Einstein at Home

April 15, 2016

German historian Herneck (1909-93) (Einstein and His Worldview; Einstein and the Atom Bomb), as translated by Eisinger (dept. of structural & chemical biology, Mt. Sinai Sch. of Medicine; Einstein on the Road), provides an intimate view into the life of Albert Einstein (1879-1955). Many biographies of Einstein cover his schooling, marriage, and move to the United States. This text discusses these topics but also lists the man's preferred foods and other personal details that add humanity to a figure who is often elevated above the common individual. Some sections are written in an essay or lit-review format; others are transcriptions of interviews between Herneck and Herta Waldow (nee Schiefelbein), the Einsteins' live-in housekeeper. VERDICT This brief portrait of Einstein will appeal to readers who want a more rounded or three-dimensional view of a private person who led a public life, as well as to those who might not otherwise be interested in the more technical or scientific side of the physicist.--Dawn Lowe-Wincentsen, Oregon Inst. of Technology, Portland

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