RELATIVITY The Special and General Theory Albert Einstein Translated by Robert W. Lawson Introduction by Roger Penrose Commentary by Robert Geroch with a Historical Essay by David C. Cassidy
The present book is intended, 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 mathemat-
ical apparatus of theoretical physics. The work presumes
a standard of education corresponding to that of a uni-
versity matriculation examination, and, despite the
shortness of the book, a fair amount of patience and
force of will on the part of the reader. The author has
spared himself no pains in his endeavour to present the
main ideas in the simplest and most intelligible form,
and on the whole, in the sequence and connection in
which they actually originated. In the interest of clear-
ness, it appeared to me inevitable that I should repeat
myself frequently, without paying the slightest attention
to the elegance of the presentation. I adhered scrupu-
lously to the precept of that brilliant theoretical physi-
cist, L. Boltzmann, according to whom matters of elegance ought to be left to the tailor and to the cobbler.
I make no pretence of having with-held from the reader
difficulties which are inherent to the subject. On the
other hand, I have purposely treated the empirical
physical foundations of the theory in a “step-motherly”
fashion, so that readers unfamiliar with physics may not
feel like the wanderer who was unable to see the forest
for trees. May the book bring some one a few happy
hours of suggestive thought!
A. EINSTEIN
December, 1916
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