Supplementary Reading for First GR Course: Schutz vs Hartle?

[quasar_4]

I hope this is the right forum to post this...

I'm going through Wald's book in my first graduate level GR course, and am looking for lower level supplementary reading. I have a relatively strong math background, so Wald's language suits me well, but sometimes I feel like I need more elementary background in the physics (this is my first relativity course - I've never even taken special relativity before). I'm contemplating Schutz or Hartle. Which do you recommend as a supplement to Wald?

 

[bcrowell]

I would suggest you start with a good book on SR, such as Spacetime Physics by Taylor and Wheeler.

A possible free alternative to Schutz and Hartle: http://www.lightandmatter.com/genrel/ (I'm the author.)

 

[Fredrik]

I haven't read Hartle (or Taylor and Wheeler), but Schutz has a good introduction to SR and a good introduction to tensors in the context of vector spaces. So it's a good choice. Getting a book on differential geometry would also be a good idea.