Dear Professor Einstein: Albert Einstein's Letters to and from Children

by Albert Einstein, Alice Calaprice (Editor), Robert Schulmann

This enchanting book displays a small sampling of the amusing, touching, and sometimes precocious letters sent to Albert Einstein by children from around around the world, and his often witty and very considerate responses. Illustrations.

Genres: Nonfiction, Science, Biography, History, Biography Memoir, Education, History Of Science

200 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Special and general theories of relativity of German-born American theoretical physicist Albert Einstein revolutionized modern thought on the nature of space and time and formed a base for the exploitation of atomic energy; he won a Nobel Prize of 1921 for his explanation of the photoelectric effect.

His paper of 1905 formed the basis of electronics. His first paper, also published in 1905, changed the world.
He completed his Philosophiae Doctor at the University of Zurich before 1909.

Einstein, a pacifist during World War I, stayed a firm proponent of social justice and responsibility.

Einstein thought that Newtonion mechanics no longer enough reconciled the laws of classical mechanics with those of the electromagnetic field. This thought led to the development. He recognized, however, that he ably also extended the principle to gravitational fields and with his subsequent theory of gravitation in 1916 published a paper. He continued to deal with problems of statistical mechanics and quantum theory, which led to his explanations of particle theory and the motion of molecules. He also investigated the thermal properties of light, which laid the foundation of the photon.

Best known for his mass–energy equivalence formula E = mc2, dubbed "the world's most famous equation," he received "for his services to theoretical physics, and especially for his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect". The latter was pivotal in establishing quantum theory.

He visited the United States when Adolf Hitler came to power in 1933 and went not back to Germany. On the eve of World War II, he endorsed a letter, alerting Franklin Delano Roosevelt, president, to the potential development of "extremely powerful bombs of a new type" and recommending that the United States begin similar research. This recommendation eventually led to the Manhattan project. Einstein supported defending the Allied forces but largely denounced the idea of using the newly discovered nuclear fission as a weapon. Later, with Bertrand Russell–Einstein manifesto highlighted the danger of nuclear weapons.

After the rise of the Nazi party, Einstein made Princeton his permanent home as a citizen of United States in 1940. He chaired the emergency committee of atomic scientists, which organized to alert the public to the dangers of warfare.

At a symposium, he advised:

"In their struggle for the ethical good, teachers of religion must have the stature to give up the doctrine of a personal God, that is, give up that source of fear and hope which in the past placed such vast power in the hands of priests. In their labors they will have to avail themselves of those forces which are capable of cultivating the Good, the True, and the Beautiful in humanity itself. This is, to be sure a more difficult but an incomparably more worthy task... "

("Science, Philosophy and Religion, A Symposium," published by the Conference on Science, Philosophy and Religion in their Relation to the Democratic Way of Life, Inc., New York, 1941).

In a letter to philosopher Eric Gutkind, dated 3 January 1954, Einstein stated:

"The word god is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable, but still primitive legends which are nevertheless pretty childish. No interpretation no matter how subtle can (for me) change this."

(The Guardian, "Childish superstition: Einstein's letter makes view of religion relatively clear," by James Randerson, May 13, 2008)

Great intellectual achievements and originality made the word "Einstein" synonymous with genius.

The institute for advanced study in Princeton, New Jersey, affiliated Einstein until his death in 1955.

More: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albert_E...

http://www.nobelprize.org/nobe

Reviews

[Sandra Deaconu · Rating 1 out of 5]

 
În prima parte a cărții aflăm câteva informații despre Einstein, nu mai multe decât am putea afla dintr-un simplu articol de pe Wikipedia; ca să nu mai spun că majoritatea sunt despre studiile lui și titluri de lucrări, iar eu aș fi vrut mai multe detalii despre cauzele umanitare pentru care a luptat, despre actele de caritate și tot ce a făcut, încât i s-a propus să fie președintele Israelului. Problema foarte gravă e că aceste informații se repetă, unele și de trei ori. Să mergem la pagina 22!

,,1900. Absolvă Institutul Politehnic. Îi spune mamei că vrea să se însoare cu o colegă de facultate, Mileva Marić, însă mama lui este împotrivă. Îi este greu să-și găsească un post, dar trimite o primă lucrare științifică revistei germane de fizică Annalen der Physik."

Ca să vă intre bine în cap, mergeți la pagina 47!

,,În 1900, după absolvire, i-a fost imposibil să-și găsească un post în învățământ." 

În caz că ați suferit vreo pierdere de memorie în ultimele minute, mai aveți o șansă la pagina 79.

,,În 1900, la vârsta de 21 de ani, Albert își terminase studiile, dar avea dificultăți să-și găsească un loc de muncă."

În a doua parte, găsim scrisori trimise de copii, în care scriau tot felul de tâmpenii. Un fel de ,,Copiii spun lucruri trăsnite", cu Virgil Ianțu, doar că aici nici măcar nu au fost chestii simpatice. Ba unii copii mi s-au părut chiar nesuferiți, în cel mai bun caz. Probabil semănau cu părinții lor, care i-au lăsat să agaseze un om ca Einstein, de parcă ar fi fost Moș Crăciun. Echivalentul părinților de azi, care lasă copiii cu încălțămintea plină de mizerie să se urce în cărucioarele pentru cumpărături, unde alții pun mâncarea pe care o bagă în frigider. Toată lumea trebuie să suporte ce fac ai lor copii pentru că, awww, sunt copii! Pf! Scrisorile trimise de Einstein sunt foarte puține, max..10, și, culmea, majoritatea nu sunt însoțite de cele primite, așa că trebuie să ghicim la ce a răspuns.

,,Dragă domnule Einstein,

Sunt o fetiță de șase ani.
V-am văzut fotografia într-un ziar. Cred că trebuie să vă tundeți, ca să arătați mai bine.''

Nu îmi aduc aminte să mai fi simțit foamea unui autor într-o asemenea măsură. Și lenea! Câtă lipsă de documentare și disperare de a umple paginile! 

[Mary Goth · Rating 3 out of 5]

من ترجمه فارسی این کتاب رو خوندم اما متاسفانه توی گودریدز نبود که ادد کنم.

بخش بیوگرافی کتاب خوب بود. ( یکی دوجا فقط تکراری می‌شد) و نامه‌ها شیرین و قشنگ بودن...
اما برای کتاب بودن ناقصه. بیشتر می‌تونست توی یک مجله یا مقاله بصورت دو سه قسمتی چاپ بشه.

اما اگر کسی شیفته‌ی تاریخ علم، بالخص فیزیکه، و یا از خود انیشتین خوشش میاد براش هنوزم می‌تونه صاحب جذابیت باشه. در غیر اینصورت به عموم مردم توصیه نمی‌کنم.

[أنس · Rating 4 out of 5]

A really nice book. A good introduction I think to the man himself for those, like me, who aren't really familiar with the course of his life.

The children's letters section is adorable, amusing and inspiring.

For me the most touching letters were his responses to questions on scientists & prayer, his correspondence with the girl Tyfanny, the way he simply explained the concept of what an animal is.


One Prayer:

"January 24, 1936

Dear Phyllis,

I will attempt to reply to your question as simply as I can. Here is my answer:

Scientists believe that every occurrence, including the affairs of human beings, is due to the laws of nature. Therefore a scientist cannot be inclined to believe that the course of events can be influenced by prayer, that is, by a supernaturally manifested wish.

However, we must concede that our actual knowledge of these forces is imperfect, so that in the end the belief in the existence of a final, ultimate spirit rests on a kind of faith. Such belief remains widespread even with the current achievements in science.

But also, everyone who is seriously involved in the pursuit of science becomes convinced that some spirit is manifest in the laws of the universe, one that is vastly superior to that of man. In this way the pursuit of science leads to a religious feeling of a special sort, which is surely quite different from the religiosity of someone more naive.

With cordial greetings,

your A. Einstein
"


He's a witty man as evident from this letter to a girl who told him she loved science but dreaded mathematics

'Dear Barbara:

I was very pleased with your kind letter. Until now I never dreamed to be something like a hero. But since you have given me the nomination, I feel that I am one. It's like a man must feel who has been elected by the people as President of the United States.

Do not worry about your difficulties in mathematics; I can assure you that mine are still greater.'

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyed it much! Quick and easy read. That Einstein is a lovable fellow.

"Elsa tells me that you are unhappy because you didn't get to see your Uncle Einstein. Therefore I will tell you what I look like: pale face, long hair, and a modest paunch. In addition an awkward gait, a cigar - if I happen to have one - in the mouth, and a pen in the pocket or hand. But this uncle doesn't have bowed legs or warts, and is therefore quite handsome; and neither does he have hair on his hands, as ugly men often do. So indeed it is a pity that you didn't get to see me.

With warm greetings from
your Uncle Einstein" (113)

[Eileen Delaney · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick read with some interersting facts about Einstein. The actually letters are cute but nothing particularly insightful. Worth a flip through.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

cool to know this happened

[Dianna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Wish there had been more letters FROM Einstein instead of so many from the children. Still, an interesting read.

[Donald Grant · Rating 1 out of 5]

It is common in marketing, or at least in marketing surveys, to ask if a product or service exceeded expectations. This means the product or service went above and beyond what the customer was anticipating. When you get the service you expect that just means the company is doing okay but is not outstanding. When you get less than you expect you complain or at least do not return to that company. This book is one that I should return.

Promoted as letters from children to Einstein and his responses gets it only half right. There are letters from children, but only thirteen responses. Some of the responses do not have a letter, but at least one can guess the content.

The first one hundred ten pages of two hundred thirty two, consists of a quick biography and photos of Einstein’s life. Subtracting the afterword, suggested further reading, and index, the book has one hundred pages of letters. Even scarier is the suggested retail price is $25.99. at least Amazon sells it for $19.37. A better price would be $9.67, half of Amazon’s price, fitting for the half of the book that is actually correspondence.

I have two heroes in my life, Mickey Mouse and Albert Einstein. Mickey reminds me to not take things to seriously and Albert reminds me to question everything. With that in mind, I question why I bought this book, but have to laugh at myself for wasting the money.

This one gets one star.

[Hannah · Rating 3 out of 5]

Difficult to rate this book. The letters were very witty, and I found it enjoyable reading both Einstein's replies, and the original letters the children wrote. The only let down of the book is that it contained three separate accounts of the professor's life, all detailing the same events, which took up nearly half the book. I was not particularly interested in the first place, but to find that I had to repeat his whole history again, from a different academic perspective but which managed to include all the same information was nothing short of disappointing. The timeline was equally dull.

That being said, the book was very entertaining once the biographical stage was over, and I very much enjoyed reading his letters.

[Moon · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you were playing the word association game and said, "genius" the first person to come to mind for most people would be Albert Einstein. However, Professor Einstein himself would be the first one to deny that he was a genius. Why? Einstein was quite humble. Despite his smarts, he "thought he was only more curious about the world than others, and that curiosity is a childlike quality that most adults seem to lose." Einstein also had the ability not to take himself too seriously, as evidenced by his responses to the letters he received from children around the world. This book is an endearing collection of letters, to and from this great scientist.

[Eva Nickelson · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a mixture of biographical information about Einstein (focused on his education) and letters to and from children. The biographical information was interesting, although I wished it had focused more on Einstein's interaction with children instead of just on his own educational experiences. The letters from the children were sometimes cute, usually hilarious, but most of them lacked context. There did not seem to be any order to the letters, and while some of them showed a correspondence, others did not. It would have been nice to have more context for the letters, especially the ones without a response from Einstein, instead of them just being disjointed snippets.

[Kristen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a sweet and poignant little book. If you're looking for something to uplift, this will do it for you.

The book is a series of letters that children wrote to Albert Einstein during his life. Some he responded to - always with respect, kindness and encouragement - and others not. But the letters are by turns sweet, silly, and earnest but always show that wisdom that only children can somehow manage.

The book also contains a brief biography of Einstein and a number of photos of him during his life. Overall a fun way to pass a couple of hours - it is a short easy to read book - in a fun way.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is almost half devoted to a biography of Einstein which I didn't mind but didn't expect. The letters I enjoyed most were the ones in pairs but even the letters which don't have an answer were fun to read. The children's voices are sincere and sometimes extremely formal, other times remarkably casual (one opens "Dear Albert"). There are some gems in Einstein's responses, of course, and he is quite witty too.

[Amina Daoud · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick and amusing read, some letters remained unanswered, i enjoyed the less.

[Jurnalul unei bookaholice · Rating 2 out of 5]

Dragă profesore Einstein: din corespondența lui Albert Einstein cu copiii-Alice Caprice
240 de pagini
Am făcut greșeala de a cumpăra cartea din cauza titlului și de a nu citi descrierea ei.
Mă așteptam la o carte amuzantă, o carte relaxantă și plină de înțelepciunea copiilor mici și de cunoștințele doctorului Einstein, m-am așteptat la întrebări specifice copiilor precum „De ce nu cade cerul”, „Cât de mult trebuie să sapi la capătul curcubeului după comoară”, dar am rămas cumva dezamăgită. Bineînțeles, unele întrebări au fost pe măsura, altele nu prea, iar scrisorile lui Einstein către copii au fost prea puține.

Dar, doar 50% din carte au scrisori, iar scrisorile păreau a fi e-mail-uri vorbărețe ale fanilor( sunt de acord că o vedetă ca el din acea perioadă avea mulți fani și își doreau poze și autografe cu el, dar jumate din scrisori sunt astfel de cerințe...), cu câteva întrebări, dar nu atât de multe precum ne-am fi imaginat. Bine, acum nu pot sa neg, au fost unele scrisori foarte amuzante precum: „Dragă profesore, sunt o fetiță de 6 ani si v-am văzut fotografia într-un ziar. Cred ca trebuie sa va tundeți” sau cea a unei fetite din Africa care ii spune geniului nostru ca abia acum aflat ca încă trăiește, ca a crezut ca a murit de vreo suta de ani si ii cere un autograf, la care, profesorul ii răspunde: „... E cazul sa-mi cer scuze ca mai sunt încă printre cei vii. Totuși va exista un remediu pentru asta. ...” și au mai fost câteva scrisori care m-au impresionat sau mi s-au părut amuzante, dar nu cred ca e cazul sa vi le înșir pe toate. Acestea au fost o adevărata savoare, restul a fost cantitate neglijabila. Nu am înțeles de ce autoarea practic a scris in carte doua biografii la început care au umplut o cantitate destul de mare din carte. Fotografiile au fost bune, dar am fost dezamăgită ca a lipsit din cartea vestita poza a capului cu limba scoasa.
Per total, o lectură bună dacă cauți material biografic ușor și fără să intri în esență, însă daca te aștepți la o altfel de carte atunci, ei bine, orientați-vă spre altceva. 2 stele cu indulgenta.

[Raliki · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fost o lectura simpatica, m-a facut sa rad pe alocuri. Am aflat cateva informații utile pe care nu le stiam cu privire la viata, studiile si descoperirile pe care Einstein le-a facut. Mi-a creionat o imagine mult mai prietenoasa si umana a acestui geniu, privindu-l ca un tata, un bunic, un profesor, un fiu.

[sahar · Rating 2 out of 5]

کتاب خوبی نبود. از دو جهت .
۱)بیشتر از نصف کتاب به زندگی نامه و درس خوندن اینشتین می‌گذره که خب چیز جدیدی نداره و بارها و بارها خوندیم و شنیدیم .
۲)تو اسم کتاب اومده نامه‌های کودکان به اینشتین و پاسخ ‌های او .ولی تعداد جوابایی که تو کتاب بود انگشت شمار بود و صرفا نامه‌های بی جواب تو کتاب اومده بود که خوندشون لااقل برای من لذتی نداشت
در کل کتابی نیس که ارزش وقت گذاشتن داشته باشه.

[Euisry Noor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sudah bukan rahasia kalau Einstein memang seorang ilmuwan besar dan jenius. Sebagian besar orang yang pernah menyimak perjalanan karir Einstein barangkali juga telah tahu bahwa selain dalam bidang ilmu pengetahuan, Einstein juga menaruh perhatian besar terhadap masalah kemanusiaan dan perdamaian dunia. Nah, kalau sikap dan hubungannya dengan anak-anak, kira-kira seperti apa ya?
Jika pada buku The World As I see It kita dapat menyimak koleksi esai, korespondensi, artikel dan pidato Einstein tentang pandangannya terhadapa masalah-masalah global dunia, maka pada buku ini kita dapat menemukan berbagai dokumentasi Einstein yang berhubungan dengan anak-anak.
Lewat buku kecil ini kita sedikitnya dapat memperoleh gambaran sisi lain pribadi seorang Einstein berkenaan dengan hal tersebut. Ilmuwan nyentrik yang rendah hati dan bersahaja ini ternyata sangat mencintai dan menunjukkan sikap bersahabat dengan anak-anak. Simak saja bagaimana korespondensi antara Einstein dan anak-anak dari berbagai negara yang dimuat dalam buku ini.
Lebih dari 60 surat dari arsip Einstein dihimpunkan Alice Calaprice dalam buku ini. Tentu menarik sekali membaca surat-surat anak-anak yang lucu dan polos kepada ilmuwan terkenal yang satu ini. Dan tak kalah menariknya mengetahui bagaimana Einstein membalas surat mereka. Meski, mengingat Einstein sangat sibuk, hanya sebagian kecil saja anak-anak yang beruntung mendapatkan balasan suratnya.
Pertanyaan anak-anak seringkali tak terduga, konyol, dan mengejutkan. Kepolosan anak-anak sering juga membuat kita tersenyum atau tertawa geli. Tak terkecuali dengan surat-surat anak-anak terhadap Einstein ini. Ada yang menyarankan Einstein supaya potong rambut, ada yang ingin memastikan bahwa Einstein bukan tokoh kartun, menanyakan apakah Einstein merasa jenius, bahkan ada yang bertanya apakah Einstein akan jadi gila --karena menurut , orang jenius nantinya akan gila =D. Banyak diantara surat-surat itu yang isinya minta tanda tangan dan foto, berupa ucapan selamat ulang tahun, serta banyak juga yang mengutarakan keingintahuan dan ketertarikan terhadap ilmu pengetahuan alam.
Bagaimana Einstein menjawab surat-surat itu mencerminkan kearifan lain yang dimiliki pribadi Einstein. Einstein mampu berkomunikasi dengan anak-anak dengan bahasa yang menyenangkan dan lucu. Atas beberapa pertanyaan mengenai alam semesta, Einstein menyampaikan jawaban dengan bahasa yang sederhana.
Selain memuat korespondensi Einstein dengan anak-anak, buku ini dilengkapi dengan pengantar dari cucu Einstein (Evelyn Einstein), kronologi sejarah hidup dan biografi singkat Einstein, esai Robert Schullmann tentang pendidikan Einstein, serta foto-foto Einstein dari berbagai tahun. Kompilasi yang memuat berbagai dokumentasi ini membuat buku ini sangat menarik. Beberapa gambar surat asli tulisan tangan anak-anak bahkan ada yang ditampilkan juga dalam buku ini.
Buku kecil ini menyampaikan kearifan dan motivasi tersendiri bagi siapa saja yang membacanya. Cocok untuk orang tua maupun muda karena bahasanya yang ringan. Para pengagum Einstein pastinya senang sekali dengan adanya buku seperti ini.

[Makayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knowing the legend of Albert Einstein made everyone and personally myself a different aspect on Albert. Albert Einstein was a genius like everybody knew of him. By reading this book it was easy to understand and actually got to know a different side of him. They showed how he was a normal guy whom loved children, a little corny at times and explained how he was different from others because of his mind. At birth, his parents thought he was retarded because of his deformed head and he didn't start talking until he was three. He eventually started to speak and repeated every sentence until he was eight. When his father got off of work he would bring library books. When he got older he enjoyed reading math and science books every minute of the day. He didn't think his teachers weren't advance enough to teach him anything. Being by himself and learning different methods helped him become a genius.

[Bev · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun, short read which included two brief biography of Einstein, by different authors, with different emphasis, but repeating the same information. Who knew that he had problems with math and had to ask famous mathematicians to help create the formulas for his relativity theory, or that E=mc2 was originally L=mc2 (though that is never explained). The fun part, though, is the letters to and from children, for whom the scientist obviously had a particular fondness. Again, in the comments on the letters, Calaprice repeats, again, information. This book could have used an editor, but for what it was, I enjoyed it.

[Dorian · Rating 4 out of 5]

This half-biography-half-archival book appealed to me because of its focus on youth. I was not disappointed in the least with it. I enjoyed it as an adult reading cover to cover, but its presentation is such that my ten year old daughter could turn to any page, read, understand and enjoy. That this book is attractive to young readers makes me incredibly giddy, as it demonstrates the celebrity appeal of an intellectual.

[R J Royer · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book. I found out some amazing facts about Professor Einstein that I did not know and I also found out that he was more than I ever could have wished for when it came to children and adults.

The letters and pictures portray a man that was not only brilliant but was also kind and caring. He seems to have never talked down to children in the letters he replied to in the book but talked to them like little adults with more curious minds than most adults.

[Kelly (miss_kellysbookishcorner) · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is definitely a quick and easy read. It's a great introduction to Einstein and his life. I absolutely loved how this book was set up, with a preface, followed by a biography, pictures and then the letters. I thoroughly enjoyed reading the letters, because I really got a sense of Einstein's personality. The letters also show the impact of Einstein's life on million of children.

[Dgg32 · Rating 3 out of 5]

Well, Einstein's communications were very fascinating and diverse. I think putting them together as a book is somehow difficult. The subject is constantly changing and you never remember what you read before. I prefer quotes than a big book of letters.

[Stephen Cranney · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hardly any of the letters from Einstein; in the end I just don't think a lot were preserved, and you can tell that the author was pulling out all the stops (large font, small book, long intro, etc.) to stretch relatively little source material into a book length manuscript.

[Kenna Ford · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this book for my dad before he died and he loved it. It is soooo charming! And I LOVE the way Einstein thought about things and corresponded with children whose parents and teachers said "Ask Albert Einstein" when they didn't know the answers to life's questions. Highly recommend!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Love Einstein but I couldn't shake the feeling that this book was just an attempt to capitalize off of a found box of letters. Some were cute but most lacked responses (which probably exist). A nice, quick flip through.

[Dennis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Must read-1
Meaningful-1
Well written-3
Very quick life timeline in the beginning is a nice addition to this collection of children's correspondence with Einstein.

[Rosie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute. Interesting insight into how he related to children. Not a keeper, though.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm sure Herr Einstein LOVED to read all of these adorable letters.