This is a book review of A General Relativity Coursebook by Ed Daw.
A General Relativity Coursebook, by Ed Daw (Cambridge University Press), 2023. Pp. 527, 24.5 x 17 cm. Price £22.99 (paperback, ISBN 978 1 00 924244 8).
Like other books on a common topic, books on General Relativity (GR) can differ in the breadth and depth of topics covered, but also with regard to being "maths first" or "physics first" and which sign conventions are used. This book (neither broad nor deep, maths first, "East Coast" sign convention (-+++, "mostly plus")) reveals another difference: level of detail. This is an introductory book, introducing the necessary tensor calculus after an introductory chapter on the principle of equivalence before moving on to the Einstein equation and three applications (the Schwarzschild solution, Friedmann cosmological models, and gravitational waves), but differs from most other GR books in the level of mathematical detail. The mathematics is not more advanced than elsewhere, but rather spelled out, with the "work shown". It is thus similar to a series of lectures, and is indeed derived from lectures. Ed Daw is Professor of Particle Astrophysics at the University of Sheffield, has worked on searches for dark matter and gravitational waves, and has been lecturing on GR since 2003. The book fills the gap between more qualitative introductions to GR and books which leave out the needed details (or leave them as exercises to the reader).
The book is well written and clearly structured. This should be neither the first nor the last book one reads on GR. Less technical introductions are useful, as this book essentially assumes that its goals are clear, and those needing more details must consult more advanced texts. This book is useful in that it provides a bridge between the two, consisting of the details of tensor-calculus "Index Tricks of the Trade" (sect. 2.9). Especially for those who like to learn their maths as needed as they go, this is one of the few books which fit that need.