From Library Journal
This translation of a work published in Germany in 1993 provides a balanced and comprehensive treatment of Einstein's life from early childhood through his final years at Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study. It gives equal detail to his technical accomplishments and personal life, including his role as an international spokesman for Zionism and pacifism. It also includes a more honest picture of his relationships with women than earlier works, such as those by Roger Highfield and Paul Carter (The Private Lives of Albert Einstein, LJ 6/1/94) or Michael White and John Gribbin (Einstein: A Life in Science, LJ 3/1/94). Although extremely detailed and heavily documented, this is a very readable book, perhaps owing to the author's background in the radio/television presentation of science information. His explanations are generally clear and complete. Folsing has done a commendable job of bringing all of these aspects of Einstein's life together and providing a well-balanced picture. Recommended.?Hilary Burton, Lawrence Livermore National Lab., Livermore, Cal.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
His name connotes incomparable genius even for those who cannot fathom his famed theory. Yet the man who unveiled the deepest secrets of the universe has himself long remained an enigma to his admirers. But now, in an exhaustively researched narrative, Folsing unravels the enigma as he depicts the surprising variety of figures who all fit within Einstein's life story: the hot-tempered little boy who threw a chair at his tutor; the talented violinist who thrilled Saturday-afternoon gatherings with his interpretations of Beethoven; the brokenhearted husband who wept at the Berlin train station as his marriage crumbled; the neophyte psychologist who dined with Jung and corresponded with Freud; the ardent pacifist who willingly performed tasks for the German war machine; the skeptic who rejected his ancestral religion yet risked his station and even his life by affirming his Jewishness; the aging revolutionary who fought against the young turks creating quantum physics. Folsing deserves high praise for allowing the nonspecialist to share the singular mental odyssey that culminated in Einstein's remarkable discoveries, especially the theory of relativity. But he deserves even higher praise for exposing the vulnerabilities and inadequacies that made Einstein, for all his genius, one of us--an oft-perplexed and frustrated human being. As long as readers care about Einstein's character as well as his formulas, this book will attract and deserve attention. Bryce Christensen


From Kirkus Reviews
Another full-scale biography, this one translated from the German, of the preeminent physicist of modern times. F”lsing (head of science for the North German Radio/Television Network) recognizes that Albert Einstein (18791955) was a complex man whose importance went far beyond his enormous contributions to science. However, as the author (himself a physicist by training) points out, physics was Einstein's ``passion and his life,'' and many of the other events of his life--his involvement in politics, his celebrity status, his efforts on behalf of the Jewish people- -were more in the nature of distractions from his true calling. So while the present volume does not skimp in its treatment of Einstein's life outside science, physics provides the central focus--and, unfortunately, its central weakness. Readers without considerable scientific background may feel that F”lsing fails to adequately explain many of the central questions to which Einstein addressed himself. On the other hand, F”lsing offers a fascinating picture of the life of a scientist in the first half of this century. Einstein's school career, his job at the Swiss patent office, his movement into the academic world (and the political maneuvers this involved), and his acceptance by the international scientific community are covered in marvelous detail. Einstein's private life has been the subject of some controversy; however, despite having access to many previously unpublished letters, F”lsing has little to contribute to such questions as whether Einstein's first wife, Mileva, had any substantial input into the theory of relativity. Einstein's later years, from the accession of Hitler in 1933 to the scientist's death, are given remarkably short shrift. The translation, with numerous muddy patches and unidiomatic translations, often falls short of clarity. While it sheds interesting light on many aspects of Einstein's life, this biography will be of more interest to the specialist than to the general reader. -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.


Book Description
The name of Albert Einstein has become synonymous with supreme wisdom and benignity. Not only was he responsible for the fundamental remapping of our understanding of the physical cosmos, he also left a legacy of outspokenness on the crucial moral, political, and religious issues of the twentieth century. Drawing on an unprecedented number of sources, Albrecht F|lsing throws into fresh relief the remarkable life of Einstein, approaching the man through the science and situating him in the creatively charged times in which he thrived. Albert Einstein is both an engaging portrait of a genius and a distillation of scientific thought. F|lsing sheds light on Einstein's development and the complexity of his being: his childhood idiosyncrasies, his views on war and peace, his stimulating friendships with colleagues, and his intense relationships with women. This is a serious yet highly readable and intimate account of the genius who expanded our understanding of nature and of the singular man who played such an exceptional role in the cultural growth of this century.


Language Notes
Text: English (translation)
Original Language: German

FROM THE PUBLISHER

The name of Albert Einstein has become synonymous with supreme wisdom and benignity. Not only was he responsible for the fundamental remapping of our understanding of the physical cosmos, he also left a legacy of outspokenness on the crucial, moral, political, and religious issues of the twentieth century. Drawing on an unprecedented amount of sources, Albrecht Folsing throws into fresh relief the remarkable life of Einstein, approaching the man through the science, and situating him in the creativity charged times in which he thrived.

FROM THE CRITICS

Zeitung Frankfurter Allgemeine