Born-Einstein Letters, 1916-1955 : Friendship, Politics and Physics in Uncertain Times

Albert Einstein and Max Born were great friends. Their letters span 40 years and two world wars. In them they argue about quantum theory, agree about Beethoven's heavenly violin and piano duets (that they played together when they met) and chat about their families. Equally important, the men commiserate over the tragic plight of European Jewry and discuss what part they should play in the tumultuous politics of the time. Fascinating historically, The Born-Einstein Letters is also highly topical: scientists continue to struggle with quantum physics, their role in wartime and the public's misunderstanding. First published by Macmillan in 1971, this book is re-issued, with a substantial new preface by leading US physicists Kip Thorne and Diana Buchwald, as part of 2005's Relativity Centenary celebrations.

Albert Einstein (1879-1955) is one of the most influential figures of the modern era. Working in Germany, Switzerland and US, he radically transformed our understanding of the universe and took an outspoken stance on the significant political and social issues of his time. He was the father of the theory of relativity and a major contributor to quantum theory yet always found time for the political causes close to his heart.

Max Born (1882-1970) won the Nobel prize for Physics in 1954 for his fundamental research in quantum mechanics. He worked at the Universities of Breslau and G"ttingen before Nazism forced his family to flee to the UK, where he held chairs first at Cambridge and later at Edinburgh University. He collaborated with Pauli, Heisenberg, Fermi, Dirac, Raman, and Oppenheimer among others, while also writing and speaking frequently on the social responsibility of scientists.

Introduction by Werner Heisenberg Foreword by Betrand Russell New Preface by Kip Thorne and Diana Buchwald Correspondence between Max and Hedwig Born and Albert Einstein 1916-1955 with Commentaries by Max Born