Special Relativity provides the foundations of our knowledge of space and time. Without it, our understanding of the world, and its place in the universe, would be unthinkable. This book gives a concise, elementary, yet exceptionally modern, introduction to special relativity. It is a gentle yet serious 'first encounter', in that it conveys a true understanding rather than purely reports the basic facts. Only very elementary mathematical knowledge is needed to master it (basic high-school maths), yet it will leave the reader with a sound understanding of the subject. Special Relativity: A First Encounter starts with a broad historical introduction and motivation of the basic notions. The central chapters are dedicated to special relativity, mainly following Einstein's historical route. Later chapters turn to various applications in all parts of physics and everyday life. Unlike other books on the subject, the current status of the experimental foundations of special relativity is accurately reported and the experiments explained. This book will appeal to anyone wanting a gentle introduction to the subject, as well as those who are interested in seriously learning about Einstein's legacy.

"The Virtue of Heresy - Confessions of a Dissident Astronomer" is a narrative account of the 30-year struggle by the author to put the "physical" back into "physics". With sporadic assistance from a fictional alter-ego character named Haquar, the author traces the history of astronomy and physics to the point of their confluence with meta-mathematics. From there on, the fundamental hypotheses of cosmology, and indeed of physical science generally, became increasingly detached from observed reality and more like psychedelic mind games than works of empirical science. Hilton Ratcliffe guilelessly confronts these issues head-on, spicing the tale with humour and fascinating anecdotes of his association with some of the finest scientific minds of our era. His passion for true science and child-like awe at the wonders of the Universe are infused in every line. A classic.

There is a crisis in modern science that few theorists are willing to confront. In The Virtue of Heresy: Confessions of a Dissident Astronomer, renowned physicist and astronomer Hilton Ratcliffe, founding member of the Alternative Cosmology Group and co-discoverer of the CNO nuclear fusion cycle on the Sun’s surface, delivers to science aficionados his straightforward and highly compelling explanation of, and challenge to, many widely-held scientific beliefs that fall apart under scrutiny.

Ratcliffe not only points out the fallacy of commonly held beliefs often promoted by the global scientific community, but, through a close (and sometimes humorous) examination of theoretical physics, presents a convincing argument for alternative theory. The heresy of which he writes—that is, our unwillingness to accept at face value all that is spooned to us by ‘the experts’—is presented not as a liability, but as a virtue essential to the progress of scientific thought.