First published in German in 1916, and later translated into English in 1920, 'Relativity: The Special and the General Theory' is a short paper and was eventually published as a book by Albert Einstein, German-born, best known for his work on the theory of Relativity, gaining him the title of 'Father of Modern Physics'. He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics, and his work is attributed as an inspiration for the quantum theory within the field of physics. His hundreds of papers and books are highly original and intelligent, making him one of the most famous and respected intellectual minds of the twentieth century. Einstein's 'Theory of Relativity' is the most significant scientific idea of the modern era. In this book Einstein explains, using the minimum of mathematical terms, the basic ideas, and principles of the theory which has shaped the world we live in today. Unequaled by any subsequent books on relativity, this remains the most popular and beneficial exposition of Einstein's immense contribution to human knowledge.

It is divided into 3 parts, the first dealing with special relativity, the second dealing with general relativity, and the third dealing with considerations on the universe as a whole. In this work Einstein intended, as far as possible, to give an accurate insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who, from a general and scientific-philosophical point of view, are curious in the theory, but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics. The theory of relativity enriched physics and astronomy during the 20th century.