Gravitation

When my PhD adviser recommended me this classic of general relativity, I was not prepared for the breadth of use that I would find for it! Pouring over pages and pages of this masterpiece, from the foundings of special relativity to the differential geometry that underlies general relativity to the chapters on gravitational waves that portend the era of gravitational wave astronomy we now find ourselves in, you quickly realize that the true beauty of this textbook exists outside its pages. Truly, following the first week of purchase until now (amounting to about two months), I have found that I got my money's worth without ever opening the inky black hard cover of this absolute unit. From its smooth, tactile surface to its brick-like dimensions, I have found so many more uses for Gravitation than I ever gambled for. In the evening, after a long day of drawn-out Zoom calls, Gravitation is the nightstand on which I empty the contents of my pocket or leave other books. Before, my neck would hurt from constantly craning forward to the blue light of my laptop screen. But, with Gravitation, I've found an excellent laptop stand, and my neck hurts no longer. When my wrist hurt from reaching towards that low, low mouse all day, I put the mouse on top of Gravitation and, aghast, found that Misner, Thorne and Wheeler had done it again. This masterful work of theirs healed my ailing wrist. On the occasion I needed to hold my door open, I would find that other textbooks (such as Gravity, by Hartle), never had the disposition to be up for the job. Indeed, the door would simply close anyways, and I would cry, "Why, God? Why haven't you given me a textbook with the sheer mass necessary to hold this door open?" And, I remember that one clear July morning when Gravitation arrived on my doorstep and I felt it in my hands, I knew: my prayers had been answered. Dear friends, I make no higher recommendation than for you to purchase this textbook.

Although I had a paperback copy of the original W.H. Freeman release, the remarkable price of about $50 for this new hardcover 2017 version from Princeton University Press was too tempting to pass up. To anyone else considering this purchase, be assured that the quality of the book has been completely retained - paper, type, construction, etc. - also the heft of the book.The new foreword by David Kaiser lays out the history of the original, and also how this new edition came about.The new preface by Messrs. Misner and Thorne gives some additional background of the work and also a chapter-by-chapter commentary on how advances in the gravitation field have impacted the material.In summary, for a prospective purchaser of this monumental classic, this new 2017 Princeton University Press edition is the runaway top choice for quality AND price.

The book was originally published by Freeman in 1973, a great event in the publishing history.Since then Gravitation has become a unique resource for anyone interested in learning generalrelativity and spacetime physics. One of authors Kip Thorne has just won the Nobel Prize in physicslast week for his groundbreaking work in gravitational wave detection. But in my view, all the three authorsdeserved a Nobel Prize long ago for writing such a wonderful book. There is no need to repeathow wonderful this book is, but it worth menntioning that I am now particularly happy with the newHARDCOPY issued by Princeton University press, the book is made beautifully in terms ofbinding and printing quality, and importantly, the price is low enough to make it available toall young students who wish to read this great book.

I bought this book based on the hype that it's something every serious Physics student should read. I would like to point out that I am self taught and not a college student. What I found to be a bit annoying was the over explaining on topics. There were many times I felt like the author needed to move on to the next topic. I assumed this book was not for beginners so I expected a quicker pace. There are sections written long ago that are not quite up to date with current knowledge. They do have a preface that tries to point out these inconsistencies but I'm not confident they covered all the outdated parts of the book. Just remember to keep this in mind when reading. Other than the few issues I pointed out above this book still has a lot of relevant information.

I bought this book to try and brush up on some of the physics that it's been a while since I took, in order to defend my dissertation in theoretical physics later this spring. This book, in the hardback form will put a dent in your leg if you leave it there too long. I'm a physician, and I remember when I made the mistake of buying the single hard bound version of "Cecil's Textbook of Internal Medicine," and I had to lug that monster everyday all over the campus. I played college football, so it's not like I couldn't handle it, but it was a bit unwieldy. I would love to see a version of this that came in two softcover volumes, but, for me, it's not worth docking it a star over.Otherwise this is a great, user friendly treatise on the subject. I could see reading this book just for the enjoyment of learning the subject better. It's much better than the textbook I used back when dinosaurs stomped on the Terra. Of course there were only 4 planets known at the time, so this book is definitely an upgrade. If you're looking for a way to understand the cosmos better, I've never seen a better book.Later 'taters. dc

Be very careful with kindle version.Please be aware that the kindle version of this book can be read on very few devices/platforms.I have tried:- Kindle pc: says book is not compatible with Windows 8.- Kindle cloud reader: Says cloud reader cannot open this book.- An actual Kindle: book does not show up in library, option to deliver book to Kindle devices grayed out.- Kindle app on an Android phone: CAN be read on this. Unsurprisingly trying to read a textbook on a phone is quite painful.

MTW is simply **THE** book to have if you are a student of GR. All three made (or continue to make) major contributions to the field. It is constantly updated. It is divided up in such a way that you can follow this as a course at various levels (you will need a background in maths and/or physics) and not necessarily in sequence. In fact this a book to dip into. MTW is extremely well laid out and clear. I know some people have read it end to end, but... It will probably benefit you most if you have worked your way through - or read - another book on the subject at a final year undergraduate level or first year post grad course on GR. That is not to say there are alternatives to MTW. There simply isn't anything of this breadth. The nearest one that comes to mind is Roger Penrose's "The Road to Reality"

Weighing about 6 pounds, the book is not a light one to be honest. Neither is the subject. But the authors have gone to a great extent to simplify the content for the reader. There are two tracks in the book and newcomers should skip the advanced track and continue with the basic one. The authors do not skip just to the physics but spend considerable portion of the book to build up the mathematical foundations. A lot of GR texts skip this and to be honest and a new reader is left to fend for herself on subtleties of differential geometry.And then of course the book itself is a beautiful thing to own. I read it with white gloves. The cover has a matte finish and the paper is of very high quality. The typography is brilliant! It is such a pleasure to read this book.

Weights 2.8Kg and itself a substantial contribution to gravity!Very nicely bound hardback. Great quality smooth, white paper. Exceptionally clear print. Maybe some of the equations are printed a bit small, depending on your eyesight! A very comprehensive work on the subject, aimed at post-graduate level. Written back in 1972. The 2017 preface explains which sections are out-of-date and suggests further reading to cover recent developments. (Eg black holes had not been observed when the book was written.) Quite a big ratio of words to equations. Majors on geometric interpretations more than the mathematics. All the necessary maths is covered, but it is not a beginners guide. It explains for example about deriving the Riemann tensor by parallel transporting a vector around a loop, but the reader is expected to already know at least a bit about Tensor Calculus in order to follow it. If not, I'd suggest buying a book on Tensor Calculus first.Overall, you do get a lot of book for the modest price.

In most subjects in Physics, there does not exist a guide as complete as this. For starters the book is completely huge. Thorne covers almost all modern understanding in gravity - straight from the mouth of a Noble laureate. Just be warned - it assumes a fairly reasonable undergraduate knowledge!