albert einstein biography walter isaacson

Another, more recent, theory about his mental development is that he had Asperger's syndrome, a condition related to autism.Įinstein began to learn mathematics around age 12. At age five, his father showed him a pocket compass, and Einstein realized that something in 'empty' space acted upon the needle he would later describe the experience as one of the most revelatory of his life.Īlthough considered a slow learner, possibly due to dyslexia, simply shyness or the significantly rare and unusual structure his brain (examined after his death), Einstein built models and mechanical devices for fun. Bibliography, index, notes.Albert Einstein was born at Ulm in Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany, on March 14, 1879, into a non-observant Jewish family. This is a magnificent work: a tribute to Einstein’s life and his universe. His command of both the science and the historical context are brilliant. Isaacson’s depiction of Einstein’s development of the general theory of relativity in 1915 almost reads like a thriller. Included in the reams of documentation for this book are personal papers that have only recently been released and which inform Einstein’s early years.Įven for its completeness, the biography is not heavy-handed.

An astounding number of paragraphs in the text contain first-person quotes or references to personal correspondence. Relying scrupulously on primary sources, Isaacson details the ideas, pressures, relationships, and political context that surrounded Einstein. Similarly, Einstein’s politics were based on the idea of creating and empowering a one-world government.įollowing this overarching theme of Einstein’s life, Isaacson’s book is a unifying force in our understanding of Einstein.

His theory of the photovoltaic effect, for which he won the Nobel Prize, brought together ideas of quanta and the nature of light. His theory of general relativity connected the dissimilar ideas of gravity and electromagnetism. Einstein was compelled to explore ways to bring together disparate parts of science. Throughout this most-encompassing biography of Albert Einstein, Walter Isaacson continually returns to a theme that pervaded Einstein’s life: that of unification.

Albert einstein biography walter isaacson