The Man Who Stalked Einstein: How Nazi Scientist Philipp Lenard Changed the Course of History

by Bruce J. Hillman, Birgit Ertl-Wagner, Bernd C. Wagner Narrated by Arthur Morey

Overview

By the end of World War I, Albert Einstein had become the face of the new science of theoretical physics and had made some powerful enemies. One of those enemies, Nobel Prize winner Philipp Lenard, spent a career trying to discredit him. Their story of conflict, pitting Germany's most widely celebrated Jew against the Nazi scientist who was to become Hitler's chief advisor on physics, had an impact far exceeding what the scientific community felt at the time. Indeed, their mutual antagonism affected the direction of science long after 1933, when Einstein took flight to America and changed the history of two nations. The Man Who Stalked Einstein details the tense relationship between Einstein and Lenard, their ideas and actions, during the eventful period between World War I and World War II.

Editorial Reviews

Booklist

In 1905 Albert Einstein, then a relatively unknown German theoretical physicist, published the paper that introduced his theory of relativity; that same year Philipp Lenard, an older and well-respected experimental physicist, won the Nobel Prize. Einstein, of course, went on to iconic status, but outside the scientific community, Lenard is pretty much unknown these days. What happened? In simple terms, hatred, paranoia, and bigotry are what happened. This is a portrait of a man of indisputable talents who allowed himself to become obsessed with bringing down another brilliant man, who, Lenard believed, was passing off wild speculation as science. But this was more than professional rivalry; Einstein was Jewish, and Lenard was an anti-Semite who would become one of Hitler’s advisors. Was Lenard’s campaign part of a larger effort to rid the scientific community of Jews? Evidence suggests so, though this account also suggests that Lenard seemed honestly to believe in a conspiracy to deprive him of credit for discoveries made by other scientists. A deeply fascinating, deeply sad book that will be appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of modern science.

Booklist

In 1905 Albert Einstein, then a relatively unknown German theoretical physicist, published the paper that introduced his theory of relativity; that same year Philipp Lenard, an older and well-respected experimental physicist, won the Nobel Prize. Einstein, of course, went on to iconic status, but outside the scientific community, Lenard is pretty much unknown these days. What happened? In simple terms, hatred, paranoia, and bigotry are what happened. This is a portrait of a man of indisputable talents who allowed himself to become obsessed with bringing down another brilliant man, who, Lenard believed, was passing off wild speculation as science. But this was more than professional rivalry; Einstein was Jewish, and Lenard was an anti-Semite who would become one of Hitler’s advisors. Was Lenard’s campaign part of a larger effort to rid the scientific community of Jews? Evidence suggests so, though this account also suggests that Lenard seemed honestly to believe in a conspiracy to deprive him of credit for discoveries made by other scientists. A deeply fascinating, deeply sad book that will be appeal to anyone with an interest in the history of modern science.

MAY 2016 - AudioFile

Narrator Arthur Morey injects a hint of Einstein's real-life persona into the famous scientist's voice in this audiobook. Philipp Lenard, a rival and doubter of Einstein, rose to power in Nazi Germany as Hitler's science advisor. Their story is told dramatically, with Morey capturing the essence of the battle between pacifism and the Nazi regime. Here is science, of course, including discussions of quantum physics, as well as personal drama, including details of Einstein's marital problems. The story also covers the atmosphere in Germany's scientific community at that time and touches on Edward Teller's interest in developing a hydrogen bomb for the U.S. The authors thoroughly cover the intersections of science with politics and war. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2016, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2015-02-18
History of the clash between "German" and "Jewish" physics in the early decades of the last century. That clash explains why Albert Einstein ended up at Princeton and why his self-appointed nemesis, Philipp Lenard, ended his years stripped of academic rank but worshipping Adolf Hitler to the end. In what former University of Virginia School of Medicine chief of radiology Hillman (co-author: The Sorcerer's Apprentice—How Medical Imaging is Changing Health Care, 2010) calls "a memorable, character-driven story," Lenard emerges as a kind of furious, single-minded Javert whose particular branch of experimental physics relied on studies of more or less observable phenomena, much removed from the theoretical physics in which Einstein traded. That divide, Hillman writes, had its origin in World War I and the virtual blockade of German scientists, cut off from the international community and defiantly nationalistic as a result. Einstein's refusal to play along and his more independent path of inquiry earned him widespread antipathy. That, coupled with Lenard's growing anti-Semitism and general ire over Einstein's popularity, set a pattern of persecution that would last for as long as Einstein worked within the sphere of German influence—and Lenard bore more than his share of the burden of making Einstein's life miserable. The writing is mostly serviceable, if sometimes infelicitous, but the storytelling is too often clunky and digressive. Einstein is given the sobriquet "the relativity Jew," and Max Planck spends "an uncomfortable minute" with Hitler, while Lenard imagines him wondering, "how had he become so old?" and straining "against the constricting dark tie and starch-stiff collar that bit into his thin, old man's skin." Well, that's what he gets for tangling with the quantum, one might think, but his larger punishment lies in being mostly forgotten today. A footnote to modern theoretical physics and the history of science. Readers may prefer the bigger picture provided by John Cornwell's Hitler's Scientists (2003) and the better-written works on Einstein by Walter Isaacson and Alan Lightman, among others.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940169912791
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	02/09/2016
Edition description:	Unabridged

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