First published in 1973, this influential work discusses Einstein's General Theory of Relativity to show how two of its predictions arise: first, that the ultimate fate of many massive stars is to undergo gravitational collapse to form 'black holes'; and second, that there was a singularity in the past at the beginning of the universe. Starting with a precise formulation of the theory, including the necessary differential geometry, the authors discuss the significance of space-time curvature and examine the properties of a number of exact solutions of Einstein's field equations. They develop the theory of the causal structure of a general space-time, and use it to prove a number of theorems establishing the inevitability of singularities under certain conditions. A Foreword contributed by Abhay Ashtekar and a new Preface from George Ellis help put the volume into context of the developments in the field over the past fifty years.

'The book is a masterpiece, written by sure hands.'

Source: Science

'Certain to rank as an outstanding classic of the current advance of relativity theory.'

Source: Contemporary Physics

'La parution de ce livre est un événement important …'

Source: La Recherche

‘This special 50th anniversary republication of this famous monograph is well welcome addtion to the community. This text helped lay the groundwork for gravitational research for the next 50 years; inspiring and educating generations of researchers. I recommend this text to anyone who is interested in learning the foundation of gravitational research.’

Kymani Tieral Keden Armstrong-Williams Source: https://physicsbookreviewer.blogspot.com/