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4.5
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.)
