Princeton's Einstein Set

1. Einstein on Einstein: Autobiographical and Scientific Reflections

2. The Formative Years of Relativity 

3. The Road to Relativity

1. The Formative Years of Relativity

First published in 1922 and based on lectures delivered in May 1921, Albert Einstein’s 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 Einstein’s masterpiece to new audiences. This beautiful volume contains Einstein’s insightful text, accompanied by important historical materials and commentary looking at the origins and development of general relativity. Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn provide fresh, original perspectives, placing Einstein’s 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 Einstein’s ideas during the formative years of general relativity in the late 1910s and 1920s. They show that relativity’s meaning changed radically throughout the nascent years of its development, and they describe in detail the transformation of Einstein’s 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This handsome edition quotes extensively from Einstein’s correspondence and reproduces historical documents such as newspaper articles and letters.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 Einstein’s contemporaries are included. The first-ever English translations of two of Einstein’s popular Princeton lectures are featured at the book’s end.

2. The Road to Relativity

This richly annotated facsimile edition of “The Foundation of General Relativity” introduces a new generation of readers to Albert Einstein’s theory of gravitation. Written in 1915, this remarkable document is a watershed in the history of physics and an enduring testament to the elegance and precision of Einstein’s thought. Presented here is a beautiful facsimile of Einstein’s original handwritten manuscript, along with its English translation and an insightful page-by-page commentary that places the work in historical and scientific context. Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn’s concise introduction traces Einstein’s intellectual odyssey from special to general relativity, and their essay “The Charm of a Manuscript” provides a delightful meditation on the varied afterlife of Einstein’s text. Featuring a foreword by John Stachel, this handsome edition also includes a biographical glossary of the figures discussed in the book, a comprehensive bibliography, suggestions for further reading, and numerous photos and illustrations throughout.

3. Einstein on Einstein: Autobiographical and Scientific Reflections

At the end of World War II, Albert Einstein was invited to write his intellectual autobiography for the Library of Living Philosophers. The resulting book was his uniquely personal Autobiographical Notes, a classic work in the history of science that explains the development of his ideas with unmatched warmth and clarity. Hanoch Gutfreund and Jürgen Renn introduce Einstein’s scientific reflections to today’s readers, tracing his intellectual formation from childhood to old age and offering a compelling portrait of the making of a philosopher-scientist.

Einstein on Einstein features the full English text of Autobiographical Notes along with incisive essays that place Einstein’s reflections in the context of the different stages of his scientific life. Gutfreund and Renn draw on Einstein’s writings, personal correspondence, and critical writings by Einstein’s contemporaries to provide new perspectives on his greatest discoveries. Also included are Einstein’s responses to his critics, which shed additional light on his scientific and philosophical worldview. Gutfreund and Renn quote extensively from Einstein’s initial, unpublished attempts to formulate his response, and also look at another brief autobiographical text by Einstein, written a few weeks before his death, which is published here for the first time in English.

Complete with evocative drawings by artist Laurent Taudin, Einstein on Einstein illuminates the iconic physicist’s journey to general relativity while situating his revolutionary ideas alongside other astonishing scientific breakthroughs of the twentieth century.

About the Authors

Hanoch Gutfreund is professor emeritus of theoretical physics at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, where he is also academic director of the Albert Einstein Archives. His books include, with Jürgen Renn, The Formative Years of Relativity: The History and Meaning of Einstein's Princeton Lectures (Princeton). 

Jürgen Renn is a director at the Max Planck Institute for the History of Science in Berlin. His books include The Evolution of Knowledge: Rethinking Science for the Anthropocene (Princeton).

Review

"The authors paint a detailed but dynamic recounting of how general relativity became what it is today."—Nature Astronomy

"Gutfreund and Renn . . . combine years of Einstein scholarship with readability and insight."—Science

"Gutfreund and Renn have produced a lucid, readable, and deeply informed account of Einstein's development of relativity theory. Focusing on Einstein's 1921 trip to America and the lectures he gave there, this impressive work is invaluable for experts and lay readers. It puts Einstein's lectures in the context of the formative years of his theory and shows how, after the 1919 eclipse observations, his theory launched one of the greatest transformations in the history of science."—Walter Isaacson, author of Einstein and Steve Jobs

"This book successfully provides a comprehensive account of the formative years of the early development of relativity from the 1910s through to the early 1920s. It is unusual in offering an approachable treatment of relativity that also remains true to the best histories of the subject."—Richard Staley, University of Cambridge

"This book brings into focus a critical period in the development of general relativity, which Gutfreund and Renn dub the ‘formative years.' Their new material helps enliven Einstein's tremendous contributions. The work promises insights for specialists even while it remains accessible to general readers. It is a pleasure to read."—David Kaiser, author of How the Hippies Saved Physics