If you have a 'strong pure math background', chances are you won't like theoretical physics. Physics is all about positive thinking, results and moving forward.

If you have a 'strong pure math background', chances are you won't like theoretical physics. Physics is all about positive thinking, results and moving forward. As a result the 'theories' aren't theories in the mathematical sense, to a mathematician they're just a bunch of equations thrown together. (My point is, once something 'works', physicists aren't interested in making it mathematically rigorous.) There are no definitions, clearly stated theorems and proofs, instead we have 'physical insight'. They always say the language of physics is mathematics. My take is that physics borrows the syntax of mathematics, but not the semantics. That may not be an exact statement, but hey, I'm a physicist myself =) You will never ever be able to have a 'solid understanding' of modern theoretical physics in the sense you have a solid understanding of complex analysis, noone does. (A notable exception is Relativity.) Nevertheless, some books. Feynman lectures on physics (3 volumes): to learn the 'physical insight' part. Really really good. Landau (many volumes): I personally don't like Landau, but it's pretty standard and comprehensive.