'Einstein: His Life and Universe" by Walter Isaacson, published by Simon & Schuster, New York, 2008. First Edition, First Printing with digit '1' present in the digit line on the copyright page.

Dust jacket with un-clipped original price on the front flap, paper-covered hard boards; maroon color cloth spine with gold lettering on it; 6.1/2" x 9.1/2"; illustrated endpapers, xxii + 680 pages including Index; illustrated with monochrome photographs; bumped boards and upper corners of the pages, very good condition.

In preparation for the work on Einstein, the author delved into volumes of previously examined writings to and from the physicist. Isaacson additionally collaborated with scientists Murray Gell-Mann, Brian Greene, and Lawrence Krauss to gain knowledge about the underlying background.

Isaacson's biographical analysis of Einstein's life reflects the nature of personal achievement in terms of the importance of inquisitiveness and the willingness to experiment. The physicist's theory of general relativity receives particular emphasis. Broadly speaking, Einstein is viewed as a kind of inherent rebel.

The author describes Einstein's insolent streak and how the sometimes abrasive nature around it cost Einstein much in the short term, though larger society benefited dramatically in the long run. After going through his studies in physics with "a sassy attitude" at the Zurich Polytechnic, Einstein wound up being the only graduate of his year's class not to be offered a job. The author notes Einstein's subsequent trek throughout Europe in search of work and its failure. "I will soon have graced every physicist from the North Sea to the southern tip of Italy with my offer," Einstein is quoted as writing. Rejected by the Swiss army for his misshapen feet and varicose veins, Isaacson details, Einstein finally managed to start a career at the Swiss patent office. Despite the mediocre posting, his independent research into his intellectual passions proved highly influential as Isaacson describes.

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