Rating: 4/5
Review:
A good basic introduction
Conversations With Einstein (a reissue of the 2008 Coffee With
Einstein) is rather a good potted biography. It is both a summary of
Einstein’s work and of some aspects of his personal life and
beliefs.
The book begins with
a brief introduction by the great Roger Penrose plus a few pages of
summary of Einstein’s life and influence, both of which are good.
Then there are sections based on Einstein’s publications and
public statements, structured as conversations with the Great Man
answering the interviewer’s questions. It’s a little stilted at
times, but it works pretty well; there is a decent stab at explaining
Einstein’s great discoveries in Relativity and Quantum Mechanics,
all without any maths. Because it’s so condensed, this section may
leave non-scientists struggling a bit and it may be as well to try
one of the excellent popular accounts of his work such as Marcus
Chown’s Quantum Theory Cannot Hurt You for better insight.
However, this does give a good feel for the extraordinary revolutions
for which Einstein was responsible.
I liked the sections
on how Einstein used to think about things, his politics and
religious views. These are again very brief, but probably give as
good an insight as some far longer accounts.
This isn’t
perfect, but it’s a good introduction to the man and his work.
(My thanks to
Watkins Publishing for an ARC via NetGalley.)
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