Einstein's Masterwork : 1915 and the General Theory of Relativity

One of the worlds most celebrated science writers reveals the origins of Einsteins General Theoryand provides a greater understanding of who Einstein was at the time of this pivotal achievement.

In 1915, Albert Einstein presented his masterwork to the Prussian Academy of Sciencesa theory of gravity, matter, space and time: the General Theory of Relativity. Einstein himself said it was ';the most valuable theory of my life,' and ';of incomparable beauty.' It describes the evolution of the universe, black holes, the behavior of orbiting neutron stars, and why clocks run slower on the surface of the earth than in space. It even suggests the possibility of time travel.

And yet when we think of Einsteins breakthrough year, we think instead of 1905, the year of Einsteins Special Theory of Relativity and his equation E=mc2, as his annus mirabilis, even though the Special Theory has a narrower focus.

Today the General Theory is overshadowed by these achievements, regarded as too difficult for ordinary mortals to comprehend. In Einsteins Masterwork, John Gribbin puts Einsteins astonishing breakthrough in the context of his life and work, and makes it clear why his greatest year was indeed 1915 and his General Theory his true masterpiece.