Albert Einstein lived a life of soaring scientific creativity. He also witnessed, and responded to, some of the most searing developments of modern times: world wars, the rise of Nazism, and the nuclear age. This remarkable book traces how the efforts of Einstein’s life hung together. * David Kaiser, Germeshausen Professor of Physics and the History of Science, Massachusetts Institute of Technology *Written in lucid, accessible prose and resting on deep knowledge of the man and his multiple engagements, Free Creations of the Human Mind convincingly challenges received wisdom concerning his scientific creativity and ideas about relativity and quantum theory. It discerningly probes the impact of antisemitism on his attitudes towards Israel and civil rights, of war and the atomic bomb on his pacifism and support for an open world order. A wholly enthralling and informative book. * Daniel J. Kevles, Professor Emeritus of History, Yale University, and author of The Physicists: the History of A Scientific Community in Modern America *Someone might think there is nothing new to say about Einstein, but that is wrong. This short book is a treasure for both the Einstein beginner and the devoted scholar. The reader learns not only the basics of Einstein’s scientific worlds, centered on quantum and relativity theories, but also the contours of his worlds as German, Jew, Zionist, American, internationalist, public citizen, and celebrity icon. Writing in a highly engaging manner, Buchwald and Gordin also convincingly show the relevance of Einstein’s commitments for today’s science and politics. * Mary Jo Nye, Professor Emerita of History, Oregon State University *

Diana Kormos Buchwald is Robert M. Abbey Professor of History and General Editor and Director of The Einstein Papers Project at Caltech, where she shepherded ten volumes of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein and their English translations into print. She is a fellow of the AAAS and the American Physical Society, and member of the Académie Internationale d’Histoire des Sciences and the American Philosophical Society.

Michael D. Gordin is Rosengarten Professor of Modern and Contemporary History and Dean of the College at Princeton University. A specialist in the history of modern science, he has published books on nuclear weapons, Albert Einstein, and debates over pseudoscience. He has received fellowships from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the Guggenheim Foundation, and is a member of the Leopoldina, the National Academy of Sciences of Germany.