Written by Albert Einstein, Relativity: The Special and the General Theory started out as a paper before it was published in book format. The original German edition was published in 1916 and it wasn’t until 1920 that it was translated into English. The book is divided into three parts, each dealing with a different form of relativity and universal thought. Interestingly, Einstein is known to have written the book for readers who are interesting in the science and philosophy it, but are not particularly equipped with the mathematics of theoretical physics. Hence, the book serves as an excellent introduction to the theory of relativity to those fascinated with the workings of the cosmos.

At its core, the book provides a fascinating insight into the relationship between space and time and the universe as a whole. This modern-day masterpiece is considered to be one of the most popular and noteworthy works in physics in the 20th century, greatly impacting physics as we have known and understood in myriad ways.