Relativity: The Special and the General Theory Reprint Edition

by Albert Einstein (Author)

328 customer reviews

ISBN-13: 978-0517884416

ISBN-10: 0517884410

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Redesigned inside and out to have a fresh, appealing look, this new edition of a classic Crown Trade Paperback is a collection of Einstein's own popular writings on his work and describes the meaning of his main theories in a way virtually everyone can understand.

Relativity: The Special and the General Theory

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

How better to learn the Special Theory of Relativity and the General Theory of Relativity than directly from their creator, Albert Einstein himself? In Relativity: The Special and the General Theory, Einstein describes the theories that made him famous, illuminating his case with numerous examples and a smattering of math (nothing more complex than high-school algebra). Einstein's book is not casual reading, but for those who appreciate his work without diving into the arcana of theoretical physics, Relativity will prove a stimulating read.

From Scientific American

"The present book is intended," Einstein wrote in 1916, "as far as possible, to give an exact insight into the theory of Relativity to those readers who, from a general scientific and philosophical point of view, are interested in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics.... In the interest of clearness, it appeared to me inevitable that I should repeat myself frequently, without paying the slightest attention to the elegance of the presentation. I adhered scrupulously to the precept of that brilliant theoretical physicist L. Boltzmann, according to whom matters of elegance ought to be left to the tailor and to the cobbler." But it is elegant, in part because of the 1920 translation, by Robert W. Lawson, a British physicist who had polished his German while a prisoner of war in Austria. The introduction, by science writer Nigel Calder, guides the reader through the work section by section, even giving advice on which sections to skip, or at least not to worry about, if you can't "accompany Einstein through the forest of tricky ideas contained in this slim volume." Okay, this book isn't easy--again, in the master's elegant words, it "lays no small claims on the patience and on the power of abstraction of the reader"--but it is well worth the try.

Editors of Scientific American --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product details

Paperback: 208 pages
Publisher: Broadway Books; Reprint edition (June 6, 1995)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0517884410
ISBN-13: 978-0517884416
Product Dimensions: 5.1 x 0.4 x 8 inches
Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 328 customer reviews
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #693,420 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #88 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Gravity
- #290 in Books > Science & Math > Physics > Relativity
- #308 in Books > Science & Math > Essays & Commentary

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3.9 out of 5 stars

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Top customer reviews

Byfrank fletcheron January 6, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Great book and great deal, very detailed.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

It was written to help non-scientists understand relativity, but it's still very complex for the average reader.

ByJerbearon February 27, 2017

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is an incredibly informative book about one of the most difficult theories ever written. It was written to help non-scientists understand relativity, but it's still very complex for the average reader. The language is old and you'd need a scientific mind to get through it. That being said, if you're a science nerd like me and don't know enough math to understand the theory as it was originally written, then this book will be helpful. I have a super crush on Einstein.

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Good read, and a great layman's introduction to Einstein's ...

ByTJ Motton August 10, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

Good read, and a great layman's introduction to Einstein's relativity theories. It isn't heavy on math and relies more on logic to deduce the characteristics of Special Relativity from the two postulates. The math is briefly presented for those who want to read it, and the appendices cover derivation in more depth.

The sections on General Relativity are weak, but this is expected given the target audience. Special Relativity is fairly intuitive (especially as presented in this book), but General Relativity is nearly impossible to understand without an in-depth study of the mathematics involved which this book tries to avoid.

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I found this translation to be excellent. Thanks Dr

ByN. Wilsonon March 25, 2017

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I own this text in German. I found this translation to be excellent. Thanks Dr. Einstein.

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Formulas and diagrams are completely viewable on this latest editinon (12/13/16).

ByPaul Z.on December 13, 2016

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

The formulas and diagrams are perfectly viewable in this latest edition, as the description above says. I have it on my Amazon Fire phone and PC. Its perfectly fine. Just wanted to clear that up, as the topmost review is a one star. Even though its old.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Watermark of Human Achievement

ByDavid Milliernon March 16, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This is a review for the Three Rivers Press 1995 paperback printing:

This is the original 1920 version of Einstein's semi-popularized write-up of the special and general theories of relativity, with additional commentary and considerations in the appendices. There is no single work that has sustained my interest and fascinated me for so long as this work, the primary reason for my career path in physics. The mathematics are generally simple enough that, in principle, someone with a knowledge of algebra will be able to understand the vast majority of the mathematics. In the event that things get complicated with the math, the text is quite lucid and well written. I say all of this having first read the book when I was in middle school. It's not an easy text for any newcomer, but, I am confident, it can be understood by most competent individuals willing to make a couple of passes through, and it is likely to be especially accessible for those who know something of Einstein's work. Overall, I think this is a text that everyone should give a try, at some point, being one of the greatest human intellectual achievements in history, the ideas matching and, in the opinions of some, surpassing the creative human achievements in other forums; and I personally think a science-literate society that properly values science should be acquainted, even if only in passing, with Einstein's most heralded ideas.

As far as this edition, it's not bad. It's the one I purchased when I was in middle school. There are a few things to know. One the positive side, it has a couple of essays not contained in the other editions I have of the selfsame book. The two essays this one contains that others do not (they are included in this edition's appendices) are: "The Structure of Space According to the General Theory of Relativity" and "Relativity and the Problem of Space." On the downside, there isn't even so much as a biographical sketch. The typeset isn't the best, either. This edition is particularly longer in page number (and in paper thickness) than any other edition I have. If you are looking for one with a good introduction, I highly recommend the Barnes and Noble edition, which features an introduction by Amit Hagar. The edition I would avoid, because it has no introduction and is missing the aforementioned essays, is the "Great Minds Series" edition. (Note: All of these editions mentioned are the same and authorized translator, Robert W. Lawson.)

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Potential buyers beware

ByConnoron March 28, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I'm only 20 pages in, but I've already encountered numerous misprints and flawed phrasing. Considering the nature of the subject of this book, anything other than precision will only compound any sense of confusion, or lack of understanding. I'm sure there are other books much more apt to explain Einstein's theories. I'm not sure who edited this book, but it is awful, and a near waste of money. I would not recommend this book to others.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

This is truly an amazing book. The clarity and simplicity with which one ...

ByJohn Sheehanon January 4, 2015

Format: Kindle EditionVerified Purchase

This is truly an amazing book. The clarity and simplicity with which one of the greatest mind of all ages presents his theories is astounding, almost as astounding as the theories themselves. Since I've done quite a bit of reading and thinking about particle physics in the past few years, I felt confident that I could tackle this text .I discovered that Einstein made that task so much easier with his simple yet profound explanations. I could kick myself in the ass for not having read this earlier. A must read for anyone interested in physics and the world around us that is free from a lot of superstitious nonsense.

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Most recent customer reviews

Published 4 days ago by Daniel Cross

As we all know Einstein is a freaking smart man and this is simply another work of his art so to speak

Published 6 days ago by Amazon Customer

Fascinating reading for those interested in how A. Einstein expresses his ideas and background.

Published 15 days ago by K. Borg

I have only read small part of nook??? I am enjoying reading this book. Plan to continue reading it soon

Published 18 days ago by ERNEST E. McCALLICK

Maybe next time

I have practically no idea what I just read. Maybe the second time through will do the trick. Lol. I think I will let my brain rest first.

Published 25 days ago by Richard L C Miesel

Published 1 month ago by Solrac

However the book is like some very cheap and lazy scrap work of put ...

The writing itself is stellar and speaks for itself as it was written by Einstein. However the book is like some very cheap and lazy scrap work of put together papers.Read more

Published 1 month ago by Amazon Customer

Last read this whilst in college; prompted to buy it again thanks to the TV series on Einstein. What's wonderful about this little gem is that Einstein is so brilliant, that he...Read more

Published 1 month ago by Uncle John

Awesome Author.

This book is a great read. For me the best part about this book was learning how Albert Einstein imagined the greatest theory of all time.Read more

Published 2 months ago by Rajinder Singh

Great content, terrible publishing

Did anyone even read over the book before printing it? Theres so many errors that it can be hard to read sometimes and honestly its pretty annoying when you buy a book and theres...Read more

Published 2 months ago by Amazon Customer

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