annieb123's Review of Einstein on the Run

by Andrew Robinson

A "highly readable" (Wall Street Journal) account of the role Britain played in Einstein's life-first by inspiring his teenage passion for physics, then by providing refuge from the Nazis

"A vivid look at how the U.K. affected the German-born physicist's life and thinking." -Publishers Weekly

"Robinson has that rare knack for presenting a near-encyclopedic volume of historical information, anecdotes and contemporaneous accounts in a thoroughly delightful fashion."-Ian Randall, Physics World

In autumn 1933, Albert Einstein found himself living alone in an isolated holiday hut in rural England. There, he toiled peacefully at mathematics while occasionally stepping out for walks or to play his violin. But how had Einstein come to abandon his Berlin home and go '"on the run"?

In this lively account, Andrew Robinson tells the story of the world's greatest scientist and Britain for the first time, showing why Britain was the perfect refuge for Einstein from rumored assassination by Nazi agents. Young Einstein's passion for British physics, epitomized by Newton, had sparked his scientific development around 1900. British astronomers had confirmed his general theory of relativity, making him internationally famous in 1919. Welcomed by the British people, who helped him campaign against Nazi anti-Semitism, he even intended to become a British citizen. So why did Einstein then leave Britain, never to return to Europe?

Originally published on my blog Nonstop Reader.

Einstein on the Run is a period focused biography about Einstein and how the British government interceded on his behalf and shielded him for a short period in 1933 in a remote part of England as well as his near-lifetime collaboration and friendship with other scientists and philosophers living in the UK. Released 8th Oct 2019 by Yale University Press, it's 376 pages and available in hardcover, audio, and ebook formats.

There have been so many biographies of Einstein and his life is so well documented that I didn't expect this biography to bring much more to the table than previous offerings. I was wrong. This is a meticulously detailed and respectfully rendered biography from which I gleaned quite a lot of new information. There are so many new (to me) photographs, excerpts from letters and interviews, contemporaneous comments from the media and colleagues that combined to give this biography a richness and accessibility showing him more as a human being and less as the iconic remote titan of physics which he also was.

The author, Andrew Robinson, is an experienced biographer and science writer (with several previous biographies including at least one other Einstein bio). The book definitely could've been very dry and academic, indeed the constraints of rigidity and proof inherent in biography writing might well trend toward the dry and factual recitation of dates and statistics, but the narrative here is warm and human, and engaging. The book has extensive footnotes, annotations, and references, but they don't overshadow the text. The book also includes an extensive bibliography and cross-referenced index for further reading.

Five stars. I really enjoyed this one. This would be a superlative selection for fans of science, Einstein, biography, 20th century cultural icons, etc.

Disclosure: I received an ARC at no cost from the author/publisher for review purposes.

Einstein on the Run

by Andrew Robinson

Reviewed by annieb123 on Nov 16, 2019

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