Book Overview

This book is part biographical account, part novel, and part popular science. The basic facts are historically true, but many episodes have additionally been dramatized with plausible content that brings the personal story to life in the style of a novel or movie script. This genre of a “dramatized biography" of scientists was first created by the author 45 years ago and became a great success selling over half a million copies in China, where it has been in particular demand for teaching.

Scientific Content and Approach

But this is not the whole story: In addition, the book explains, in a serious yet accessible manner, the basics of Einstein’s scientific work, especially its impact on contemporary cosmology, astronomy, and physics. As an experienced teacher of relativity and astronomy for high-school and university students, the author knows how to make profound scientific subjects accessible, and his presentation is as fascinating as a detective story. Readers will learn not only about the historical setting but also about the challenges and frustrations faced by Einstein, about his breakthroughs and triumphs, as well as the far-reaching significance of his theory of relativity, quantum mechanics, and other scientific achievements. The reader will come to understand why, of all the billions of people living in the twentieth century, Albert Einstein was singled out as the “Person of the Century.”