This volume presents Einstein's writings from the final period of his
work in Switzerland. Most of the material in Volume 4 documents
Einstein's search for a relativistic theory of gravitation, a search
that ended in Berlin in the fall of 1915 with the completion of the
general theory of relativity.
Three scientific manuscripts, printed here for the first time, provide
insight into Einstein's efforts to generalize his original relativity
theory into a theory of gravitation. The first is a review article on
the special theory of relativity. The second consists of notes that
document Einstein's research on gravitation. The third manuscript
contains calculations on the problem of the motion of the perihelion of
Mercury. The explanation of the observed anomaly of this motion was to
become one of the classical tests of general relativity. The existence
of such a manuscript has not been known before now. All three of these
manuscripts, along with other material in this volume, add significantly
to our understanding of the creation of general relativity.
This supplementary paperback volue presents only the English
translations of non-English materials and is not intended for use
without the original-language documentary edition.