Max von Laue

Dr. rer.nat. h.c. Jost Lemmerich (1929–2018), a trained chemist and physicist and retired European patent expert, dedicated his leisure time over many decades to the history of science, organizing major exhibitions and preparing important collections such as Lise Meitner’s papers at Churchill College. This author of ten books, including a biography of James Franck, Lemmerich received numerous academic awards as well as Germany’s Distinguished Service Cross. Ann M. Hentschel is a freelance translator specialized in the history of science. She has translated over thirty books, including a number of volumes in the series The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein and more recently: Photons – The History and Mental Models of Light Quanta by Klaus Hentschel (Springer 2018).

“There can be no doubt that a comprehensive scientific biography of Max von Laue is overdue. He is most famous for the discovery of X-ray diffraction by crystals which earned him the 1914 Nobel Prize in Physics. … His life …  deserves interest both from the perspective of physics as a discipline and the performance of a scientist within society. … the material contained in this biography makes it worthwhile to study carefully for anyone making a new attempt.” (Michael Eckert, Physics in Perspective, Vol. 25, 2023)“This book is a scholarly tour de force. It is illustrated with numerous portraits of the scientists and with fully referenced quotes andfootnotes from their correspondence. It is a joy to read; and I learnt a lot.” (Moreton Moore, Crystallography Reviews, March 10, 2023)

• Foreword.- Introduction.- Childhood and youth.- Studies in physics.- Doctoral dissertation and first scientific research.- Private lecturer at the University of Munich.- Professorship in Zurich.- Professorship in Frankfurt am Main, WW I, Nobel Prize in physics.- Berlin – general and special theories of relativity.- Physics and politics in Berlin during the 1930s.- Physics and politics during WW II.- War’s end and Farm Hall.- Back in Germany.- Back in Berlin – in West Berlin.