The Einstein Theory of Relativity: A Trip to the Fourth Dimension Paperback – Illustrated, October 1, 2008

I ordered this book just after having finished reading one of the other books also written by Lillian R. Liebers, the "Infinity: Beyond the Beyond the Beyond", which I liked it. And I must say that it has also been a pleasure reading this book. But as a remark it's only a book for persons who really find a pleasure in reading and understanding mathematic.During my life I have been reading many books concerning the Universe, and thereby for example Black holes, and other new discovering, and have thereby now during the past 50 years bought more than 200 books concerning these subjects. And I must say that the "The Einstein Theory of Relativity" is excellent to read, also for persons who are reading by own interest, and thereby want to understand and learn more. And a book excellent for self-studying because it's very detailed during the explanations and proves.For example on the side 127 starts the chapter XIV "What is a Tensor?". I owe many mathematical books, but to me, this book is absolutely the book which I have found to be the best and easiest one to read for persons, who by own hand studying, wants to read about, and understand, how to use the Tensors. Of course we before the Tensors, among other, already in by nice descriptions and explanations have learned about the Vectors.To me, this book is containing just the right amount of needed geometrical drawings, and besides all the other speculative drawing is it delightful to see, for relaxing, and maybe starting speculating about the possibly dimensions of universes, and, curvatures different from the plane Euclidian space.

Lillian Lieber and her husband provide an entertaining and enjoyable view on Einstein's Special Theory of Relativity.

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 Usand Sokolnikoff, Tensor Analysis (out of print).

This is a wonderful little book that certainly gives you insight into the theories of relativity; it is worth the effort to read it.The 1945 edition happened to be in my high school library, so many years ago, but the last half of the book proved too formidable for me at the time. In those days one studied calculus in the second year of college; in the first year one studied college algebra and then spherical triganometry. Alas, I had to be satisfied with the knowledge the Liebers were able to convey to me. Also helpful to me was that little gem, "The Evolution of Physics" by Einstein & Infield (also in my high school library),and a small, well-written pamphlet by Phillip Frank (Einstein's successor at Prague, then at Harvard), "Relativity and its astronomical implications (1945)," available at the time at the Chicago Planatarium.This 2008 edition is certainly a 'labor of love' by the editors, Messrs. Derbes & Jantzen, who are to be commended and thanked for their efforts.

Though overall condition good, there are multiple marked-up pages...