Listen free for 30 days

Listen with offer

  • The Last Man Who Knew Everything

  • The Life and Times of Enrico Fermi, Father of the Nuclear Age
  • By: David N. Schwartz
  • Narrated by: Tristan Morris
  • Length: 15 hrs and 31 mins
  • 4.8 out of 5 stars (16 ratings)
Offer ends May 1st, 2024 11:59PM GMT. Terms and conditions apply.
£7.99/month after 3 months. Renews automatically.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection - including bestsellers and new releases.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, celeb exclusives, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
The Last Man Who Knew Everything cover art

The Last Man Who Knew Everything

By: David N. Schwartz
Narrated by: Tristan Morris
Get this deal Try for £0.00

Pay £99p/month. After 3 months pay £7.99/month. Renews automatically. See terms for eligibility.

£7.99/month after 30 days. Renews automatically. See here for eligibility.

Buy Now for £16.99

Buy Now for £16.99

Pay using card ending in
By completing your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and authorise Audible to charge your designated card or any other card on file. Please see our Privacy Notice, Cookies Notice and Interest-based Ads Notice.

Listeners also enjoyed...

American Prometheus cover art
Too Big for a Single Mind cover art
The Quantum Labyrinth cover art
In Search of Schrödinger’s Cat cover art
How the Laser Happened cover art
Journey to the Edge of Reason cover art
Turing's Cathedral cover art
Why Does E=MC2 and Why Should We Care cover art
Uranium Wars cover art
Building the H Bomb: A Personal History cover art
Franklin and Winston cover art
Gene Machine cover art
The Generals cover art
The Innovators cover art
The Man Who Stalked Einstein cover art
Tuxedo Park cover art

Summary

The definitive biography of the brilliant, charismatic, and very human physicist and innovator Enrico Fermi

In 1942, a team at the University of Chicago achieved what no one had before: a nuclear chain reaction. At the forefront of this breakthrough stood Enrico Fermi. Straddling the ages of classical physics and quantum mechanics, equally at ease with theory and experiment, Fermi truly was the last man who knew everything - at least about physics. But he was also a complex figure who was a part of both the Italian Fascist Party and the Manhattan Project, and a less-than-ideal father and husband who nevertheless remained one of history's greatest mentors.

Based on new archival material and exclusive interviews, The Last Man Who Knew Everything lays bare the enigmatic life of a colossus of 20th-century physics.

PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.

©2017 David N. Schwartz (P)2017 Hachette Audio

Critic reviews

"A lucid writer who has done his homework, Schwartz...delivers a thoroughly enjoyable, impressively researched account.... Never a media darling like Einstein or Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi (1901-1954) is now barely known to the public, but few scientists would deny that he was among the most brilliant physicists of his century.... A rewarding, expert biography of a giant of the golden age of physics." (Kirkus)

"Told in a sure, steady voice, Schwartz's book delivers a scrupulously researched and lovingly crafted portrait of the 'greatest Italian scientist since Galileo.'" (Publishers Weekly)

"One of the finest biographies of the year, The Last Man Who Knew Everything combines the historic, the scientific and the personal in a deft and effortless way. Enrico Fermi was easily one of the most fascinating human beings of the 20th century, a man whose intellectual brilliance was trapped inside an all-too-human shell. The result, in David Schwartz's able interpretation, is nothing short of spellbinding." (Gary Shteyngart, author of Little Failure and Super Sad True Love Story)

More from the same

What listeners say about The Last Man Who Knew Everything

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    4
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Performance
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    9
  • 4 Stars
    6
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0
Story
  • 5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    12
  • 4 Stars
    3
  • 3 Stars
    0
  • 2 Stars
    0
  • 1 Stars
    0

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Wonderful story- especially if you like physics

The book starts off a bit slow, but it tells in a very interesting way the fascinating story of the mind-boggling genius of Enrico Fermi. If you are a physicist or if you like physics this is a great addition to your understanding of the fascinating history of the development of quantum theory and nuclear physics. But even if you are not a physicist, it is a wonderful tale about a very impressive individual who does a lot of great things – very inspiring.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

1 person found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

loved it!

Real insight into a fascinating character! Inspired me to read Fermis texts. Good balance between science and biography

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!