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Books Related to Einstein and his General Theory of Relativity

a book list by Peter, the avid reader who runs Flashlight Worthy

shelved under Miscellaneous

One of the great things about running Flashlight Worthy is how much different material you're exposed to... and how it all ties together — one night you're flipping through a book of short stories called The General Theory of Love and the next you're looking for ways to make a book list out of the 93rd anniversary of Einstein publishing his General Theory of Relativity. (You know, E=MC2.)

In honor of that serendipity I give this list of books on, about, or somehow related (sorry, I couldn't help myself) to Albert Einstein.

Einstein: His Life and Universe

Einstein: His Life and Universe

by Walter Isaacson

I thought it prudent to start this list off with an excellent general biography of the man himself. If you're not familiar with his work, the author, Walter Isaacson, is known for making the most complex tremendously accessible (which probably comes from all his years running Time Magazine and CNN).

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Ideas And Opinions

Ideas And Opinions

by Albert Einstein

Next, it seems to make sense to move to the words of the man himself. Now, don;t go thinking this book will be jammed with impossible mathematical formulae. This book covers Einstein's popular writings.

Yes, it includes his General Theory of Relativity but it also covers nuclear war, peace, religion, general science... as well as economics, human rights, our form of government... Einstein was no slouch. ;-)

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Einstein's Dreams

Einstein's Dreams

by Alan Lightman

Amanda from Jacksonville, FL says:

Einstein's Dreams was a fantastic little book, with images that still stick with me today. In some ways, it made the theory of relativity more real to me. It pointed out that some moments seem to stretch on forever while the ones you want to keep can be gone in a flash.

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Time and Again

Time and Again

by Jack Finney

This novel is a genre-bender (not gender-bender, genre-bender. It's a love story. And it's a mystery. And because it's based on time travel it's a bit of a light sci-fi story. And the entire time travel premise revolves around Einstein's General Theory or Relativity.

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A General Theory of Love

A General Theory of Love

by Richard Lannon, Fari Amini, Thomas Lewis

What could be more UNscientific than love? This aptly-named collection of short stories does an excellent job of showing how there's no right answer to a romantic equation.

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Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

Odd Boy Out: Young Albert Einstein

by Don Brown

Rachel Goldberg from Charlotte, NC says:

I bought this book for my son, a sweet, shy, bright five-year-old boy whose speech impediment and introverted nature often make him an "odd boy out."

Complemented by whimsical illustrations, this book shows how the world's most renowned scientist was a quiet, shy boy who was thought to be slow, disliked sports and militarism, and had intense tantrums. "Odd Boy Out" is both an informative introduction to Albert Einstein, as well as the perfect book to boost the confidence of a child who doesn't fit the mold of mainstream society.

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Relativity: The Special and the General Theory

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory

Nigel Calder, by Albert Einstein

So now we get the the Theory itself. I thought I'd list this volume so you could learn it in Einstein's own words. It's only 208 pages so it can't be that hard to understand, right?

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E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation

E=mc2: A Biography of the World's Most Famous Equation

Simon Singh, by David Bodanis

Alternatively, you can read this relatively short (~350 pages) "biography" of the equation itself. It's hard to imagine how a math equation could have a compelling story but by all accounts, this one does.

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NOVA: Einstein's Big Idea

NOVA: Einstein's Big Idea

Finally — and we don't do this often here at Flashlight Worthy — I include this DVD from NOVA, the excellent PBS science series. Quite simply, it's an excellent documentary that actually leaves you understanding Einstein's General Theory of Relativity.

Or, at least you think you do. For a little while. :-)

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