本书分三个部分：狭义相对论、广义相对论、关于整个宇宙的一些考虑，外加一个附录。本书以最简单、最明了的方式介绍了相对论的主要概念，并大体按照相对论实际创生的次序和联系来叙述。

本书是著名科学家、物理学奠基人艾·爱因斯坦和著名科学家利·英费尔德合著的科普名著，主要介绍了物理学观念从伽利略、牛顿时代的经典理论发展到现代的场论、相对论和量子论的演变情况，其中选择了几个主要的转折点来阐明经典物理学的命运和现代物理学中建立新观念的动机，从而指引读者怎样去找寻观念世界和现象世界的联系。全书不引用数学公式，文字通俗，举例浅显，编写体裁别开一面。

The traditional association between time and creation is at the heart of science, cosmology, and religion. When scientists began to explore the implications of Einstein's time for the universe as a whole, they discovered that time is elastic, and can be warped by rapid motion or gravitation, that time cannot be meaningfully divided into past, present, and future, nor does time flow in the popular sense. And they made one of the most important discoveries in the history of human thought: that time, and hence all of physical reality, must have had a definite origin in the past. There can be both a beginning and an end to time. But important though Einstein's theory of time turned out to be, it still did not solve "the riddle of time, " and the search for a deeper understanding of time and its relationship with the rest of the physical universe remains at the top of the scientific agenda. From black holes, where time stands still, to the bizarre world of quantum physics, where time vanishes completely, Professor Davies finds evidence that our current theories of time simply don't add up. Why, for instance, does the universe appear younger than some of the objects within it? And how does the concept of time emerge from the timeless chaos of the big bang? Is the passage of time merely an illusion? Can time run backwards? Is time travel possible?

At the core of Einstein’s general theory of relativity are a set of equations that explain the relationship among gravity, space, and time—possibly the most perfect intellectual achievement of modern physics. For over a century, physicists have been exploring, debating, and at times neglecting Einstein’s theory in their quest to uncover the history of the universe, the origin of time, and the evolution of solar systems, stars, and galaxies.
In this sweeping narrative of science and culture, Pedro Ferreira explains the theory through the human drama surrounding it: the personal feuds and intellectual battles of the biggest names in twentieth-century physics, from Einstein and Eddington to Hawking and Penrose.
We are in the midst of a momentous transformation in modern physics. As scientists look farther and more clearly into space than ever before, The Perfect Theory engagingly reveals the greater relevance of general relativity, showing us where it started, where it has led, and where it can still take us.

"A remarkable book that influenced the scientific thought of an entire generation."--Dictionary of Scientific Biography
A major statement of the language, method, and concepts of the physical sciences, this 1892 volume traces not only the history of experimental investigation but also the efforts of philosophic minds to state and organize their findings intelligently. A classic in the philosophy of science, its author is the founder of modern statistics. Karl Pearson was among the most influential university teachers of his era, and he possessed a remarkable ability to captivate both students and casual listeners. In The Grammar of Science, his most widely read book, he introduced the concept of a general methodology underlying all science, and thus made one of the great contributions to modern thought. 1957 ed.

We all know that water and sound move in waves-but gravity? In Marcia Bartusiak's new book, we are introduced to the physics of gravity waves-or vibrations in space-time. We learn about the new generation of observatories, now being completed worldwide, that will give astronomers not just a new window on the cosmos but a whole new sense with which to explore the heavens. Instead of collecting light waves or radio waves, these novel instruments will allow scientists to listen to the very rhythms of the universe, adding an auditory dimension to the grand images we study through powerful telescopes.
In accessible and lively writing that translates intricate physical concepts into lyrical language, Bartusiak describes how a gravity wave surges through the cosmos at the speed of light. She traces the fascinating story of Einstein's theory of general relativity and goes on to explore how physicists' views of gravity waves have evolved over the decades. We also come to know many of the people involved in today's experiments. As Bartusiak weaves their personal histories in with the ultimate aspirations for the new technologies, an absorbing story of science unfolds. This gripping account of complex, cutting-edge science is brought down to earth and made interesting by an author skilled in the telling of popular science.

"[Yourgrau] presents the nature of an intimate friendship between two magnificent thinkers and the nature of Godel's work, which inspired Einstein but is now lost in obscurity." (Deseret Morning News)
In 1942, the logician Kurt Godel and Albert Einstein became close friends; they walked to and from their offices every day, exchanging ideas about science, philosophy, politics, and the lost world of German science. By 1949, Godel had produced a remarkable proof: In any universe described by the Theory of Relativity, time cannot exist. Einstein endorsed this result reluctantly but he could find no way to refute it, since then, neither has anyone else. Yet cosmologists and philosophers alike have proceeded as if this discovery was never made. In A World Without Time, Palle Yourgrau sets out to restore Godel to his rightful place in history, telling the story of two magnificent minds put on the shelf by the scientific fashions of their day, and attempts to rescue the brilliant work they did together.
"[A World Without Time is] very interesting if you like [scientific] speculation. Even if you don't, the descriptions of the friendship between Godel and Einstein-Einstein said he went to his office at Princeton University mainly so that he would have the pleasure of Gšdel's company on his walk back home-make this book interesting." (Wisconsin State Journal)
如果时间只是幻想，而非真实存在，那世界将会怎样？作为一名哲学教授，此书作者在书中阐释说，爱因斯坦的相对论将允许这种可能性，而第一个意识到这一点的则是哥德尔。很多人都知道，哥德尔和爱因斯坦是非常亲密的朋友。他们每天都要一同从普林斯顿高等研究所步行回家，他们分享物理学、哲学以及政治上的想法。但是并不广为人知的是，哥德尔于1949年做出了一项不寻常的发现：他认为爱因斯坦的相对论提供了一种可能性，即可能存在一个没有时间的世界。作者以一种哲学的背景加以思考而认为，哥德尔的发现势必会带来这样一个后果：假如哥德尔是对的，那么爱因斯坦并没有解释何为时间，而只是将这个问题搪塞过去了。爱因斯坦意识到他的朋友已经对相对论做出了重要的贡献，因为正是他对其理论提出了一个令人困扰的新问题：他的理论中是否还应保留时间。爱因斯坦之后的物理学家并未在哥德尔的理论中找出什么有误的成分，而哲学家们则保持沉默。此书所聚焦的正是哥德尔和爱因斯坦之间这戏剧性的一幕，并且将它置于20世纪人类智慧发展的大背景之下来讲述。在哥德尔和爱因斯坦生活的年代，无论是物理学、数学、哲学还是艺术都获得了非常大的进步。在这一背景之下，两位思想者的友谊故事无疑是动人心弦的。