My collection of books, though quite modest with respect to most others, is unquestionably the material possession which I esteem the most. Over the past several years, I have slowly acquired each book that I could uncover concerning my favorite subject area, that is to say when I had sufficient funds. I am sure that I do not stand alone in this regard, far I know numerous people who are as enamored as I with a specific genre of books, but what has set me apart from most others is the subject with which I am so fascinated. While most people have chosen a typical classification of book with which to begin a collection, such as mystery novels and the like, I have chosen to collect books, and as far as I know I am the only person to do so outside of professionals, pertaining to the esoteric science of physics.

My infatuation with physics began at an early age, created by my fathers fantastic stories of Black Holes and the men, such as Albert Einstein and RobertOppenheimer, whose work had made them feasible. My father's tales of Albert Einstein, that of a boy who was unable to speak until the age of four and a man who could not even find a job except as a lowly patent clerk to the man who would later become the most revered scientific mind of the twentieth century, was especially captivating during my youth. I became forever mesmerized with physics, even though I did not even know a singular physics equation, and I was intent on becoming a professional physicist. In fifth grade, I even won the local "When I Grow Up" speech contest with a speech about my desire to emulate Albert Einstein, most likely because no one had ever heard of a child who wanted to become a physicist. Now that I have matured, my dream has persisted and I have utilized my book collection to facilitate my goal.

My humble collection, itself, began only few years ago when I decided to take the time to actually learn more about the subject that I loved so dearly. My collection began with what is the most popular of all books on physics, A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. Upon reading this seminal work from the greatest of modern physicists, I was amazed by the expansive scope and extreme difficulty of modern physics, so I began to buy all of the books that I came across with which I could expand my general knowledge. I began by purchasing popular works of physics, especially non-mathematical books written by the prolific physicist-author Paul Davies, and then, beginning quite recently, I started to collect more technical literature when I felt I had the mathematical base to do so. My interest in physics, thus far, has not subsided now that I have acquired a book collection in an attempt to learn the field. Instead, I believe my adoration has grown and, I hope, to continue collecting books on the subject and, who knows, perhaps some day I shall obtain my goal of becoming the next Einstein.

Barrow, John D & Tipler, Frank. (1986). The Anthropic Cosmological Principle. Oxford University Press.

A wonderfully enlightening book which examines man's place in the universe from a physical point of view. This famous book utilizes many contemporary ideas of physics, such as Quantum Theory, Relativity, and the four fundamental forces of nature, to show that human existence could not have been a purely fortuitous event.

Calder, Nigel. (1979). Einstein's Universe. New York: Wings Books.

A highly readable account of the work and impact of Albert Einstein. Written to mirror a BBC television special of the same name, the author readily accomplishes his goal of "Making Relativity plain."

Casper, Barry & Noer, Richard. (1972). Revolutions in Physics. W.W. Norton Company

An easy to follow textbook with a comprehensive introduction to Newtonian physics and the Special Theory of Relativity. Written by two professors from Carleton College it is an enjoyable book due with numerous anecdotes and historical notes scattered throughout the book.

Davies, Paul C. (1983). God & the New Physics. New York: Simon and Schuster.

An impressive tour de force which analyzes the implications of modern physics as to the possibility of God's existence. This thought provoking book reviews many of the contemporary thoughts on God of both physicists and philosophers alike, but the author's own ideas are the most intriguing and most easy to follow. This is one of the most famous of all popular books on the subject.

Davies, Paul C. (editor). (1989). The New Physics. Cambridge University Press

An all encompassing introduction to the ideas of modern physics covering everything from Astrophysics to Quantum Field Theories in a textbook format. Each chapter is written by one of the leading researchers in the field as a semi-nontechnical introduction. Wonderfully broad and easy to follow.

Davies, Paul C. (1994). The Last Three Minutes. Basic Books.

A short, concise book which examines what will most likely be the ultimate fate of the universe, heat death. Relying on the physics of Thermodynamics, Davies, the most prolific of all popular physics writers, introduces an interesting account of what is in store for the world.

Davies, Paul C. (1995). About Time: Einstein's Unfinished Revolution. New York: Simon and Schuster.

A book that has been a long time coming about the implications of Einstein's General Theory of Relativity on time. The book examines the possibilities of time travel, the passage of time, and the beginning of the universe in depth and makes some very interesting conjectures as to what the next breakthrough may be in physics.

Einstein, Albert. (1961). Relativity: The Special and the General Theory. Crown Trade Paperbacks

Who else could write a better popular account of the works of Einstein than Einstein himself. This is perhaps the most easy to follow introduction to Relativity with very little mathematics, but what else could be expected from the greatest mind of the twentieth century, if not all time.

Hawking, Stephen. (1988). A Brief History of Time. Bantam Books.

This book is by far the most popular book about physics appearing on the New York Times best sellers list for over 53 weeks. The book is both broad in its scope and quite comprehensible at the same time by the most famous of modern physicists. A must for any collection and everyone who just wants to know about the world in which we live.

Hawking, Stephen. (1994). Black Holes and Baby Universes and Other Essays. Bantam Books.

Another of Hawking's best sellers, this book is a collection of the many lectures he has given in the past years on such subjects ranging from his bout with Lou Gehrig's Disease to his beliefs on the beginning of the universe. A good book for those that have read A Brief History of Time.

Hawking, Stephen. (1996). The Illustrated A Brief History of Time. Bantam Books

A hardcover and updated edition to Hawking's best selling book with a brand new foreword and chapter on time, as well as over 200 additional computer enhanced images.

Kaku, Michio. (1994). Hyperspace. Oxford University Press.

Another great popular book about the scope of modern physics, yet this book sticks out in its lengthy discussion on String Theory and the Theory of Everything. The author chronicles his own personal efforts to find the ever elusive Theory of Everything, and does a remarkable job of making this esoteric subject both interesting and understandable.

Menzel, Donald H. (1961). Mathematical Physics. Dover Publications.

Highly advanced mathematical discussion of physics which is not for the beginner. Covers mostly the mathematics of General Relativity, Magnetism, Electricity, and Quantum Physics.

Pagel, Heinz R. (1986). Perfect Symmetry: The Search for the Beginning of Time. Bantam Books

A mostly historical book which looks at the pursuit to know the beginning of time. Broken into three sections; one on Astronomy, one on Relativity, and one on Quantum Mechanics, the book is replete with useful information and "wild ideas."

Pais, Abraham. (1982). Subtle is the Lord...The Science and the life of Albert Einstein. Oxford University Press.

This book is the most highly regarded biographical account of Albert Einstein by a man who knew him well. A highly detailed chronicle of the life of this century's greatest intellectual as well as a highly mathematical examination of his work. This book is the most comprehensive and fascinating of its kind.

Peat, F. David. (1987). Synchronicity; The Bridge Between Matter and Mind. Bantam Books.

A fascinating look into the Quantum Theory and what it might mean to the human mind and consciousness. The author examines the idea of Synchronicity, created by the psychologist Carl Jung, to discover if there is more to coincidence and luck from a physical standpoint.

Penrose, Roger. (1991). The Emperor's New Mind. Penguin Books.

A book which attempts to answer the question of how the mind works and whether the idea of artificial intelligence feasible utilizing the ideas of physics and mathematics. This author offers a comprehensive review of the physical advances that this century has seen before ever going into his argument and is quite good in that respect. The author's ideas and research are at the forefront of its kind.

Rothman, Tony. (1995). Instant Physics. New York: Byron Preiss Books.

This book offers a very basic introduction to physics which can be easily followed by virtually everyone. There is very little mathematics involved in this book which is instead full of explanation and anecdotes. This is a very good book for anyone who wants to know the very basics.

Stevens, Charles F. (1995). The Six Core Theories of Modern Physics. MIT Press.

A wonderful book which offers a mathematical review of all the key areas of modern physics. There is a wonderful tutorial on the mathematics employed by physicists before there is any mention of a single physics equation. This book, however, is geared towards those who have already seen the material and want a quick review.

Thorne, Kip S. (1994). Black Holes and Time Warps: Einstein's Outrageous Legacy. W.W. Norton Company

Though the title is a little misleading, this is the leading book on the history of Black Hole research. The discussion is in depth and informative from Isaac Newton to Stephen Hawking with a few pages on Time Warps, but most of the book centers on the "Golden Era" of Black holes in the 1950's. Though the esoteric subject covered in the book sounds more like science fiction at time than science fact, it is wonderfully easy to follow and remarkably captivating.

Weinberg, Steven. (1992). Dreams of a Final Theory. New York: Pantheon Books.

The author, famous as a Nobel laureate for his work on the Electroweak theory, has written a wonderful book about the physicists quest for the Theory of Everything. Using his own work and the work of others, he describes what such a theory would entail and he also discusses the feasibility that any theory which describes all of nature will ever be found. A very easy to read and informative book.