Albert Einstein's Reading List
The 5 books that shaped Albert Einstein — theoretical physicist.
Revolutionized physics with relativity theory and became the archetype of scientific genius in popular imagination.
Influential Books
A Treatise on Electricity and Magnetism
James Clerk Maxwell(1873)
Maxwell's unification of electricity and magnetism was the foundation Einstein built upon for special relativity.
Ethics
Baruch Spinoza(1677)
Einstein called himself a follower of Spinoza's God — the rational order of nature, not a personal deity.
A Treatise of Human Nature
David Hume(1739)
Hume's skepticism about causation directly influenced Einstein's thinking about the nature of space, time, and observation.
The World as Will and Representation
Arthur Schopenhauer(1818)
Einstein kept Schopenhauer on his bookshelf and admired his view that solitude was essential for deep thought.
Don Quixote
Miguel de Cervantes(1605)
Einstein loved Cervantes' novel for its humor and humanity — a reminder not to take oneself too seriously.