Einstein: His Life and Universe - Walter Isaacson

Advantages: Urban legends are sometimes true
Disadvantages: It must have been a fantstic magazine article

...We live in a sci-fi world where you can be famous for owning a nightclub or being married to a dipsomaniac former footballer. Fame has been so devalued that it's almost impossible to imagine what first defined the term celebrity. In 1879, a man was born in Germany who at the age of 26 would achieve international fame by dint of his intellectual superiority and a formula that he developed while working as a patent clerk. The formula postulated that all matter contained energy; that energy could neither be created nor destroyed and that the amount of energy in the universe was proportional to the speed of light… squared. The man was Albert Einstein and for a period of time in the first half of the last century he was the most famous man alive. Einstein toured the world on the back of an equation that maybe 12 other people could understand... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average very helpful

Advantages: Brilliantly presented, written and easy to understand
Disadvantages: Didn't include his work other than Astrophysics

...Everything we know about modern day astrophysics is based on this magnificient man. This book provides an insight into the man himself, and more importantly, his work. His work included the most difficult concept on the planet - special/general relativity. After reading this book you'll really understand what it's all about. His personal life is given a quick run down too, and how WW2 affected science at the time. Also, his later life troubles are explained and how he died before he could find the ultimate theory of the universe. It's very exciting science!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average off topic

Advantages: Wonderfully informative and witty!
Disadvantages: Quite long, so you'll have to make several cups of tea to keep you going.

...Bill Bryson, always one for looking at the world in a wonderfully logical way. And this book is no exception. His thoughts are easily placed out, introducing the great brains of our time in such a way that we feel that we actually know them. Or, atleast, that he did. Einstein, he was a great friend of mine! Helping to unravel the secrets of the universe, and making us ponder about things we have never even thought of before, this book opens your eyes to the magic of his writing, and the world that we live in. Recommended to any keen scientist, and the curious at heart, easily one of the best and informative reads that I have had in a long time by far!... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average somewhat helpful