The Expanded Quotable Einstein

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: A very quick read and I read this book as fast as I could. It was hard to put down, as it was very enjoyable. There are quotes that I will use over and over again in my life, writing, and public speaking. You'll find yourself saying, Wow!, this is his best quote, only to be surprised again on the next page.

It showed the good and bad of Einstein (this was not a happily married man), and readers will probably get a better sense of the man than reading some sappy one-sided lovefest biography.

Rating:
Summary: Very enjoyable
Review: A very quick read and I read this book as fast as I could. It was hard to put down, as it was very enjoyable. There are quotes that I will use over and over again in my life, writing, and public speaking. You'll find yourself saying, Wow!, this is his best quote, only to be surprised again on the next page.

It showed the good and bad of Einstein (this was not a happily married man), and readers will probably get a better sense of the man than reading some sappy one-sided lovefest biography.

Rating:
Summary: One Incredible Man to Quote
Review: I absolutely love this book, and the myriad of areas Albert Einstein touches upon.
From deeply personal thoughts about himself, to humankind, science, music, life, war and peace, religion, God, and philosophy, Alice Calaprice did a fantastic job in collecting and compiling the moving and meaningful quotes in this book.
Here are three of my favorites:

On Pacifism: " No person has the right to call himself a Christian or Jew so long as he prepares to engage in systematic murder at the command of an authority, or allow himself to be used in any way in the service of war or the preparation for it."

On Success: "Try to become not a man of success, but try rather to become a man of value."

On His Family: (To Mileva, 10-3-1900 in a love letter) "I am so lucky to have found you - a creature who is my equal, and who is as strong and independent as I am."

Einstein's wisdom is timeless. Whether you want to just read his wisdom, or share it with others, this is one great compilation. Highly recommended! Barbara Rose, author of 'If God Was Like Man'

Rating:
Summary: Very handy, but some criticisms also...
Review: I was overjoyed when the first edition came out. Here in one small volume were many of Einstein's most famous lines. I was even happier when this expanded edition came out. I have used the book almost as an index to my collection of books about Einstein (and I have a dozen of them).

And then I noticed a problem. Calaprice took the liberty to edit Einstein's words. One example: in the first edition, in the chapter "On Religion, God, and Philosophy," Einstein is quoted as saying "I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of his children for their numerous stupidities, for which only he can be held responsible; in my opinion, only his nonexistence could excuse him." In the "expanded" edition, the word "only" was removed. Well, this changes the meaning a lot, given what we know about Einstein's denial of free will in man. Removing "only," Calaprice lightens God's guilt, as though suggesting there are other culprits, but in so doing she also distorts Einstein's meaning. I was startled enough by this that I went to the science library at the University of Toronto, and double-checked Einstein's words in the multivolume "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein." The word "only" appears in both the German original ("nur") and the English translation. So Calaprice did not simply correct a "mistake" in the first edition - there was no mistake, and she changed Einstein's words deliberately. Over and over Eisntein denied that human beings have free will, and so objectively there is no one to blame for our crimes but God - if, as Einstein said, He even existed.

Another problem is not really Calaprice's fault, and it appears in both editions. In his foreword Dyson claims Einstein had a "darker side" - especially with respect to his family. Well, I'm sorry, but Einstein never pretended he was a saint. He was in some ways only an ordinary human being with a very extraordinary brain. He was certainly no great father or husband. But Einstein never asked anyone to censor his biography for him, making him look better than he was. (Calaprice has joined the censors now, ironically.) If he cheated his wife, he did so virtually openly. So I think Dyson's point is really pointless. Besides, the term "darker side" misleads people into thinking that Einstein must have done some evil deeds which he tried to keep away from view. Newton's deceitful conduct in the priority dispute certainly suggests a nasty side to his personality. Nothing of the kind was ever in Einstein's character or conduct.

This book is very good as a general introduction to Einstein the man and even to his physics to a limited extent. But to call it a "concordance," as Calaprice does, is a doubtful notion (not to mention an egotistical one). For one thing, it is too short to be any such thing. For another, only an expert about Einstein AND his physics - like Abraham Pais, someone who was both technically competent and who actually knew Einstein - is qualified to compile a "concordance." This book is thus not the real thing - but surely a handy enough substitute. Its merits still far outweigh its imperfections.

p.s. When editing this review I wanted to raise my rating to five stars. Unfortunately, Amazon.com does not provide the option of changing ratings along with editing reviews.

Rating:
Summary: Very handy, but some criticisms also...
Review: I was overjoyed when the first edition came out. Here in one small volume were many of Einstein's most famous lines. I was even happier when this expanded edition came out. I have used the book almost as an index to my collection of books about Einstein (and I have a dozen of them).

And then I noticed a problem. Calaprice took the liberty to edit Einstein's words. One example: in the first edition, in the chapter "On Religion, God, and Philosophy," Einstein is quoted as saying "I see only with deep regret that God punishes so many of his children for their numerous stupidities, for which only he can be held responsible; in my opinion, only his nonexistence could excuse him." In the "expanded" edition, the word "only" was removed. Well, this changes the meaning a lot, given what we know about Einstein's denial of free will in man. Removing "only," Calaprice lightens God's guilt, as though suggesting there are other culprits, but in so doing she also distorts Einstein's meaning. I was startled enough by this that I went to the science library at the University of Toronto, and double-checked Einstein's words in the multivolume "Collected Papers of Albert Einstein." The word "only" appears in both the German original ("nur") and the English translation. So Calaprice did not simply correct a "mistake" in the first edition - there was no mistake, and she changed Einstein's words deliberately. Over and over Eisntein denied that human beings have free will, and so objectively there is no one to blame for our crimes but God - if, as Einstein said, He even existed.

Another problem is not really Calaprice's fault, and it appears in both editions. In his foreword Dyson claims Einstein had a "darker side" - especially with respect to his family. Well, I'm sorry, but Einstein never pretended he was a saint. He was in some ways only an ordinary human being with a very extraordinary brain. He was certainly no great father or husband. But Einstein never asked anyone to censor his biography for him, making him look better than he was. (Calaprice has joined the censors now, ironically.) If he cheated his wife, he did so virtually openly. So I think Dyson's point is really pointless. Besides, the term "darker side" misleads people into thinking that Einstein must have done some evil deeds which he tried to keep away from view. Newton's deceitful conduct in the priority dispute certainly suggests a nasty side to his personality. Nothing of the kind was ever in Einstein's character or conduct.

This book is very good as a general introduction to Einstein the man and even to his physics to a limited extent. But to call it a "concordance," as Calaprice does, is a doubtful notion (not to mention an egotistical one). For one thing, it is too short to be any such thing. For another, only an expert about Einstein AND his physics - like Abraham Pais, someone who was both technically competent and who actually knew Einstein - is qualified to compile a "concordance." This is a handy substitute all right, but it's not the real thing.

Rating:
Summary: Very Interesting - Pick it up
Review: If you're anything like me, you hate learning about a subject through a biased source. Be it the news, history, or a biography, when knowledge is passed on second hand, one is always left wondering what was lost in the translation, intentionally or otherwise.

This is why The Expanded Quotable Einstein is such a breath of fresh air; it allows one to learn about Einstein, his life, his thoughts, his character, in the purest way--through his own words. With over 400 pages of quotes, many of which are as poetically astute as you would expect from a top-notch professional writer, you can discover all there is to know, and draw your own conclusions, instead of being lead there on a leash by an author. Also, with factual information mixed in without the propaganda associated with a full-length biography, one can learn as many dates-names-places as one needs (unless you wish to write a complete fact-based synopsis of his life) and get to the heart of the matter: his spirit.

I feel that overall, this is the best way to present a historical figure, especially Einstein, whose thoughts and ideas need no embellishment, and for whom his own words serve as the best guide through his intricate mind.

One note: many people equate Einstein with E = MC^2, however do not be scared; this is a book of his quotes on everything, from politics to family to religion. No knowledge of mathematics or physics is required to enjoy the surprising insightful and well-rounded character that is Albert Einstein.