Eric Poisson is Professor of Physics at the University of Guelph. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and serves on the editorial boards of Physical Review Letters and Classical and Quantum Gravity. Clifford M. Will is Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Florida and J. S. McDonnell Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St Louis. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Editor-in-Chief of Classical and Quantum Gravity. He is well known for his ability to bring science to broad audiences.

• Preface; 1. Foundations of Newtonian gravity; 2. Structure of self-gravitating bodies; 3. Newtonian orbital dynamics; 4. Minkowski spacetime; 5. Curved spacetime; 6. Post-Minkowskian theory: formulation; 7. Post-Minkowskian theory: implementation; 8. Post-Newtonian theory: fundamentals; 9. Post-Newtonian theory: system of isolated bodies; 10. Post-Newtonian celestial mechanics, astrometry and navigation; 11. Gravitational waves; 12. Radiative losses and radiation reaction; 13. Alternative theories of gravity; References; Index.

'This remarkable book gives a superb pedagogical treatment of topics that are crucial for modern astrophysics and gravitational-wave science, but (sadly) are generally omitted from textbooks on general relativity, or treated much too briefly. With enthusiasm, I recommend this book to all astrophysicists, gravitational physicists, and students of these subjects.' Kip S. Thorne, California Institute of Technology

Eric Poisson is Professor of Physics at the University of Guelph. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and serves on the editorial boards of Physical Review Letters and Classical and Quantum Gravity. Clifford M. Will is Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Florida and J. S. McDonnell Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St Louis. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Editor-in-Chief of Classical and Quantum Gravity. He is well known for his ability to bring science to broad audiences.

• Preface; 1. Foundations of Newtonian gravity; 2. Structure of self-gravitating bodies; 3. Newtonian orbital dynamics; 4. Minkowski spacetime; 5. Curved spacetime; 6. Post-Minkowskian theory: formulation; 7. Post-Minkowskian theory: implementation; 8. Post-Newtonian theory: fundamentals; 9. Post-Newtonian theory: system of isolated bodies; 10. Post-Newtonian celestial mechanics, astrometry and navigation; 11. Gravitational waves; 12. Radiative losses and radiation reaction; 13. Alternative theories of gravity; References; Index.

'This remarkable book gives a superb pedagogical treatment of topics that are crucial for modern astrophysics and gravitational-wave science, but (sadly) are generally omitted from textbooks on general relativity, or treated much too briefly. With enthusiasm, I recommend this book to all astrophysicists, gravitational physicists, and students of these subjects.' Kip S. Thorne, California Institute of Technology

Eric Poisson is Professor of Physics at the University of Guelph. He is a Fellow of the American Physical Society and serves on the editorial boards of Physical Review Letters and Classical and Quantum Gravity. Clifford M. Will is Distinguished Professor of Physics at the University of Florida and J. S. McDonnell Professor Emeritus at Washington University in St Louis. He is a member of the US National Academy of Sciences, and Editor-in-Chief of Classical and Quantum Gravity. He is well known for his ability to bring science to broad audiences.

• Preface; 1. Foundations of Newtonian gravity; 2. Structure of self-gravitating bodies; 3. Newtonian orbital dynamics; 4. Minkowski spacetime; 5. Curved spacetime; 6. Post-Minkowskian theory: formulation; 7. Post-Minkowskian theory: implementation; 8. Post-Newtonian theory: fundamentals; 9. Post-Newtonian theory: system of isolated bodies; 10. Post-Newtonian celestial mechanics, astrometry and navigation; 11. Gravitational waves; 12. Radiative losses and radiation reaction; 13. Alternative theories of gravity; References; Index.

'This remarkable book gives a superb pedagogical treatment of topics that are crucial for modern astrophysics and gravitational-wave science, but (sadly) are generally omitted from textbooks on general relativity, or treated much too briefly. With enthusiasm, I recommend this book to all astrophysicists, gravitational physicists, and students of these subjects.' Kip S. Thorne, California Institute of Technology