Einstein's War

How Relativity Conquered Nationalism and Shook the World

By: Matthew Stanley

Narrated by: Matthew Stanley

Length: 12 hrs and 3 mins

Publisher's summary

Penguin presents the audiobook edition of Einstein's War, by Matthew Stanley.

In 1916, Arthur Eddington, a war-weary British astronomer, opened a letter written by an obscure German professor named Einstein.

The neatly printed equations on the scrap of paper outlined his world-changing theory of general relativity. Until then Einstein's masterpiece of time and space had been trapped behind the physical and ideological lines of battle, unknown.

Eddington realised the importance of the letter - perhaps Einstein's esoteric theory could not only change the future of science but also restore the world of cooperative international science in a time of brutal war.

This was the moment that relativity emerged from the trenches before it was known around the world. Einstein's name is now synonymous with 'genius', but it was not an easy road. He spent a decade creating relativity, and his ascent to international celebrity, which saw him on the front of papers around the world in 1919, also owed much to Eddington - whom he met only after the war - and to international collaboration.

We usually think of scientific discovery as a flash of individual inspiration, whereas here we see it is the result of hard work, gambles and wrong turns and all the while subject to the petty concerns of nations, religions and individuals.

Einstein's War teaches us about science through history, and the physics is more accessible as a result - we see relativity built brick by brick in front of us, as it happened, 100 years ago.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying PDF will be available in your Audible Library along with the audio.

©2019 Matthew Stanley (P)2019 Penguin Audio

Troublesome, but I loved it

So, the main thing here is the narration. Really, authors should NOT narrate their own material. The narration was initially so jarring that I almost had to stop. However, the narrative is well worth persisting with, and provides insights into the scientific process that I can really identify with. While my understanding of Einstein's position has improved as a result of this book, I don't think that's really the point. Rather--for me--what I appreciated is the detailed description of how Einstein's personal circumstances and global geopolitics had a profound impact on his work. And, to be frank, the quirky narration grew on me, so perhaps I can forgive Stanley for narrating his own work.