The Formative Years of Relativity

First published in 1922 and based on lectures delivered in May 1921, Albert EinsteinΓÇÖs The Meaning of Relativity offered an overview and explanation of the then new and controversial theory of relativity. The work would go on to become a monumental classic, printed in numerous editions and translations worldwide. Now, The Formative Years of Relativity introduces EinsteinΓÇÖs masterpiece to new audiences. This beautiful volume contains EinsteinΓÇÖs insightful text, accompanied by important historical materials and commentary looking at the origins and development of general relativity. Hanoch Gutfreund and J├╝rgen Renn provide fresh, original perspectives, placing EinsteinΓÇÖs achievements into a broader context for all readers.
In this book, Gutfreund and Renn tell the rich story behind the early reception, spread, and consequences of EinsteinΓÇÖs ideas during the formative years of general relativity in the late 1910s and 1920s. They show that relativityΓÇÖs meaning changed radically throughout the nascent years of its development, and they describe in detail the transformation of EinsteinΓÇÖs work from the esoteric pursuit of one individual communicating with a handful of colleagues into the preoccupation of a growing community of physicists, astronomers, mathematicians, and philosophers.
This handsome edition quotes extensively from EinsteinΓÇÖs correspondence and reproduces historical documents such as newspaper articles and letters. Inserts are featured in the main text giving concise explanations of basic concepts, and short biographical notes and photographs of some of EinsteinΓÇÖs contemporaries are included. The first-ever English translations of two of EinsteinΓÇÖs popular Princeton lectures are featured at the bookΓÇÖs end.