[.ca] Relativity (ISBN 1565115112)

From Amazon.com:
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.

Requires a Mature Reader:
I've used this book with my high school students - very slow going. You can definitely understand the issues involved in relativity, even as a layman, from reading this book, but THIS IS NOT AN EASY READ! A mature, dedicated reader will get through this book. I'm proud of my high school students for struggling through this book, but readers at that age mostly do not have the intensity to really appreciate it.

Straight from the horse's mouth:
What better person to here about relativity than Einstein himself? This is a great book for anyone interested in relativity. I do have one problem with this book--it's a crappy translation, even taking into account the fact that it was written in the dialect of Great Britain. The language is too lugubrious for my taste.

Not Just science:
I won't lie to you, the theory of relativity is not simple. The special relativty is easily understood, yet it is a topic covered in university as an speciality in majors more involved with physics, and general relativity is coverd in masters. Both topics can be quite esoteric, and the mathematical explanation for the relativistic deformation of the time-space due to speed uses Fourier's transforms, so most people will have to just have faith in what Einstein is trying to explain. However, he does simplify the subject enough, so anyone with a basis of physics could grasp some of the most important ideas behind his theory. Furthermore, this book is important in the fact that by proving that relativity was a real fact in physics, the shape of the world in the twentieth century took a great change. I believe that without Einstein's work, the nihilism porfethized by Nietzsche, toghether with the despotic regimes that the will of power would create guided by deviations of the "übermensch" might not have com in such strenght as it did.

Great Book:
How better to learn and appreciate Einsteins theory's of relativity than from his own words. I read this book senior year of Highschool and found it quite engaging. There are some mathmatical prerequisites for understanding everything, but nothing that should keep anyone from understanding. These were the theories that changed the view of the universe and should be known by a wider base of people.

Addressing Some Misconceptions:
Much has been said about Einstein's poor ability to write, namely with respect to this particular book. Einstein frequently mentions that this book, designed for the laity, will not be easy to read despite its purpose to clarify. Einstein states on numerous occasions that he does not wish to focus a tremendous amount of time on perfecting his writing style. In fact, he relegates this practice to "tailors" and "cobblers". Although, for us this certainly is a disadvantage because the end result is that only a select number of people in the population can interpret the Theory of Relativity correctly. Yet, the aim should be the reverse.