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Abraham Pais
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Subtle Is the Lord: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein

by Abraham Pais (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 114 ratings
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2005 has been designated "World Year of Physics" to celebrate the publication of Einstein's Theory of Relativity one hundred years ago. In commemoration of this landmark anniversary, Oxford University Press brings Abraham Pais' major work on Einstein's life and work to a whole new generation of readers.
Since the death of Albert Einstein in 1955 there have been many books and articles written about the man and a number of attempts to "explain" relativity. Throughout the preparation of this book, Pais has had complete access to the Einstein Archives and the invaluable guidance of the late Helen Dukas--formerly Einstein's private secretary
Written with Pais' intimate and incomparable knowledge of Einstein, Subtle is the Lord will delight and inspire anyone fascinated by the man whose revolutionary ideas have defined modern physics.
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  1. ISBN-10
    9780192806727
  2. ISBN-13
    978-0192806727
  3. Publisher
    Oxford University Press
  4. Publication date
    November 3, 2005
  5. Language
    English
  6. Dimensions
    9.26 x 1.18 x 6.32 inches
  7. Print length
    584 pages
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

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Review from previous edition `A really superb biography of Einstein and all his work. Here, surely, is the biography that Einstein would have wanted. .' Roger Penrose, Times Higher Education Supplement`The definitive life of Einstein.' Brian Pippard, Times Literary Supplement`A coherent account of almost everything of scientific significance that Einstein did...Unique and indispensable.' Science`By far the most important study of both the man and the scientist.' Paul Davies, New Scientist`An outstanding biography of Albert Einstein that one finds oneself reading with sheer pleasure.' Physics Today`A sympathetic but clear-eyed view of his life and work...examined mainly in his own plentiful papers, supplemented by a remarkably wide list of unusual sources...a fine book.' Scientific Amrican`'the best biography of Einstein'' Jim Holt, Wall Street Journal

Book Description

An inspiring study of the life and work of Albert Einstein

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 0192806726
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Oxford University Press (November 3, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Paperback ‏ : ‎ 584 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9780192806727
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0192806727
  • Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 1280L
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 1.85 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.26 x 1.18 x 6.32 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 114 ratings

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Abraham Pais

Abraham Pais

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4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
114 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Best Bio of Professor Einstein
Reviewed in the United States on September 14, 2013
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I have read now five biographies of this remarkable person and for me the work of Abraham Pais is the best. Several reasons for this: He actually knew Einstein (and Bohr) which gives his subjective musings much more meaning. The historical accounting of the emergence of Einstein's 1905 and 1915 papers on the special and general relativity theories is fascinating and as thorough I think as an historical accounting can be. The sequencing of theory, experiment and the people who did the work leading to the quantum theory and later quantum mechanics is eye opening and quite human in its descriptions. And finally of course is the math - the equations - with which I am not competent, but Pais describes them and develops them again in a historical context and attempts to explain at least some of the variables involved, and their relations, in a text that is at least sometimes accessible to me. At least he tries! This book is not just a remarkable biography of a genius but also a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening explanation of 19th/20th century physics and how we arrived to where we are today.
8 people found this helpful
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Allan Fromm
5.0 out of 5 stars A spellbinding book and the finest writing of any biography or other non-fiction book I ...
Reviewed in the United States on September 13, 2016
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A spellbinding book and the finest writing of any biography or other non-fiction book I have ever read. The very best of the best and should be required reading for any college student studying literature or science. Pais was a brilliant physicist who worked at the Institute of Advanced Studies at Princeton where he met Einstein. Over his lifetime Pais knew at least 20 of the most famous physicists of the late 19th and 20th centuries. It is a blessing for all of us that he chose to write biographies of several of these men. For me the most interesting aspect of this book is his description of the interactions of Einstein with the other renowned physicists of Einstein's time including Lorenz, Planck, Poincare, Bohr, etc. If you are really interested in science and have taken a course or two in calculus you will be able to follow the math rather well.
12 people found this helpful
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John
5.0 out of 5 stars The scientific biography of Albert Einstein, by one who knew him.
Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2019
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This is the definitive scientific biography of Einstein, written by a distinguished theoretical physicist who met Einstein towards the end of his life. Einstein's (very) human biographical story can be read independently of the scientific sections, but it is worth trying to follow the details as the two strands are interwoven in the subject's life. You may wish to compare Pais' work with other biographies, such as that by Walter Isaacson or Banesh Hoffmann or Ronald Clark, which tend to emphasize the human aspects more. This work is extensively referenced, and the interactive Kindle edition is well constructed. The illustrations include many lesser-known episodes in Einstein's life.
One person found this helpful
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Metallurgist
4.0 out of 5 stars A good scientific biography
Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2009
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This is a scientific biography written by a physicist and friend of Einstein's. Only about 20% of the book is non-technical biography, the rest being a very technical discussion of Einstein's physics, the prior work that influenced it, and its impact. Being a friend of Einstein's, the author puts him in the best possible light. For instance, missing is any reference to the daughter he fathered with his first wife Mileva before they were married, the reasons for their divorce, the events surrounding his relationship with his second wife, etc. (To be fair, before the unsealing of many of Einstein's personal papers, the existence of this daughter was a well-kept secret; one almost definitely unknown to the author of this book.) Of more concern is a lack of very much discussion of most of his non-physics related interactions, so if you want the personal Einstein there are better, more modern, books. However, if you want to know more about Einstein's physics, its development and its impact, then this book is a very good choice, providing that you have the necessary background. The book contains a very extensive timeline of Einstein's life, especially of the events that had a bearing on his technical work. This timeline should be a great reference for Einstein's life as most of the events are referenced to specific days, not just to the year of its occurrence.

As noted the author is a physicist and the book is written from that perspective. He goes into Einstein's physics in considerable detail so a physics background is necessary to get the most from this book. For the most part, there is no attempt to provide the necessary scientific background for these discussions, so if you are completely ignorant of thermodynamics, statistical mechanics or theoretical physics in general, you will likely find yourself having to skip over large portions of the text. There are a lot of sentences that contain "it is well known from ...that ...", so if this is not well known to you, you may have to skip over that portion of the text, and perhaps the rest of the chapter. There is also a lot of mathematical notation that is not explained or developed, so you may be lost if you are unfamiliar with it. However, the book is very good for those with the necessary background because it describes how Einstein developed his physics and what influenced this development.

I recommend this book for people with some background in physics; the more the better. This might be a five star book for a theoretical physicist, but only a one or two star book for someone with little or none of the necessary background. On average, I rated it as a four star book because, while I do not have all of the necessary background, I had enough to follow the discussion. I am also very interested in the development of Einstein's ideas, so this book was a natural for me. I only wish that I had a better background, because then, for me, it might have been a five star book, so please consider this rating from that perspective.
28 people found this helpful
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Kathleen O’Hara
5.0 out of 5 stars Scientific biography
Reviewed in the United States on November 25, 2022
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The important word here is "scientific" biography. If you don't have advanced math and physics this book is not for you. Otherwise a great book.
4 people found this helpful
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John H
3.0 out of 5 stars Does give some insight into just how brilliant Dr. Einstein was
Reviewed in the United States on May 29, 2015
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Does give some insight into just how brilliant Dr. Einstein was. However, it is written for a target audience mathematically and knowledgeable of nuclear physics far above the typical reader. I do have a background that helped, but still I was lost and just ended up skimming much of the technical explanations of development leading to 20 century knowledge of physics. For me the book missed its mark to tell the story of Einstein's personality and life.
6 people found this helpful
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bowonwing
5.0 out of 5 stars Tough read but enlightening about Einstein and the physics of Relativity
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2013
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Reviewers have said it re: this book, it is a great read about Einstein, Relativity and the development of theoretical physics. In this book Pais offers a unique perspective; he worked with Einstein and he knows his physics. If you are interested in these subjects buy this book and read it.

My comment is that you really need and Encyclopedia of Physics to try to understand the physics terminology in this book- which should have been included in a page or two containing the nomenclature, but is not.

Best suggestion is "The Encyclopedia of Physics" 3rd edition- Besancon editor, Van Nostrand Reinhold Company, in one volume, has a section "Symbols, Units, and Nomenclature in Physics," pages 1199 to 1209, which is very helpful.
4 people found this helpful
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Kajda
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Biography
Reviewed in Germany on August 4, 2023
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I like the book, because it gives an excellent historical view on Einstein's scientific work and its evolution. In this respect it is outstanding compared to the bulk of Einstein biographies.
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Buckley
5.0 out of 5 stars Très satisfait
Reviewed in France on May 23, 2022
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Très satisfait. Livraison parfaite, colis parfait.
Le produit est parfaitement conforme à la description et a été livré dans les délais.
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Raj Rai
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 19, 2020
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Arrived three days before delivery date and condition was as described. Satisfied.

Started to read the book. So far excellent - not only about Einstein but all scientific activities happening at that time which have been beautifully knitted together, you feel as if you are actually there - and will update further once finished all pages. Please note one needs to be Maths and Physics literate in order to grasp all notations.
One person found this helpful
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s.jagathsimhan
5.0 out of 5 stars ... you get an insight into the minds of its great leaders who contributed so much
Reviewed in India on August 15, 2017
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The study of science is never complete unless you get an insight into the minds of its great leaders who contributed so much. This book provides it in respect of the chief actors who revolutionized science in the 19th and 20th cys. What more can be asked for than to get to know how the mind of Einstein, undoubtedly the greatest of them all who outdistanced all by not merely miles but light years, worked and what all went behind some of science's momentous developments.
One person found this helpful
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Rob
4.0 out of 5 stars Best book on Einstein if you want a deep-dive on the science
Reviewed in Australia on June 30, 2022
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I bought this book because I wanted to better understand how Einstein developed his theory of general relativity. It exceeded my expectations. I’ve read a lot of popular science books that explain relativity at a high level and talk about Einstein’s contributions, but this book goes way deeper and covers a lot more ground. It is quite scholarly in style and has lots of equations (there will be some sections you might want to skip over). It doesn’t cover as much as Einsteins personal life as other books, but if you want to understand the science and why Einstein truly was a genius, this is THE book to get. I only take off a star because in some sections it is almost too thorough and highly technical, which makes it harder work to persist. But if you do persist, it is worth it.
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