“A MASTERPIECE, WRITTEN BY SURE HANDS”: FIRST EDITION OF HAWKING AND ELLIS' THE LARGE SCALE STRUCTURE OF SPACE-TIME, HAWKING'S FIRST BOOK

HAWKING, Stephen, and ELLIS, George Francis Rayner. The Large Scale Structure of Space-Time. Cambridge: University Press, 1973. Octavo, original blue cloth, original dust jacket. $6800.

First edition of this important work on Einstein’s General Theory of Relativity and the major scientific theories stemming from it, written by two of the 20th century’s finest theoretical physicists, in original dust jacket.

An in-depth discussion of general relativity, co-written by Hawking—who later published the bestselling A Brief History of Time—and Ellis, a distinguished cosmological expert. "The book is a masterpiece, written by sure hands" (Science). "Certain to rank as an outstanding classic of the current advance of relativity theory" (Contemporary Physics). When Einstein presented his General Theory of Relativity, he permanently changed scientific understanding of the physical world. The theory allowed for two remarkable predictions to be made: first, that many massive stars are destined to undergo gravitational collapse and leave behind black holes, and, secondly, that at the center of black holes and in the past at the beginning of the universe there are and have been places where space-time begins or ends leading to a breakdown of the conventional rules of physics. This work concentrates on those predictions, following the logical progression from the General Theory of Relativity through to the existence of singularities in space-time.

Book in fine condition; price-clipped dust jacket near-fine with slight edge wear and very faint toning to spine. A lovely copy.