ALBERT EINSTEIN: PHYSICIST, PHILOSOPHER, HUMANITARIAN

In 24 half-hour lectures, Professor Howard details Einstein's long, eventful, multifaceted life and explains at length his scientific, social, political, philosophical, and theological ideas. All of these he puts in the contexts of their precedents, their times, and their legacy. He speaks in a conversational style that's easy to listen to and understand—until, that is, he discusses the physics. A listener with more of a scientific background than this reviewer might better comprehend these complexities, but it's likely that no lecturer could make this heady stuff any clearer to a lay person. Howard clearly regards his subject as a hero; nonetheless, he doesn't ignore Einstein's peccadilloes, though he is perhaps more forgiving than some other commentators. He even blames Einstein's cruelty to his first wife on Spinoza! Y.R. © AudioFile 2009, Portland, Maine [Published: MARCH 2009]