Physics Book Reviews

General relativity for the Gifted Amateur is one of the most outstanding introductory texts on general relativity I have seen.  This text is not only comprehensive in its discussion of topics; covering many advanced subjects in gravity that otherwise are not covered in an introductory course (such as frames and differential forms), but is also extremely accessible.  Never have I seen a book on the subject take such care to illustrate meaningful examples to the reader in a way which is easy to follow and intuitive. Notably, I was extremely impressed with the examples used in the differential forms section of the book, which describe how to purposely do calculations from first principles. Furthermore, this text is chockablocked with figures, diagrams and illustrations through out. A notable feature of these images is that the meaning behind them is actually explained either within the attached  caption or in the main body. This is a feature that is often missing in oth...

Can art truly be innovative?  Is innovation the pathway to power? These questions form the grand backbone of this thoughtful and homely tale of murder, betrayal and one man's obsession to find the truth.  Inspector Imanishi Investigates immerses the reader into 1960s Japan, a country whose identity at this point in time remains in flux after the terrors of the Second World War.  As with most detective stories, we begin with the discovery of a body; a manhunt ensues - to no avail at first. But slowly and surely, the dark events that led to the initial gruesome deed, unravels into a murderous rampage, leaving our protagonist, Chief Inspector Eitaro Imanishi in hot pursuit.  Imanishi in many ways is your archetypal detective: a middle-aged family man placed at odds with his sense of duty to discover the truth behind the mysterious events. Nevertheless, despite the common caricature appended to him, what sets apart Imanishi is his relatability.  Matsumot...