An overview of recent Einstein Observatory observations and theoretical modeling of stellar x-ray emission is presented, with particular emphasis upon the role such studies can play furthering our understanding of stellar magnetic activity. We argue that solar observations can be used to show that coronal emission is morphologically related to surface magnetic field activity; to establish a quantitative link between the observed soft x-ray flux and the mean surface (photospheric) magnetic flux; and, in sum, to demonstrate that soft x-ray emission is a sensitive diagnostic for the presence of surface magnetic fields, uncomplicated by radiative transfer effects and the resulting coupling to the underlying atmosphere (which may introduce unwanted correlations with spectral type and luminosity class). Recent analyses of stellar x-ray observations from the Einstein Observatory have focused on the interpretation of stellar coronal emission and possibly-related surface magnetic activity within the framework of our understanding of solar activity; including “loop” models of stellar coronae, observations of coronal emission variability on a wide range of time scales (which provide information on the morphology of the emitting plasma), and observations and modeling of low-resolution spectroscopic x-ray observations (which test the applicability of solar modeling). These recent results, which I review, all reenforce the argument that stellar coronal emission constitutes an excellent probe for studying stellar magnetic activity over a wide dynamic range, one which may prove to be uniquely suited to studying such activity in distant (and hence faint) sources.