I hope to include links to book reviews as they appear. Feel free to
let me know if you notice any that aren't linked here.
- Customer reviews are available at
amazon.com and
Barnes and Noble.
- The January 2005 issue of Physics Today has a joint
review of my book and Jim Hartle's book, by Jennie Traschen.
It's only available online to subscribers, unfortunately. An excerpt:
Carroll's text adds a new option to the list of solid general
relativity texts appropriate for graduate students planning to do research
in gravity, high-energy theory, or both. ... Of course, every teacher
has a different opinion about the amount of foundational mathematics
to include in a general relativity class that has to fit into one
semester. Carroll has successfully steered a middle course, and I believe
his text will be very useful to students. ... Both books are fine
contributions that extend in useful and different ways the range of
pedagogical choices available to instructors.
- A review
by Eric Poisson appeared in Classical and Quantum Gravity. Excerpt:
My favourite part of the book is the first three chapters on
differential geometry. The presentation of the mathematical formalism is
crystal clear and very enjoyable, and it comes with a large number of
helpful (and attractive) diagrams... The ninth and final chapter of
Carroll's book is devoted to a topic that has never been covered in an
introductory text: quantum field theory in curved spacetime. To include
this was a truly inspired thought, and Carroll is to be congratulated for
this initiative... A complete education in general relativity cannot
exclude this important subject, and now we have a textbook that presents
it in a clear, accessible way.
- Solicited blurbs:
Sean Carroll won the Graduate Student Council Teaching Award for
the general relativity course that he taught at MIT, and the
course has remained legendary among our graduate students. This
book can be expected to spread the legend worldwide. Starting at
the very beginning, Carroll gives a clear, well-motivated, and
intellectually lively development of general relativity,
extending into cosmology and even the basics of quantum field
theory in curved spacetime. The book is a gem.
-- Alan Guth, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Sean Carroll brings a relaxed authority to the teaching of general
relativity at the graduate level. The text is beautifully written
and succeeds in linking modern mathematical formalism to physical
applications. ``Spacetime and Geometry'' continues the tradition of
excellent relativity books and is likely to establish a common culture
for the next generation of relativists.
-- Roger Blandford, Kavli Institute for Particle Astrophysics and
Cosmology
This is an excellent, up to date,
graduate text in general relativity, written in an informal yet
sophisticated style. It provides an efficient introduction to the
gravitational physics essential for today's understanding of black holes,
gravitational waves, and the universe.
-- James Hartle, University of California, Santa Barbara
This is the best book on contemporary gravitational physics for
everyone from beginning graduate students to established
researchers. Anyone interested in modern high-energy physics needs
to understand cosmology and black holes, and this is the
book they should read. It will be the leading textbook on
gravity for years to come.
-- Renata Kallosh, Stanford University
"Spacetime and Geometry" is well-presented,
very accessible and right up-to-date.
It provides a comprehensive treatment that invites rather than
discourages new students of the subject.
-- Bernard Schutz, Max Planck Institute for Gravitational Physics
A seamless combination of mathematical sophistication and intuitive
physical reasoning.
-- Arthur Kosowsky, Rutgers University
A very clear, crisp, and self-contained introduction to general
relativity in the modern language of differential geometry that's a
pleasure to read. Most remarkably, the author presents the most
intricate subjects with characteristic clarity, but without
compromising their integrity. If you have any doubts read and
compare Carroll against any other text in the market.
-- Ben Grinstein, University of California, San Diego
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