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rhuFinished Walter Isaacson's biography of Albert Einstein . While it's thorough and well-written, it's not as good as his outstanding biography of Benjamin Franklin. I had two problems with it: first, certain anecdotes or pithy quotes were repeated in more than one place, without even a nod to the reader that one might remember this from 100 pages ago. As Einstein is quoted as saying in the book, "A good joke should not be repeated too often."
Second (and this is a problem that most readers might not share) I found myself frustrated by the physics sections of the book, because I already know the physics. Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe was much more engaging when covering physics that I already understand. Isaacson is great at writing history of science, but as a science writer he lacks a certain spark.
Despite these shortcomings, I enjoyed this book greatly and learned a lot about the social context in which Einstein developed his physics. Highly recommended.
Second (and this is a problem that most readers might not share) I found myself frustrated by the physics sections of the book, because I already know the physics. Brian Greene's The Elegant Universe was much more engaging when covering physics that I already understand. Isaacson is great at writing history of science, but as a science writer he lacks a certain spark.
Despite these shortcomings, I enjoyed this book greatly and learned a lot about the social context in which Einstein developed his physics. Highly recommended.