Are There Any Good Books on Relativity Theory?

Are There Any Good Books on Relativity Theory?

Original by Chris Hillman (with contributions by Nathan Urban) September 1998.

You bet!  There are dozens of superb, up-to-date books on various aspects of relativity theory.  Most of these are currently in print and widely available through university libraries and organizations such asAmazon.com and Barnes & Noble.  In addition, several classic books have recently come back into print.  It is not an exaggeration to say that there has probably never been a better time to shop around for books on relativity!
In what follows I offer a sort of "consumer's guide" which I hope will help readers choose the book or books best suited to their needs.  In addition to providing capsule reviews of a number of books I like, or which have been recommended by others whose judgement I trust, I have taken the liberty of warning the reader away from certain books, particularly (most of) the attractively priced but hopelessly outdated Dover reprints.
I have divided the discussion into seven broad categories:

1. Semipopular books (math optional),
2. Introductory textbooks on SR (undergraduate level),
3. Introductory textbooks on GR (beginning graduate level),
4. Background material (mathematical aids for the serious student, general physics, other reading),
5. Histories, Biographies, and Memoirs,
6. Philosophy and Relativity Theory,
7. Advanced technical books (for the ambitious or advanced students).