HPS 1632 Einstein for Almost Everyone
Fall term 2019
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Einstein Resources
Textbooks
Albert Einstein et al. The Principle of Relativity. Dover.
This is the classic collection of historical papers in relativity theory, both special and general. The earliest version was published in 1913.
John Stachel, Einstein’s Miraculous Year: Five Papers That Changed the Face of Physics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998.
This volume has the papers of Einstein's annus mirabilis of 1905. Each paper is introduced and explained by John Stachel, the pre-eminent Einstein scholar and former editor of the Einstein Papers.
Tai-Pei Cheng Einstein’s Physics Atoms, Quanta, and Relativity. Derived Explained, and Appraised. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2013.
This volume reconstructs Einstein's calculations in
detail. It is written for someone who wants to know the technical details.
Other Volumes
Michel Janssen, Christoph Lehner (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to Einstein. Cambridge University Press, 2014.
This is a collection of introductory articles to almost every aspect of Einstein's work, written by the leading scholars in the field.
Malcolm Longair, Theoretical Concepts in Physics. 2nd ed. Cambridge Univ. Press 2003.
This is a helpful introduction to modern physics, with useful historical perspectives.
Abraham Pais, Subtle is the Lord: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein. Oxford: Clarendon, 1982.
Of the many biographies of Einstein, this one stands out
as providing the best guide to his scientific work. It is written by a
former assistant to Einstein.
Internet Resources
John D. Norton, Einstein for Everyone. Website. http://www.pitt.edu/~jdnorton/teaching/HPS_0410/chapters/index.html
This is a complete, roughly 40 chapter introduction to Einstein's physics, its history and philosophy; and related issues. It is written at an accessible entry level and dependents on illustrative pictures, not mathematical equations. It is the text for my lower level class, HPS 0410 Einstein for Everyone.
For my papers on Einstein's work, its history and philosophy see Research: Physics, History; Physics, Philosophy
The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. Princeton University Press
This set of volumes is the ultimate resource for the most serious Einstein scholarship. Its multiple volumes provide facsimiles of Einstein's original papers, translations into English and an elaborate editorial apparatus with authoritative introductions and elucidations. The project is incomplete and, presently, covers Einstein's work up to the early and mid 1920s.
A digital version is available only in lower resolution
at https://einsteinpapers.press.princeton.edu
Albert Einstein, Ideas and Opinions
This is a collection of Einstein's popular and semi-popular essays.
Albert Einstein, Notes for an Autobiography
This is a version of Einstein's Autobiographical Notes, which is Einstein's most complete, if brief autobiography.
Howard, Don "Einstein's Philosophy of Science," Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy.
An authoritative exposition by a leading Einstein scholar.
List of scientific publications by Albert Einstein
This massive list of Einstein's scientific publications is provided by wikipedia. For many publications, there are links to online versions.
This is a reading list assembled for a graduate seminar on Einstein.
This list is merely a fragment of the vast amount of material available online concerning Einstein. As an internet search will reveal, there is much, much more available.