Einstein: don’t skip the Prague period

Einstein: don’t skip the Prague period

Albert Einstein worked at a university in Prague in 1911–12. (History and Art Collection/Alamy)

Einstein: don’t skip the Prague period

Historians have variously dismissed the 16 months when Albert Einstein lived in Prague as an interlude, a sojourn and a detour. An “improbably good” new book by Michael Gordin makes the period a springboard to a panoramic view of the twentieth century, writes reviewer Pedro Ferreira.

Nature | 4 min read