The Einstein Scrapbook

In a world where the biggest celebrities are in entertainment and sports, it is hard to believe that one of the most dominant celebrities in the early part of the twentieth century was a scientist, Albert Einstein. When you also consider that almost no one understood his revolutionary physical theories, it is even harder to understand why he was such a media phenomenon. Nevertheless, he was the equivalent of a rock star and many of the candid and public photos of Einstein appear in this book. Letters to his first wife and children, letters to fellow physicists and some to politicians are also included. What may be the most famous letter of the century is the one that Einstein sent to President Franklin Roosevelt where he urged the president to engage in the research project that led to the development of the atomic bomb. A man of arrogance in physics yet having great personal humility, Einstein always stated that he wished he could have taken the letter back. Outside of politics and war, there is no greater hero of the twentieth century than Albert Einstein. There are many myths and half-truths about his life and in this book you can see literal and figurative snapshots of the life of one of the greatest people of all time.

I picked up "The Einstein Scrapbook" by Ze'Ev Rosenkranz because I was curious about Albert Einstein the person, not Dr. Einstein the scientist. I found what I was looking for.With everything from early photos and report cards (much better grades than what I heard) to copies of letters he exchanged with children, I found this to be an illuminating and sometimes even humorous outline of Mr. Einstein's life.Presented here is a chronology of significant and lesser known events, It is not a biography, per se, but has in it enough to provide me, a casual and intrigued reader, all I want to know. Whether it is his time at CalTech or his 1938 "Colliers" article, "Why Do They Hate the Jews?" we see a candid look at one of the academic stars and great personalities of the Twentieth Century.I fully recommend "The Einstein Scrapbook" by Ze'Ev Rosenkranz.Anthony Trendl