This compelling biography vividly brings to life one of the twentieth century’s towering intellectual figures. Combining a masterly grasp of Einstein’s scientific achievements with a lively account of his personal life, Neffe debunks the popular stereotypes, from the quintessential ‘absent-minded professor’ to the ‘super-human genius’. Drawing on newly unearthed documents, Neffe sheds fresh light on Einstein’s early life, his cultural tastes and his domestic affairs. The analysis of Einstein’s scientific theories is deftly woven together with an account of the tumultuous historical events that framed his life and thought, and the far-reaching impact of Einstein’s work is documented and explored. This exceptional biography reveals the humanity and compassion – as well as the failings and contradictions – that lay behind Einstein’s brilliantly creative scientific mind, giving a rounded picture of a much-mythologised and misunderstood man.

Jürgen Neffe is affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science