Einstein - Life&Times Author:Peter D. Smith In 1905, Albert Einstein virtually re–wrote the textbooks of science; since then, physics has been little more than a series of footnotes to the theories of a 26–year–old patent office clerk. This biography vividly portrays a rebellious and contradictory figure, who helped build the atom bomb but was horrified by the forces he had unleashe... more »d. Peter D. Smith writes: “With his wild hair and soulful eyes, Einstein became a 20th–century magician in the popular imagination. Like Marilyn Monroe or Che Guevara, Einstein has become an icon of the 20th century, his name synonymous with genius.” Peter D. Smith writes for The Guardian and The Times Literary Supplement; he is the author of Metaphor and Materiality: German Literature and the World–View of Science.« less