The Einstein Theory of Relativity: A Trip to the Fourth Dimension (Paperback)

by Lillian R. Lieber (Author), Hugh Gray Lieber (Illustrator), David Derbes (Foreword)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

“Oh, what a delightful book! This is the clearest explanation of relativity available—and the most fun. It’s great to have it available again. Whether or not you’re a scientist, you will relish this book.”—Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein: His Life and Universe

“A clear and vivid exposition of the essential ideas and methods of the theory of relativity . . . can be warmly recommended especially to those who cannot spend too much time on the subject.”—Albert Einstein

“If you know high-school math, are not afraid of equations, and want to find out what Einstein really said, read Lillian Lieber’s book. She will lead you through special and general relativity, helping you at every step to understand the essential equations, including tensors, with amazing clarity and conciseness. This uniquely charming book remains as vivid as ever and even more helpful, thanks to the excellent new foreward and notes by David Derbes and Robert Jantzen.”—Peter Pesic, author of Abel’s Proof: An Essay on the Sources and Meaning of Mathmatical Unsolvability and Sky in a Bottle

“Does the nature of time fascinate you? Does gravity seem a mysterious subject? Are you interested in learning just what it is that Einstein actually did that made him so famous? Then this wonderful book is just the thing. I read the original 1945 edition when I was a high-school student in the 1950s, and it had a tremendous impact on me. I predict the same experience for you, or perhaps a young friend, with this new, updated edition.”—Paul J. Nahin, author of Time Machines, Oliver Heaviside, and Dr. Euler’s Fabulous Formula

Using “just enough mathematics to help and not to hinder the lay reader,” Lillian R. Lieber provides a thorough explanation of Albert Einstein’s theory of relativity. Her delightful style, in combination with her husband’s charming illustrations, makes for an interesting and accessible read about one of the most celebrated ideas of all times.

 

Lillian R. Lieber was a professor and head of the Department of Mathematics at Long Island University. She wrote a series of lighthearted (and well-respected) math books, many of them illustrated by her husband, Hugh Gray Lieber.

David Derbes teaches physics at the University of Chicago Laboratory Schools.

Robert Jantzen is a professor of mathematics at Villanova University.

About the Author
Lillian R. Lieber was Professor and Head of the Department of Mathematics at Long Island University. She wrote a series of light-hearted (and well-respected) math books, many of them illustrated by her husband.

Product Details

• Paperback: 324 pages
• Publisher: Paul Dry Books; 1st Paul Dry Books Ed edition (October 1, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1589880447
• ISBN-13: 978-1589880443
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 4.9 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #50,374 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Wish I had this book when started learning general relativity !, October 12, 2008

By	ANDREJS JANSONS "Andrejs" (Latvia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In my opinion, this is a "must" book for everyone, who wants to learn full general theory of relativity. I had read many books about the GTR (and had a rather difficult time to comprehend them!) before I found a reference to the original (1949!) edition of this book in R. D'Inverno "Introducing Einstein's Relativity" (a very good book itself). In the introduction D'Inverno mentions how discovering this book in a local library had led him to learn the full GTR while he was only 15! This made him to choose relativity physics as his profession, and also his foreknowledge of the "hard stuff" rather shocked his professors at Oxford! Back to me: a few years ago I have acquired a used original of this book (at a rather steep price!), and immediately loved it, despite that I have already learned lots about the GTR in a "hard way". When I found that this book is going to be re-issued, I immediately have ordered a copy! Well, first, the re-issue is of a very high quality. Second, it is supplemented by the new editor's notes, which add lots of the stuff, which is missing in the original edition due to space constraints and the efforts to keep the book as "elementary" as possible. If you want to get a great help in learning the GTR with tensors and all that stuff, to really understand why the star light is bent by the mass of the Sun, or why Mercury's perihelion precession has extra 43" arc-seconds per century, buying this at $10 is a no-brainer ! Get it ! Another two good books for the start are:

Schaum's Outline of Tensor Calculus (Schaum's),
The Mathematics of Relativity for the Rest of Us
and Sokolnikoff, Tensor Analysis (out of print).

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A nice reprint, October 12, 2008

By	Baslim the Beggar "Baslim" (Maui, HI USA) - See all my reviews

I'm glad to see this back in print. When in high school, circa 1965, I bought the hard copy version of this. It is indeed a nice introduction to the subject. I confess I did not finish it for some years, because I got stuck on trying to make meaning of the Christoffel symbols. But nobody else's books made me feel comfortable with those, so the fault is not with the author. Eventually (after a graduate course on General Relativity), I finished the book.
This is a lovely book, written with appreciation for the reader as well as the subject. And I loved tying in Hugh Lieber's drawings with the text. Sometimes his tongue was firmly in cheek.

I bought this with the hope that the notes would shed more light on Lillian Lieber, but sadly it appears that there is little left on the record.