Of the life and career of Prof. Benjamin Lax -- Early years in Miskolc, Hungary, 1915-1926 -- School days in Brooklyn, 1926-1936 -- College days: Brooklyn College and Cooper Union, 1936-1942 -- Army days and the MIT Radiation Laboratory, 1942-1945 -- Graduate school in physics at MIT, 1946-1949 -- Postdoctoral work at Air Force Cambridge Research Laboratories, 1949-1951 -- MIT Lincoln Laboratory, 1951-1965 -- Francis Bitter National Magnet Laboratory, 1958-1981 -- Professor of physics at MIT, 1965-1981 -- Emeritus years and consulting, 1981-2006.

"This book will take readers through the life and 60-year career of Prof. Benjamin Lax, a preeminent physicist who played a large role in the development and applications of solid state physics. The interviews contain both personal and professional reminiscences, tracing the challenges that he overcame, the opportunities he embraced, his influence on major research institutions, and the many world-class research physicists with whom he interacted, hired, and mentored"-- Provided by publisher.