Einstein: The Life of a Genius Hardcover – October 7, 2014 by Walter Isaacson (Carlton Books)

Having already written a fine biography of Einstein, Walter Isaacson had no need to write another. Of course, this very short work really cannot pass for a biography. It is more of an outline or "Entwurf". The only attraction is the collection of historical photographs of Einstein and his contemporaries and the reproductions of significant documents such as some of Einstein's manuscripts and correspondence. Otherwise, the content is thin and innocuous. In fact, it reads like it was written for a child. And it contains many puerile errors. Isaacson writes that Einstein received his Ph.D. from the Zurich Polytechnic, which did not award Ph.D.'s at the time, instead of the University of Zurich, where he was awarded the degree in 1905 (Isaacson says 1907). The author confuses "privatdozent" (unpaid lecturer) with "tenured professor" and he has Einstein moving to Zurich to take a position at the University of Bern. More fundamentally, Isaacson foolishly insists that the purpose of the unified field theory was to resolve the uncertainties in quantum mechanics when, instead, it was supposed to unify gravity with electromagnetism, the only forces well understood at the time. Isaacson should have reread his earlier work or at least employed a competent editor.

The charming photographs are spoiled by the sloppy, garish presentation that gives the book the appearance of a cheap tabloid. This is a disgraceful offense on the centenary of the publication of the field equations of general relativity.