"Wald's book is clearly the first textbook on general relativity with a totally modern point of view; and it succeeds very well where others are only partially successful. The book includes full discussions of many problems of current interest which are not treated in any extant book, and all these matters are considered with perception and understanding."—S. Chandrasekhar "A tour de force: lucid, straightforward, mathematically rigorous, exacting in the analysis of the theory in its physical aspect."—L. P. Hughston, Times Higher Education Supplement "Truly excellent. . . . A sophisticated text of manageable size that will probably be read by every student of relativity, astrophysics, and field theory for years to come."—James W. York, Physics Today

Renowned relativist James Hartle's fluent and accessible physics-first introduction to general relativity uses minimal new mathematics and begins with the essential physical applications. This ground-breaking text, reissued by Cambridge University Press, makes this fundamental theory accessible to virtually all physics majors.

Based on a course taught for years at Oxford, this book offers a concise exposition of the central ideas of general relativity. The focus is on the chain of reasoning that leads to the relativistic theory from the analysis of distance and time measurements in the presence of gravity, rather than on the underlying mathematical structure. Includes links to recent developments, including theoretical work and observational evidence, to encourage further study.

This book provides an introduction to the mathematics and physics of general relativity, its basic physical concepts, its observational implications, and the new insights obtained into the nature of space-time and the structure of the universe. It introduces some of the most striking aspects of Einstein's theory of gravitation: black holes, gravitational waves, stellar models, and cosmology. It contains a self-contained introduction to tensor calculus and Riemannian geometry, using in parallel the language of modern differential geometry and the coordinate notation, more familiar to physicists. The author has strived to achieve mathematical rigour, with all notions given careful mathematical meaning, while trying to maintain the formalism to the minimum fit-for-purpose. Familiarity with special relativity is assumed. The overall aim is to convey some of the main physical and geometrical properties of Einstein's theory of gravitation, providing a solid entry point to further studies of the mathematics and physics of Einstein equations.

This text brings the challenge and excitement of modern relativity and cosmology at rigorous mathematical level within reach of advanced undergraduates and beginning graduates.

Einstein's general theory of relativity is perhaps the most important perspective to emerge in a century of astonishing progress in the field of physics. However, it is also a notoriously difficult subject for beginning students. This book describes general relativity in terms understandable to undergraduates in physics and astronomy. It discusses concepts and experimental results, and provides a succinct account of formalism. A brief review of special relativity is followed by a discussion of the equivalence principle and its implications. Other topics covered include concepts of curvature and the Schwarzschild metric, tests of the theory of relativity, black holes and their properties, gravitational radiation and methods for its detection, the impact of general relativity on cosmology, and the continuing search for a quantum theory of gravity. A set of worked examples, background appendices, and an annotated bibliography are also included. Written at a level accessible to nonspecialists, this book is especially strong on the experimental physics of relativity.