"Einstein was an outstanding physicist but also a fanatical musician. The book summarises his most important work in physics in non-technical language without equations, except E = mc^2. It traces his life through his formative years in Germany, his flight to Italy and then education in Switzerland. His rise to eminence through the four papers written in 1905 and his struggle to solve the problem of gravity which resulted in general relativity is described. The eclipse observations in 1919 propelled him to world fame. The role that music played in his private life is chronicled throughout, as are his two marriages, his relationship with his children, and with the many women in his life. The newly discovered renewal of his affair with his first love and its tragic termination, together with his separation from his two sons affected Einstein deeply, causing him to hide his emotions and cultivate an indifference to private relationships. Einsteins relationship with his many devoted friends was often reserved.

His unsuccessful search for a unified theory of gravity and electromagnetism dominated the latter part of his life but he was also a public figure whose views on nuclear proliferation, pacifism and world government made newspaper headlines. He died while fighting for common sense in the control of nuclear weapons that was ahead of its time. The modern world is full of devices based on his science. His legacy dominates our perceptions of how to approach understanding the mechanisms that govern how the universe has evolved"-- Provided by publisher.