Reddit mentions of The Einstein Theory of Relativity: A Trip to the Fourth Dimension

i think high school is the perfect time to access books that get at the nature and context of doing math and physics in a way that is different than the dry, linear nature of a lot of textbooks. that includes biographies and historical accounts. here are some suggestions. note that some are physics oriented, but it's important to understand some physics to understand the context of a lot of mathematics.

• isaac newton by james gleick
  
  
• from galileo to einstein by george gamow
  
  
• one two three ... infinity by george gamow
  
  
• gravity by george gamow
  
  
• creative mathematics by h.s. wall
  
  
• conceptual mathematics: a first introduction to categories
  
  
• the education of t.c. mits: what modern mathematics means to you by lillian lieber
  
  
• infinity: beyond the beyond the beyond by lillian lieber
  
  
• the einstein theory of relativity: a trip to the fourth dimension by lillian lieber

I believe the best first book on relativity is Lillian R. Lieber's The Einstein Theory of Relativity. It's written in a very clear style and presents all the necessary mathematics alongside lucid explanations of all the important concepts of both special and general relativity.

Most of the book only requires a familiarity with algebra and trigonometry, but she also introduces some calculus and mathematical objects called tensors in a very friendly way. There are excellent derivations and notes at the end of the book that walk the reader through some of the more technical aspects of the theory.

I discovered Lillian Lieber. The Einstein Theory of Relativity because it was recommended by D' Invernio in his excellent relativity textbook. It covers the basics and assumes very little of its readers. Einstein endorsed it.