family 2. School 3. A “Child Prodigy” 4. “Vagabond and Loner”: Student Days in Zurich 5. Looking for a Job II THE PATENT OFFICE 6. Expert III Class 7. “Herr Doktor Einstein” and the Reality of Atoms 8. The “Very Revolutionary” Light Quanta 9. Relative Movement: “My Life for Seven Years” 10. The Theory of Relativity: “A Modification of the Theory of Space and Time” 11. Acceptance, Opposition, Tributes 12. Expert II Class III THE NEW COPERNICUS 13. From “Bad Joke” to “Herr Professor” 14. Professor in Zurich 15. Full Professor in Prague—But Not for Long 16. Toward the General Theory of Relativity 17. From Zurich to Berlin IV THE NOISE OF WAR AND THE SIZE OF THE UNIVERSE 18. “In a Madhouse”: A Pacifist in Prussia 19. “The Greatest Satisfaction of My Life”: The Completion of the General Theory of Relativity 20. Wartime in Berlin 21. Postwar Chaos and Revolution 22. Confirmation of the Deflection of Light: “The Suddenly Famous Dr. Einstein” V SPLENDOR AND BURDEN OF FAME 23. Relativity under the Spotlight 24. “Traveler in Relativity” 25. Jewry, Zionism, and a Trip to America 26. More Hustle, Long Journeys, a Lot of Politics, and a Little Physics VI UNIFIED THEORY IN A TIME OUT OF JOINT 27. Einstein Receives the Nobel Prize and in Consequence Becomes a Prussian 28. “The Marble Smile of Implacable Nature”: The Search for the Unified Field Theory 29. The Problems of Quantum Theory 30. Critique of Quantum Mechanics 31. Politics, Patents, Sickness, and a “Wonderful Egg” 32. Public and Private Affairs 33. Farewell to Berlin VII THE PACIFIST AND THE BOMB 34. Exile as Liberation 35. Princeton 36. Physical Reality and a Paradox, Relativity and Unified Theory 37. War, a Letter, and the Bomb 38. Between Bomb and Equations 39. “An Old Debt” Notes Bibliography and Abbreviations Chronology Index Back Cover Folsing uses previously unknown sources and letters to put Einstein's work in the context of the state of research at the turn of the century. Einstein's surroundings are revealed and his genius is portrayed within his everyday environment. First published by VIKING in 1997.