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192010340London: Methuen & Co. LTD 1920. First Edition. Cloth. Near fine. First English edition of Albert Einstein's Special & General Theory of Relativity in publisher's scarce dust jacket. Octavo xiii 3 138pp. 8pp ads. Red cloth title in gilt on spine stamped on cover. "First Published in 1920" statement on copyright page. A few leaves are unopened along the top edge. Light even toning throughout. Front hinge starting to separate but text block stable. Previous ownership inscription on front endpaper. Housed in custom brown leather clamshell lined in tan cloth title in gilt on spine. In publisher's original dust jacket expert restoration to spine and hinges remnants of tape repair to spine exceptionally scarce. First published in German in 1916 this copy is the first English translation of Relativity with the aim of giving "an exact insight into the theory of relativity to those readers who from a general scientific and philosophical point of view are interested in the theory but who are not conversant with the mathematical apparatus of theoretical physics." - Albert Einstein. The first American edition was published later the same year. Methuen & Co. LTD unknown books
19311403337Potsdam Germany 1931. Two letters by Albert Einstein. The first is a single-paged autograph letter signed by Albert Einstein with one horizontal fold and one vertical fold. In Very Good condition . Measuring 22.5 x 28.5 cm. Letter accompanied with mailing envelope both with matching paper-clip rust stain. Letter with some light wear along edges small staining to lower corner.<br /> <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Addressed to G. W. Meyer and dated 8 Oktober 31 in Potsdam the Letter reads in full: "Sehr geehrter Herr! Indem ich Ihnen für die Uebersendung des Buches von Henry George bestens danke sende ich Ihnen anliegend die gewünschte Meinungsäusserung mit der Bitte um Weiterleitung an Mrs. Evans. Mit ausgezeichneter Hochachtung" and signed in ink "A. Einstein". He thanks Meyer for serving as an intermediary in getting a book to him and for forwarding the enclosed letter.<br /> <br> <br /> <br> <br /> The second letter is a typed copy of Einstein's previously enclosed letter presumably made by Meyer before he passed the original on to Evans.<br /> <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Addressed to R. W. Evans and dated 8.10.1931 in Potsdam the letter discusses Henry George's economic theory of poverty and land nationalization compares it to Franz Oppenheimer's work and proposes questions to be asked. Presumably he was sent a copy of Henry George's Progress and Poverty. First published in 1879 it sparked the Progressive Era discussing the paradox of increasing inequality and poverty amid economic and technological progress as well as the economic value of land.<br /> <br> <br /> <br> <br /> Consignment. Shelved Case 3. The Letter reads in full: "Sehr geehrte Mrs. Evans!<br /> Ich habe das Buch von Henry George zum grössten<br /> Teil mit ausserordentlichem Interesse gelesen und glaube dass es in der Hauptsache einen unanfechtbaren Standpunkt vertritt insbesondere was die Ursache der Armut betrifft. Nie in diesem Buch vertretenen Ansichten stimmen soweit ich es beurteilen kann vollkommen mit den Resultaten des zeitgenössischen Professors Franz Oppenheimer überein der sie offenbar selbständig herausgefunden hat. Nicht einverstanden bin ich mit der Theorie des Zinses.<br /> Mit dem vorgeschlagenen Heilmittel der Verstaatlichung des Bodens und der Bodenschätzung scheint mir allerdings mehr ein Problem als eine Lösung gegeben zu sein. Soll z. Beispiel ein Boden Eigentum der Gemeinschaft das darauf hingestellte Haus aber Privateigentum sein Jedenfalls ist es schon von höchster Wichtigkeit dass das Wesen des Uebels klar aufgezeigt ist. Schon darum wäre es wichtig wenn das Buch die ihm gebührende Beachtung fände.<br /> Mit ausgezeichneter Hochachtung<br /> gez. A. Einstein." 1403337. Shelved Dupont Bookstore. unknown
19242905Berlin: Julius Springer 1924. First edition. original wrappers. Very Good. FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS of the presentation of "Bose-Einstein statistics." “In 1924 Bose found a way to derive Planck’s equation for black body radiation using a statistical approach based entirely on the idea that light is made up of tiny particles photons. This echoed the statistical mechanics approach of Ludwig Boltzmann to the behaviour of gases but using a different statistical rule; it derives black body radiation entirely in quantum terms without using the idea of electromagnetic radiation at all. Bose wrote a paper about his discovery and sent it to Albert Einstein who immediately saw its significance translated it into German and arranged for its publication in the prestigious Zeitschrift für Physik. Einstein developed the idea to apply to other kinds of particle not just to a ‘gas’ of photons which is why this approach is usually referred to as ‘Bose-Einstein statistics’. Paul Dirac coined the name ‘bosons’ for particles which obey Bose-Einstein statistics" Gribbin Q is for Quantum.<br /> <br /> Particle Physics: One Hundred Years of Discoveries: “Discovery of new statistical counting rules for light quanta and a new derivation of Planck’s radiation law. Known as Bose-Einstein quantum statistics for particles with integer spins.â€<br /> <br /> WITH a follow-up paper by Bose: "Wärmegleichgewicht im Strahlungsfeld bei Anwesenheit von Materie": "Bose's first paper in 'Zeitschrift für Physik' was followed by another that was also translated by Einstein and published during 1924. In it Bose provided a general statistical treatment of emission and absorption processes for electromagnetic radiation in equilibrium with matter. This paper was accompanied by a note by Einstein expressing serious doubts about the method. In January 1925 Bose wrote to Einstein from Paris that he was working on a paper he felt would remove these doubts. But it seems never to have been completed" DSB.<br /> <br /> Plancks Gesetz und Lichtquantenhypothese. IN: Zeitschrift für Physik Vol 26 No. 3 August 1924 pp. 178-81. Berlin: Julius Springer 1924. “Wärmegleichgewicht†Vol 27 No. 5/6 September 1924 pp. 384-93. Octavo original wrappers. “Planks Gesetz†with small closed tear at rear wrapper edge; otherwise fine condition; “Wärmegleichgewicht†with small chip to base of front wrapper. SCARCE in original wrappers. Julius Springer unknown
H4009Berlin Akademie der Wissenschaften 1931 In: Sitzungsberichte der Königl.Preuss. Akademie der Wissenschaften Band 1931. 4to. S.235-237 258-265 und A. 541-561. Weiters: Schrödinger Erwin: Zur Quantendynamik des Elektrons. S.63-72: Planck Max: Über die Grenzschicht verdünnter Elektrolyte Zweite Mitteilung. S.113-122; Schrödinger Erwin: Über die Umkehrung der Naturgesetze. S.144-153. Halbleinenband der Zeit leicht berieben Bibl.-Nr.am Rücken Original-Broschur miteingebunden unaufgeschnitten gutes Exemplar. unknown
1916432941916. <p>Einstein Albert 1879-1955. Ein einfaches Experiment zum Nachweis der Ampèreschen Molekularströme. Offprint from Verhandlung der Deutschen Physikalischen Gesellschaft 18 1916. 173-177pp. 230 x 157 mm. Original printed wrappers. Fine copy.</p> <p>First Edition Offprint Issue. In 1915 Einstein and Dutch physicist Wander Johannes de Haas conducted gyromagnetic experiments leading to the discovery of the Einstein-de Haas effect which corresponds to the mechanical rotation induced in a ferromagnetic cylinder suspended inside a coil when an impulse of electric current is sent through the coil. Einstein was very enthusiastic about the experimental results stating that he and de Haas had "given firm proof of the existence of Ampère's molecular currents" quoted in Pais Subtle is the Lord pp. 245-246. After his collaboration with de Haas ended Einstein published the present paper on the Einstein-de Haas effect proposing a new experimental method for determining gyromagnetism. The Einstein-de Haas effect is now known to reveal a relationship between magnetism angular momentum and electron spin; however this was not understood at the time as electron spin was not discovered until the 1920s. Weil Albert Einstein Bibliography 82.</p> . unknown books
191667998EinsteinÃs Theory of Relativity in Original Wrappers EINSTEIN Albert. Die Grundlage der allgemeinen Relativit‰tstheorie. Sonderdruck aus den Annalen der Physik Band 49 1916. Leipzig: Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth 1916. First separate printing with significant additions and revisions to the edition printed in the Annalen der Physik. With printerÃs imprint ìDruck von Metzger & Witting in Leipzigî on the verso of the title and the shorter imprint ìMetzger & Witting Leipzigî on the back wrapper. Octavo 9 1/2 x 6 3/8 inches; 240 x 160 mm. 64 pp. Original tan printed wrappers. Some light browning around the edges of the wrappers. Overall an excellent copy with none of the spine erosion or soiling usually found with this fragile item. ìThe authorized version of EinsteinÃs general theory of relativity. The theoryÃs impact upon twentieth-century science and thought can hardly be overstatedî Norman Library 695 describing the first printing. ìThis separate edition is printed on good strong paper the wrappers are of strong material too.and it is described now as ëthe original editionà of this classic paperî Weil. Grolier/Horblit 26c describing the first printing. Norman Library 696. Printing and the Mind of Man 408. Weil 80a. HBS 67998. $7500 Verlag von Johann Ambrosius Barth unknown books
1930019304Havana Cuba: not published 1930. Book. Very good- condition. Unbound. Signed by Authors. First Edition. Folio - over 12 - 15" tall. A page from the guest book register of the Hebrew College in Havana Cuba signed by Albert Einstein. On his journey to America the scientist stopped in Havana for a little over a day. In addition to touring the island and meeting dignitaries Einstein first traveled to the Jewish community and specifically the "Colegio Hebrew del Centro Israelita de Cuba" during his 30 hour visit to Cuba which started on December 19 1930. The double-sided guest book page has 16 entries dating from September 12 1929 to March 9 1931. Some of the visitors who signed the guest book were from the island but several were from the USA. Most of the American visitors were fellow Zionists and/or helped to raise funds for various Jewish causes. The Director of the Hebrew College at that time as identified on the sheet is Dr. Juan del Valle. The page was folded and has numerous paper clip creases and rust stains a few small perforations from staples and has moderate soiling and wear. Included is also a small loose contemporary newsprint photograph of Einstein from a Spanish language newspaper. The entries in chronological order as best as could be transcribed are: 09/12/29 O. Lopez as Inspector Auxilier; 11/14/29 Oscar Lopez giving address as 177 Enrique Villuendas; lengthy handwritten comment in Spanish by O. Lopez; 12/12/29 Dr. Abraham Coralnik 1883-1937 of New York - lengthy handwritten comment in English by Coralnik who was Editor of "The Day" a Yiddish NY newspaper; No date n.d. Emanuel Celler 1888-1981 Brooklyn politician; n.d Morris Fishman - 2252 Gladstone Detroit MI - Vice President of the Detroit Life Insurance Company and fundraiser/spokesperson for United Jewish Campaign including funds for United Hebrew Schools; n.d. Nathan Borin - 3008 Cortland Av Detroit MI - businessman and president of coal dealer partnership Borin Brothers Company; n.d. Mrs. Yenchyl - 1209 Tuilnyame; n.d. Rabbi Louis J. Victor Eppstein - Havana; n.d. Rabbi I. Edward Kiev - NYC 1905-1975 - Head Librarian Hebrew Union College 02/07/30 Oscar Lopez; 06/12/30 Simon Eisenberg - S.A. de los Banes; 06/12/30 Herman Chervony - Havana - member of the Board of "Centro Israelita de Cuba" which was formed in 1925; 12/19/30 A. Einstein - Berlin; 12/12/31 Oscar Gutierrez - Biela 91; 03/09/31 Franco Goires - Monte 163 Alto - Inspector Auxilier. Protected in a Lucite frame. The paper measures 11.75 inches height by 9 inches width. not published Paperback books
19321864np: np 1932. First edition. nb. UNPUBLISHED CANDID PHOTOGRAPHS OF EINSTEIN AND LETTERS BY WILLIAM HUBBARD OFFERING AN INTIMATE VIEW OF THE SCIENTIST ON VACATION. On March 2 1932 at the height of his career and world fame Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa set off on a vacation to their German homeland departing from Los Angeles on the M. S. San Francisco. Another passenger aboard the ship was the renowned music scholar William Lines Hubbard. Famous in his own right Hubbard was the music critic for the Chicago Tribune and author of a definitive 11-volume work on the history of opera published 1908. Accompanying Hubbard was his companion Julia Reid their cabins adjacent to that of the Einstein's. As was the practice during this era Hubbard kept detailed journals and letters of his travel experiences. This collection from the estate of Hubbard contains the following items:
 1. Three unpublished small black-and-white and sepia photographs. The first photograph 4.5" x 2.5" pictures Einstein his wife Elsa the Ship's Captain Hubbard the tall figure and three other of the ship's passengers dated 3/14/32. The second photograph 3.5" x 3.25" is an outstanding full front image of Einstein his wife Elsa and the ship's Captain. The final photograph 4.5" x 2.5" is a full frontal image of Einstein and his wife Elsa both seated in deck chairs with the ship's Captain standing behind.
 2. Typed letter dated March 22 1932 written while sailing through the South Atlantic. Six pages typed front and back on two pieces folded of the ship's original stationary approx. 7.5x11 in. Excerpts on Einstein include:

 Of our Six Passengers two are Prof. Einstein and wife. They are proving very delightful companions-- sincere unaffected and jolly. At first they were very reserved and merely bowed and smiled and "Guten-Morgan-ed" when entering and leaving the dining room but when they had become rested and saw that none of the rest of us planned to intrude they came forward and have been very genial. She is a great talker but talks interestingly. He walks deck smoking his stubby black pipe or whistling cheerily his gray hair blowing in the breeze. Each forenoon and sometimes in the afternoon he goes to the piano and plays for half hour or so. Plays in that satisfying manner peculiar to a man to whom music is a comfort and who thinks musically. It is in no wise brilliant playing but it is throughly enjoyable to hear. The rest of the time he sits in his steamer chair or in his cabin reading or thinking. On the 14th he had his 53rd birthday and the Capt had ordered from La Libertad Salvador where we had taken cargo the day before large bunches of easter and tiger lilies which in the morning were on the Einstein table together with a birthday cake the ship's cook had made and countless cards and letters which friends had sent. It was all a complete surprise to them both and their happiness was childlike in its spontaneity and sincerity. It was heart warming to watch them. They seem to appreciate being left to themselves and not being lionized. It is the third time they have come through the canal on these boards an they enjoy it to the full.
 3. Typed letter dated April 1 1932 written while entering the English Channel. Seven pages on two approx. 8.5x11in sheets folded of the ship's original stationary. Excerpts on Einstein include: 

We had good fun watching for crocodiles along the banks as we came up the cut and Prof Einstein was especially gleeful when he discovered one. Professor Einstein loves the roung sic weather and has reveled in it. He and the Mme are proving very delightful fellow passengers. She is very chatty but chats interestingly and he struts up and down deck smoking his stubby pipe or whistling like a jolly kid his white hair blowing in the breeze. We have some talks occasionally and he yesterday when he saw the copy of Living Philosophies which I had given me sic before I left San Diego and in which his article is the first took the book and autographed his picture and wrote in remembrance of the happy days on board the San Francisco. I don't think I told you of his birthday which occurred on the 14 of March the day before we reached the Canal. The Capt came to know if it and when the Einsteins came to their table at breakfast they found it decorated with three huge vases of Easter and Tiger lilies which the Capt had secured in La Libertad. The cook had made a gorgeously decorated Torte-- one of the filled and frosted German cakes-- and there were letters and telegrams from friends which had been sent in the Capt's care. It was a complete surprise to the Einsteins and they were like two happy kiddies. It was gladdening to watch their simple and keen enjoyment. Later we had pieces of the Torte which were a bit of muchness for breakfast but which of course we ate. 
4. Typed letter dated April 24 1932 written in Merano Italy. Six pages on five 5.5x7in sheets. 

While recalling a cargo transfer on the M. S. San Fransisco Hubbard writes: The Einsteins were especially enthusiastic and we had a great fun over the boss of the unloading. He was a huge and tremendously rotund gent wearing a soft felt hat and a short overcoat the buttons of which seemed fated to "bust off" at any moment. His chief employment seemed to be running about from side to side of the dock into the warehouse and out again clambering onboard and then clambering off and all the time shouting orders at the top of his voice and gesticulating wildly. Einstein had been reading the "Living Philosophies" which I had loaned him and was especially curious concerning Mencken and how he happened to be included in the great ones in the book. I gave him an outline of Mr. M's greatness and assured him that the book cold sic well largely on account of M being included. All of which amused the Einsteins greatly. So when this wild boss hove into sight that morning and began his excited directing Mrs E said "there is Mister Mencken" and thus he remained so long as we were in Rotterdam. The Einsteins were starting early the next morning for Berlin so they went about 9 pm to the custom house and had their 16 packages bundles and gifts examined. Frau Professor had a funny story to tell of their experience with the 150 pound bag of coffee that had been presented them in Salvador. 


5. An official passenger list from the M. S. San Francisco printed on the ship's original stationary 4.75" x 8.25" dated March 2 1932. With "Professor Albert Einstein" and "Mrs. Albert Einstein" shown under the list of cabin passengers going from Los Angeles to Bremen.


 6. A postcard depicting Hubbard's profile in black and white 3.45" x 5.45".

 All items in very good condition letters with wear and soiling at folds and housed in a custom cloth presentation folder. RARE FIRST-HAND TESTIMONY REVEALING THE PERSONALITY OF EINSTEIN IN RELAXED AND INFORMAL MOMENTS. np unknown books
192468960Berlin 1924. Berlin: 1924.<br> <br> Full Description:<br> <br> EINSTEIN Albert. Autograph Letter Signed. Berlin: 9. IX September 1924.<br> <br> Autograph letter signed "A. Einstein" to Mr. Zeisler. One quarto page 11 x 8 1/2 inches; 280 x 217 mm. Manuscript letter on recto verso blank. With one horizontal center crease and one vertical center crease as expected in a letter. A few other light creases. Some minor chipping along edges. A closed split along horizontal crease not affecting manuscript. Overall very good.<br> <br> This letter with text in German is addressed to "Herr Dr. Zeisler" Sigmund Zeisler an German-Jewish U.S. attorney born in Austria. He was known for his defense of radicals in Chicago in the 1880s also known as the Haymarket Affair. His wife was the famous concert pianist Fannie Bloomfield Zeisler. Some unproven sources have said that Zeisler was Einstein's lawyer but regardless it is known that he and Einstein were good friends and had much correspondence over the years. According to "The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein" published by Princeton University Einstein was in correspondence during the 1920s with Zeisler regarding various American investments. According to a letter from Zeisler to Einstein on October 15 1921 "Zeisler had invested $4300 in American shares on Einstein's behalf in October 1921. He subsequently informed Einstein of the accumulated interest." Einstein wrote another letter in April of 1924 asking Zeisler to transfer American investments to his daughter and soon to be son-in-law as a dowery. Zeisler was to ensure the interest was paid on an annual basis to his daughter. In this present letter just six months later Einstein is thanking Zeisler for doing "many good things" and stating that he looks forward to seeing him again in Berlin.<br> <br> Translated by an outside party:<br> <br> "9. IX. 24. Dear Dr Zeisler Many thanks for your friendly and clearly stateed letter. Of course I agree with the offer. I immediately wrote the letter. Since I don;t know the exact address I an sending you the letter and ask that you forward it. It pleases me that we shall see each other again in Berlin. You have done many good things for which I thank you. I know that you have done these things gladly since you are a good person. Regards to you your wife and to your sons. A. Einstein."<br> <br> HBS 68960.<br> <br> $7500. Berlin unknown
19321864np: np 1932. First edition. nb. UNPUBLISHED CANDID PHOTOGRAPHS OF EINSTEIN AND LETTERS BY WILLIAM HUBBARD OFFERING AN INTIMATE VIEW OF THE SCIENTIST ON VACATION. On March 2 1932 at the height of his career and world fame Albert Einstein and his wife Elsa set off on a vacation to their German homeland departing from Los Angeles on the M. S. San Francisco. Another passenger aboard the ship was the renowned music scholar William Lines Hubbard. Famous in his own right Hubbard was the music critic for the Chicago Tribune and author of a definitive 11-volume work on the history of opera published 1908. Accompanying Hubbard was his companion Julia Reid their cabins adjacent to that of the Einstein's. As was the practice during this era Hubbard kept detailed journals and letters of his travel experiences. <br /> <br /> This collection from the estate of Hubbard contains the following items: <br /> <br /> 1. Three unpublished small black-and-white and sepia photographs. The first photograph 4.5" x 2.5" pictures Einstein his wife Elsa the Ship's Captain Hubbard the tall figure and three other of the ship's passengers dated 3/14/32. The second photograph 3.5" x 3.25" is an outstanding full front image of Einstein his wife Elsa and the ship's Captain. The final photograph 4.5" x 2.5" is a full frontal image of Einstein and his wife Elsa both seated in deck chairs with the ship's Captain standing behind. <br /> <br /> 2. Typed letter dated March 22 1932 written while sailing through the South Atlantic. Six pages typed front and back on two pieces folded of the ship's original stationary approx. 7.5x11 in. Excerpts on Einstein include: <br /> <br /> Of our Six Passengers two are Prof. Einstein and wife. They are proving very delightful companions-- sincere unaffected and jolly. At first they were very reserved and merely bowed and smiled and "Guten-Morgan-ed" when entering and leaving the dining room but when they had become rested and saw that none of the rest of us planned to intrude they came forward and have been very genial. She is a great talker but talks interestingly. He walks deck smoking his stubby black pipe or whistling cheerily his gray hair blowing in the breeze. Each forenoon and sometimes in the afternoon he goes to the piano and plays for half hour or so. Plays in that satisfying manner peculiar to a man to whom music is a comfort and who thinks musically. It is in no wise brilliant playing but it is throughly enjoyable to hear. The rest of the time he sits in his steamer chair or in his cabin reading or thinking. On the 14th he had his 53rd birthday and the Capt had ordered from La Libertad Salvador where we had taken cargo the day before large bunches of easter and tiger lilies which in the morning were on the Einstein table together with a birthday cake the ship's cook had made and countless cards and letters which friends had sent. It was all a complete surprise to them both and their happiness was childlike in its spontaneity and sincerity. It was heart warming to watch them. <br /> <br /> They seem to appreciate being left to themselves and not being lionized. It is the third time they have come through the canal on these boards an they enjoy it to the full. <br /> <br /> 3. Typed letter dated April 1 1932 written while entering the English Channel. Seven pages on two approx. 8.5x11in sheets folded of the ship's original stationary. Excerpts on Einstein include:<br /> <br /> We had good fun watching for crocodiles along the banks as we came up the cut and Prof Einstein was especially gleeful when he discovered one.<br /> <br /> Professor Einstein loves the roung sic weather and has reveled in it. He and the Mme are proving very delightful fellow passengers. She is very chatty but chats interestingly and he struts up and down deck smoking his stubby pipe or whistling like a jolly kid his white hair blowing in the breeze. <br /> <br /> We have some talks occasionally and he yesterday when he saw the copy of Living Philosophies which I had given me sic before I left San Diego and in which his article is the first took the book and autographed his picture and wrote in remembrance of the happy days on board the San Francisco. I don't think I told you of his birthday which occurred on the 14 of March the day before we reached the Canal. The Capt came to know if it and when the Einsteins came to their table at breakfast they found it decorated with three huge vases of Easter and Tiger lilies which the Capt had secured in La Libertad. The cook had made a gorgeously decorated Torte-- one of the filled and frosted German cakes-- and there were letters and telegrams from friends which had been sent in the Capt's care. It was a complete surprise to the Einsteins and they were like two happy kiddies. It was gladdening to watch their simple and keen enjoyment. Later we had pieces of the Torte which were a bit of muchness for breakfast but which of course we ate.<br /> <br /> 4. Typed letter dated April 24 1932 written in Merano Italy. Six pages on five 5.5x7in sheets. While recalling a cargo transfer on the M. S. San Fransisco Hubbard writes: <br /> <br /> The Einsteins were especially enthusiastic and we had a great fun over the boss of the unloading. He was a huge and tremendously rotund gent wearing a soft felt hat and a short overcoat the buttons of which seemed fated to "bust off" at any moment. His chief employment seemed to be running about from side to side of the dock into the warehouse and out again clambering onboard and then clambering off and all the time shouting orders at the top of his voice and gesticulating wildly. Einstein had been reading the "Living Philosophies" which I had loaned him and was especially curious concerning Mencken and how he happened to be included in the great ones in the book. I gave him an outline of Mr. M's greatness and assured him that the book cold sic well largely on account of M being included. All of which amused the Einsteins greatly. So when this wild boss hove into sight that morning and began his excited directing Mrs E said "there is Mister Mencken" and thus he remained so long as we were in Rotterdam.<br /> <br /> The Einsteins were starting early the next morning for Berlin so they went about 9 pm to the custom house and had their 16 packages bundles and gifts examined. Frau Professor had a funny story to tell of their experience with the 150 pound bag of coffee that had been presented them in Salvador.<br /> <br /> 5. An official passenger list from the M. S. San Francisco printed on the ship's original stationary 4.75" x 8.25" dated March 2 1932. With "Professor Albert Einstein" and "Mrs. Albert Einstein" shown under the list of cabin passengers going from Los Angeles to Bremen. <br /> <br /> 6. A postcard depicting Hubbard's profile in black and white 3.45" x 5.45". <br /> <br /> All items in very good condition letters with wear and soiling at folds and housed in a custom cloth presentation folder. <br /> <br /> RARE FIRST-HAND TESTIMONY REVEALING THE PERSONALITY OF EINSTEIN IN RELAXED AND INFORMAL MOMENTS. np unknown
19215136166150><p><strong>EINSTEIN Albert.</strong> <em>Relativity: The Special and the General Theory.</em></p><p>New York: Henry Holt and Company 1921. "3rd Large Printing." Octavo. Original blue cloth lettered in gilt on the front board. Portrait frontispiece of Einstein. Original publisher's dust jacket printed in black on tan paper. Cloth exceptionally clean and bright for this title the gilt lettering sharp; minor wear at extremities. Dust jacket with a moderate chip at the crown of the spine extending slightly into the upper panel smaller chips and short closed tears along edges and general toning consistent with age. Near Fine in Very Good- jacket.</p><p>Einstein's celebrated non-technical exposition of his revolutionary theory written to explain the principles of relativity to an educated general audience. First published in German in 1916 and translated into English by Robert W. Lawson in 1920 the work quickly became the most widely read introduction to modern physics in the early twentieth century and played a major role in disseminating Einstein's ideas beyond the scientific community.</p><p>Copies of the early Holt printings rarely survive in their original jackets which were printed on thin paper and typically discarded or heavily worn through use. The present example a 1921 "3rd Large Printing" represents an unusually early survival in dust jacket. At the time of cataloguing only one earlier jacketed printing appears to be offered on the market making this among the earliest obtainable examples of Einstein's landmark work in its original publisher's jacket. The survival of the jacket combined with the remarkably clean cloth makes this a particularly desirable example of one of the foundational popular works of twentieth-century science.</p> Henry Holt and Company hardcover
1932180272Easton Pennsylvania: Mack Printing Company 1932. Einstein revises his "biggest blunder" First edition journal issue of the paper in which Einstein rejected his 1917 cosmological constant and acknowledged the expansion of the universe. Drawing on Hubble's law Einstein and de Sitter proposed that the constant should be set equal to zero thereby offering a new model of the universe. "In 1917 Einstein had shown how to construct a universe that was static by introducing a 'cosmological constant' into his equations. This matched well with the idea current before Hubble's 1924 measurement of the distances to the nebulae of a small and static 'universe' that was confined to the stars of the Milky Way galaxy. Einstein's idea of a static universe suspended between gravity pulling inward and the cosmological constant making the universe expand was ruled out by Hubble's data" Kirshner pp. 9-12. In Einstein and de Sitter's revised model "the galaxies receded forever but the recession rate declines to zero as time approaches infinity. Some sources indicate that this is the first attempt to describe our universe rather than a mathematical abstraction of universes possible under general relativity. Shortly after Einstein formally renounced his cosmological constant and according to George Gamow called it 'the biggest blunder of my life'" Wenner. Einstein and de Sitter 1872-1934 were close collaborators in the 1920s at Leiden where de Sitter was chair of astronomy and Einstein was a visiting professor. De Sitter is also known for the concepts of De Sitter space and the De Sitter universe. Large octavo. Original brown wrappers covers printed in black. Short closed tears to spine a little loss to ends corners gently creased: a very good copy. Boni 214; Weil 184; Wenner p. 256. Robert P. Kirshner "Hubble's Diagram and Cosmic Expansion" Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America vol. 101 no. 1 December 2003. unknown
1925140941837Berlin: No Publisher 1925. Revised edition. 783-797 pp. Publisher's original printed wrappers. About Very Good with thin tear along front wrap fold near head a little chipping to wraps at spine front wrap hinge fragile contents toned with age. This copy belonged to Hans Albert Einstein Albert Einstein’s oldest son with his inkstamp at top of front wrapper; likely a presentation copy from his father. Neatly written at top of front wrapper are "41" and 163."<br /> <br /> <p>Very rare author's offprint from Die Kulture der Gegenwart of an essay on relativity theory which was first published in 1914 revised to incorporate Einstein's later research. OCLC/WorldCat locates no physical copies. Weil 71. [No Publisher] unknown
193067602Paris: Edition de la Galerie Simon 1930. Fine. Edition de la Galerie Simon Paris 1930 19 x 25 cm relié Entwurf einer Landschaft Sketch of a Landscape Édition de la Galerie Simon Paris 1930 19 x 25 cm full calf First edition one of 90 numbered copies on Holland paper signed by Carl Einstein and Gaston-Louis Roux on the justification page the only issue with 10 copies on Japan paper and 10 on Chapelle paper. With five full page black lithographs by Gaston-Louis Roux one of which on the frontispiece. Binding in full brown-pink box spine with blue pink and green title in ser significant inlaid decoration on the boards four bands of five strips of pink purple green and blue calf arranged around a central piece of rectangular multi-colored marbled box endpapers in flesh-side pink suede wrappers and spine preserved all edges gilt dust jacket in half brown-pink box spine with blue pink and green title in ser slip case lined with brown-pink box binding signed by Georges Leroux and dated 1994. Carl Einstein is an anarchist writer art historian friend of George Grosz Georges Braque and Pablo Picasso collaborator of Jean Renoir lived through the wars and revolutions that shook Europe during the first part of the twentieth century. He volunteer during the Spanish civil revolution in 1936 and went to Barcelona to fight in the ranks of the Confédération nationale du tra vail National Labor Confederation before joining the Groupe international de la Colonne Durruti Durruti Column International Group. Of Jewish faith he committed suicide in 1940 to avoid failing into the hands of the Nazis. Magnificent copy perfectly set in a full inlaid box binding signed by Georges Leroux one of the greatest binders of the second part of the 20th century. Edition de la Galerie Simon hardcover
1916188045Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth 1916. The foundation of general relativity First separate edition first issue of the work presenting the finalized version of general relativity. The Grundlage was also published in the Annalen der Physik in 1916 but Weil clarifies that the separate publication is now accepted as the earliest published edition of the paper. Einstein had almost finalized the general theory of relativity in 1913. However an error led him to contend that his equations could not be covariant - that they could not be applied without a system of spacetime co-ordinates devised by humans and therefore contextually specific. His first attempt at an overall presentation of the theory as delivered in 1914 was based on this assumption. By 1915 his subsequent reflections had driven him to reapply covariance and in November he published several papers outlining covariant field equations of general relativity. The present work adapts the comprehensive perspective of the 1914 paper with the revised mathematics of the 1915 equations to present "the first systematic exposition of general relativity" Janssen p. 1. Tilman Sauer notes that "in essence Einstein's general theory of relativity of 1916 remains today's accepted theory of the gravitational field" p. 24. This copy includes all the necessary first issue points: the imprint "Druck von Metzger & Wittig in Leipzig. 314" on the title page verso; Ziehen's Die Psychologie as the last title listed in the publisher's advertisement on the rear wrapper; and the imprint "Metzger & Wittig Leipzig" on the rear wrapper. Octavo. Device to title page formulae in the text. Original tan vertically ribbed wrappers printed in black. Light creasing and foxing to otherwise bright wrappers title page remargined at head not affecting text contents crisp: a near-fine copy. Norman 696; Printing and the Mind of Man 408; Weil 80a. Michael Janssen "Einstein's First Systematic Exposition of General Relativity" 2004; Tilman Sauer "Albert Einstein's 1916 Review Article on General Relativity" in Ivor Grattan-Guiness ed. Landmark Writings in Western Mathematics 1640-1940 2004. unknown
19361198491936. Rare typed letter signed by Albert Einstein. One page typescript text in German. The letter is dated 19 June 1936 and addressed to Dr. Hugo Bergman Hebrew University Jerusalem and reads: Lieber Herr Bergmann: Ueberbringer dieses Briefes ist "Seine amerikanische Heiligkeit" Rabbi Silberfeld von Newark New Jersey ein guter Bekannter von mir. Zuhause aller Wege kundig nicht aber in Palaestina. Es ware lieb von Ihnen wenn Sie ihm ein paar Winke gaben damit er sich dort zurechtfindet. Herzlich grusst Sie Ihr "A. Einstein." This translates as: Dear Mr. Bergmann: The bearer of this letter is "His American Holiness" Rabbi Silberfeld of Newark New Jersey a good friend of mine. At home he knows all the ways but not in Palestine. It would be nice of you if you gave him a few hints. yours "A. Einstein." Einstein's close personal friend Rabbi Julius Silberfeld was the rabbi of Temple B'nai Abraham in Newark New Jersey from 1902 to 1939. After it became clear that he could not return to Germany with Hitler's rise to power during his 1933 visit to the United States Einstein resided in England and Belgium for several months before returning to the U.S. where he accepted a position at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton New Jersey noted for having become a refuge for scientists fleeing Nazi Germany. It was here that he likely met and formed a close bond with Rabbi Silberfeld. The recipient of the letter Hugo Bergmann was the first rector of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem between 1935 and 1938 which Einstein was instrumental in establishing in 1925 and was among its first Board of Governors. The letter is in near fine condition with a small paper clip imprint. Desirable with noted provenance. Albert Einstein developed the general theory of relativity one of the two pillars of modern physics alongside quantum mechanics. Einstein's work is also known for its influence on the philosophy of science. Einstein is best known in popular culture for his mass-energy equivalence formula E = mc2 which has been dubbed "the world's most famous equation". He received the 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics for his "services to theoretical physics" in particular his discovery of the law of the photoelectric effect a pivotal step in the evolution of quantum theory David Bodanis. unknown books
19472187Princeton NJ: Halsman 1947. Photograph. Fine. ONE OF THE MOST FAMOUS IMAGES OF EINSTEIN. Philippe Halsman's now iconic 1947 photograph of Einstein has become not only one of the most celebrated images of Einstein but one of the most recognizable images of the twentieth century. It was used to a 1966 US postage stamp of Einstein and was featured on the cover of Time Magazine honoring Einstein as the "Person of the Century".

 The photographer Halsman in his book Philippe Halsman: A Retrospective explained the circumstances of the photo: I admired Albert Einstein more than anyone I ever photographed not only as the genius who single-handedly had changed the foundation of modern physics but even more as a rare and idealistic human being.
 Personally I owed him an immense debt of gratitude. After the fall of France it was through his personal intervention that my name was added to the list of artists and scientists who in danger of being captured by the Nazis were given emergency visas to the United States.
 After my miraculous rescue I went to Princeton to thank Einstein and I remember vividly my first impression. Instead of a frail scientist I saw a deep-chested man with a resonant voice and a hearty laugh.
 The question of how to capture the essence of such a man in a portrait filled me with apprehension. Finally in 1947 I had the courage to bring on one of my visits my Halsman camera and a few floodlights. After tea I asked for permission to set up my lights in Einstein's study. The professor sat down and started peacefully working on his mathematical calculations. I took a few pictures. Ordinarily Einstein did not like photographers whom he called Lichtaffen light monkeys. But he cooperated because I was his guest and after all he had helped save me.
 Suddenly looking into my camera he started talking. He spoke about his despair that his formula E=mc2 and his letter to President Roosevelt had made the atomic bomb possible that his scientific search had resulted in the death of so many human beings. "Have you read" he asked "that powerful voices in the United States are demanding that the bomb be dropped on Russia now before the Russians have time to perfect their own" With my entire being I felt how much this infinitely good and compassionate man was suffering from the knowledge that he had helped to put in the hands of politicians a monstrous weapon of devastation and death.
 He grew silent. His eyes had a look of immense sadness. There was a question and a reproach in them.
 The spell of this moment almost paralyzed me. Then with an effort I released the shutter of my camera. Einstein looked up and I asked him "So you don't believe that there will ever be peace"
 "No" he answered. "As long as there will be man there will be wars." Silver prints of this photograph have been printed in different sizes over the years. This photograph is an official Halsman silver print with his copyright hand-stamp on the verso measuring approximately 10x13 inches. Princeton NJ. Silver print. Taken 1947; printed 1970s. Image: 13x10 inches 33x25.4 cm. Archivally matted and framed under UV-protecting museum glass to an overall size of 18.5x22 inches. A stunning piece in fine condition. Halsman unknown books
19122508Paris: Gauthier-Villars 1912. First edition. Original wrappers custom box. Very Good. RARE FIRST EDITION IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS OF THE REPORTS FROM THE HISTORIC FIRST SOLVAY CONFERENCE "THE FIRST INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE IN PHYSICS EVER ORGANIZED" AND A CRITICAL MOMENT IN THE BIRTH OF QUANTUM PHYSICS. In the short time that followed Planck's hypothesis of the universal constant that would bear his name the greatest minds in physics were largely at a loss about how to deal with the bizarre theoretical results that followed let alone the experimental results which confirmed them!. Much of the focus at the time was on black-body radiation including work by Planck himself as well as Lorentz Rayleigh and Jeans. However shortly before the first Solvay conference a young Einstein had also started investigating the related question of materials' specific heat. Kuhn. "The purpose of the first Solvay Conference was thus two-fold: first there was the need to examine whether classical theories molecular-kinetic theory and electrodynamics could in some undiscovered ways provide an explanation of the problem of black-body radiation and of the specific heat of polyatomic substances at low temperatures; secondly to consider phenomena in which the theory of quanta could be successfully used." Mehra.<br /> <br /> Underlying these questions was the more fundamental mystery of how to interpret the existence of the Planck constant. There were two camps both of which were represented at the conference. Planck's took the constant to indicate some fundamental constraint on the radiative processes of emission and absorption. For example "Sommerfeld introduced a version of the quantum hypothesis which he considered to be compatible with classical electrodynamics. He postulated that in 'every purely molecular process' a quantized quantity of action is exchanged." Staumann. Einstein's camp on the other hand took the quantum of action to represent the physicality of a perhaps pseudo-corpuscular theory of energy exchange - his photons of light.<br /> <br /> Although the debates that followed the lectures included in the proceedings did not rise to the famous heated exchange that Einstein would have with Bohr at the 1927 Solvay conference we do see some of the young Einstein's hotheadedness as he opens the debate following Planck's plenary lecture: "What I find strange about the way Mr. Planck applies Boltzmann's equation is that he introduces a state probability W without giving this quantity a physical definition. If one proceeds in such a way then to begin with Boltzmann's equation does not have a physical meaning." As translated by Straumann.<br /> <br /> It would take another 14 years for quantum mechanics to be fully formalized but the first Solvay conference represents a pivotal point in quantum history:<br /> <br /> "During 1911 the situation changed quickly. Articles that applied the quantum to other topics then outnumbered those on blackbody radiation for the first time and some were backed by impressive experimental evidence. In part because of that evidence physicists like Planck and Lorentz who had previously taken the constant h to be characteristic only of the radiation problem began to consider additional areas in which others had earlier staked quantum claims." Kuhn.<br /> <br /> Albert Einstein and the Solvay Conference:<br /> <br /> Among the most renown scientists of the day - including Ernest Rutherford Marie Curie and Max Planck - Einstein made quite an impression. At age 32 he was the second youngest participant in the conference. The youngest was British physicist Frederick Lindemann later to become scientific adviser to Winston Churchill.<br /> <br /> Although "Einstein had already published so many masterpieces none had actually been put to the test and his theories were looked on rather as tours de force than as definitive additions to knowledge. But his pre-eminence among the twelve greatest theoretical physicists of the day was clear to any unprejudiced observer." Frederick Lindemann quoted in Brian.<br /> <br /> References: Headline quote from the Solvay Institute website. Kuhn T. 1978 Black Body Theory and the Quantum Discontinuity 1894-1912. University of Chicago Press. Mehra J. 1975 The Solvay Conferences on Physics: Aspects of the Development of Physics Since 1911. Straumann N. 2011. On the first Solvay Congress in 1911. The European Physical Journal H 363 379-399. Denis Brian Einstein: A Life p.82.<br /> <br /> Paris: Gauthier-Villars 1912. Octavo original wrappers; custom box. Splits to top and bottom joint of upper wrapper two creases to front wrapper. Text in fine condition largely unopened. <br /> <br /> FIRST PRINTINGS IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS ARE EXTREMELY SCARCE. Gauthier-Villars unknown
193481265Paris: Flammarion 1934. Fine. Flammarion Paris 1934 12 x 19 cm relié Comment je vois le Monde The World as I See It Paris 1934 12x19cm bound. First edition of the French translation published a year before the English translation one of 10 numbered copies on Hollande most limited deluxe issue. Dark gray half morocco binding spine with five raised bands patterned paper boards gray paper endpapers and pastedowns covers and spine preserved slightly wrinkled and with small tears top edge gilt over untrimmed edges binding signed P. Goy & C. Vilaine. A few foxing spots to endpapers and to some leaves on the untrimmed edges bookplate on pastedown. A very rare untrimmed copy of this fundamental text by the brilliant scientist. Flammarion hardcover
193067602Edition de la Galerie Simon | Paris 1930 | 19 x 25 cm | relié
193481265Flammarion | Paris 1934 | 12 x 19 cm | relié
192749047Berlin: Ernst Wasmuth A.-G 1927. First edition. Good- to fine condition. 176/330. 41 1pp. 42 plates with printed tissue guards. Original quarter vellum over brown paper-covered boards with gilt vignette on cover gilt lettering on spine. Title page with publisher's device and black double frame. Cover design by Lucian Zabel. With an introduction on Russian culture the tradition of ballet and theater set and costume design by Carl Einstein. Many of the plates with dates ranging from 1910 to 1923 including motifs created during the war. The motifs of the plates range from close-up figure drawings to simple folk costumes elaborate gowns for members of the Court mystical figures and various set designs.<br /> <br /> Illustrated with forty-two plates nineteen of them fully or partially colored by hand or pochoir some heightened in gilt or silver three b/w one sepia-toned lithograph and nineteen plates reproduced in high quality offset printing. The title page calls for forty-two plates and six illustrations in the text. Our copy is illustrated with seven tipped-in color offset reproductions and one b/w lithograph as endpiece on page seventeen.<br /> <br /> In addition the work is extra-illustrated with five color offset reproductions: one full-page embossed color plate with extensive hand-applied gilt overlay facing page seven Le Roi a full-page embossed color offset reproduction with extensive silver overlay facing plate one Phedre Thesee dated 1923 and three full page color offset reproductions facing plates fifteen L'Amazone with black overprinting twenty-five Scheherazade embossed and heightened in silver and Lampe d'Aladin multicolor overprint and thirty-six La Sultane embossed and overprinted in gilt facing the same image though with greater detail.<br /> <br /> The copies listed in OCLC vary in publication dates all calling for 42 plates and six in-text illustrations. Auction records call for 1925. One auction record for the 1925 edition calls for the lithograph line drawing in the text. Our copy contains two plates dated 1922 in addition to others dated 1917. We've been unable to find any bibliographic record that describes seven in-text illustrations or the five additional illustrations facing four of the plates and the first page of the text as described.<br /> <br /> Text in German. Binding with light wear along edges but vellum smudged and variously discolored. Block lightly starting at a few plates 11 15 19 27 30 42. A couples of tissue guards for plates loose but present. Binding in overall good- plates in very good to fine condition. Leon Bakst 1866-1924 was a Russian painter costume and set designer. Bakst studied art at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts and was a member of the Sergei Diaghilev circle. In 1893 he moved to Paris for four years studying at the Academy Julian. He founded the magazine 'Mir Iskusstva World of Art' with his friends Alexander Benois Sergei Diaghilev and Valentin Serov. Bakst is best known for his work in set and costume design for the Ballet Russes. Ernst Wasmuth A.-G unknown
19052103Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth 1905. First edition. Contemporary morocco over marbled boards. Very Good. FIRST PRINTING of Albert Einstein's groundbreaking 1905 paper the introduction and derivation of the most famous equation in modern physics: E=mc2. "A few months after first publishing the theory of relativity Einstein discovered something that particularly intrigued him; the relation between inertial mass and energy. He wrote to Conrad Habicht during the summer of 1905: 'One more consequence of the paper on electrodynamics has also occurred to me. The principle of relativity in conjunction with Maxwell's equations requires that mass be a direct measure of the energy contained in a body; light carries mass with it. A noticeable decrease of mass should occur in the case of radium. The argument is amusing and seductive but for all I know the Lord might be laughing over it and leading me around by the nose'" Stachel Einstein's Miraculous Year. Einstein continued to work late into the summer on this "amusing and seductive" problem before proving the mass-energy relationship that would become known throughout the world as the simple and elegant E=mc2. Received by Annalen der Physik on September 27 Einstein's derivation and proof of his most famous equation was a dramatic contribution to his annus mirabilis of 1905. Weil 10. Note: In this paper and others until 1912 Einstein used the symbol "L" for energy in his equations and wrote the formula in the form: Mass= L/c2. In: Annalen der Physik Vierte Folge Volume 18 part 13 pages 639-41. Leipzig: Barth 1905. Octavo contemporary half-morocco over marbled boards. The whole volume 18 offered complete with volume halt-title title and contents. Some scuffing to spine of binding; text exceptionally fine. A rare copy in a contemporary binding with no institutional stamps. Johann Ambrosius Barth unknown books
19482327Princeton NJ: np 1948. framed. Fine. ONE OF THE MOST CELEBRATED IMAGES OF EINSTEIN SIGNED BY MASTER PHOTOGRAPHER YOUSUF KARSH. On February 11 1948 Yousuf Karsh perhaps the most accomplished portrait photographer of his generation visited The Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton to fulfill a dream of his: to photograph Albert Einstein. As he later explained: "Among the tasks that life as a photographer had set me a portrait of Albert Einstein had always seemed a 'must' - not only because this greatest refugee of our century has been accounted by all the world as the most outstanding scientist since Newton but because his face in all its rough grandeur invited and challenged the camera." Karsh: Beyond the Camera David Travis ed. "At Princeton's Institute for Advanced Study I found Einstein a simple kindly almost childlike man too great for any of the postures of eminence. One did not have to understand his science to feel the power of his mind or the force of his personality" official Karsh website. "Awed before this unique intellect I yet ventured to ask Einstein his views on human immortality. He mused for a moment and then replied 'What I believe of immortality There are two kinds. The first lives in the imagination of people and is thus an illusion. There is a relative immortality which may conserve the memory of an individual for some generations. But there is only one true immortality on a cosmic scale ant that is the immortality of the cosmos itself. There is no other.' "He spoke of these ultimate mysteries as calmly as he might a student's question about mathematics - with such an air of quiet confidence indeed that I found his answer profoundly disturbing to one who held other views. Knowing him to be an accomplished violinist I turned the conversation and asked if there were any connection between music and mathematics. 'In art he said 'and in the higher ranges of science there is a feeling of harmony which underlies all endeavour. There is no true greatness in art or science without that sense of harmony. He who lacks it can never be more than a great technician in either field.' "Was he optimistic about the future harmony of mankind itself He appeared to ponder deeply and remarked in graver tones: 'Optimistic No. But if mankind fails to find a harmonious solution than there will be disaster on a dimension beyond anyone's imagination.' To what source should we look for the hope of the world's future 'To ourselves' said Einstein. He spoke sadly yet serenely as one who had looked into the universe far past mankind's small affairs. In this humor my camera caught him. the portrait of a man who had traveled beyond hope or despair." Yousuf Karsh Regarding Heroes. Opening quote from: Colin Naylor ed. Contemporary Photographers. Silver print. Photo taken Princeton 1948. Printed later. Signed by Karsh in full beneath the image on photographer's mount. With Karsh's original calling "card" - a 4x10 inch cardboard slip - included. Image: 8x9 inches. Framed to an overall size of 12x15 inches. Fine condition. np unknown books
19166409Berlin: Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1916. First edition. <p>First editions extremely rare author's presentation offprint not to be confused with the much more common trade separate - see below from the library of the great German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld of Einstein's derivation of the field equations of gravitation from a variational principle. This was the first time Einstein had derived the field equations of gravitation in arbitrary coordinates - in his celebrated 1915 papers he derived the equations in generally-covariant form but only in special 'unimodular' coordinates.</p>. THE GRAVITATIONAL EQUATIONS FROM A VARIATIONAL PRINCIPLE. <p>First editions extremely rare author's presentation offprint not to be confused with the much more common trade separate - see below from the library of the great German physicist Arnold Sommerfeld of Einstein's derivation of the field equations of gravitation from a variational principle. This was the first time Einstein had derived the field equations of gravitation in arbitrary coordinates - in his celebrated 1915 papers he derived the equations in generally-covariant form but only in special 'unimodular' coordinates. In the early 19th century William Rowan Hamilton 1805-65 showed that Newton's equations of motion for a classical mechanical system were equivalent to the statement that the 'action' of the system now called the Lagrangian has a stationary value generally a minimum. A first variational approach to the gravitational field equations of general relativity was unsuccessfully sketched by Einstein and Marcel Grossmann in 1913-1914 and subsequently by Einstein himself in 1914 the so-called Entwurf Theory. But Einstein's 1914 theory was invalidated by a misconception related to the physically unjustified requirement of restricting the covariance of the gravitational field equations and by some mathematical errors in a crucial proof in the theory. Between March and May 1915 the Italian mathematician Tullio Levi-Civita 1873-1941 in his private correspondence with Einstein singled out the mathematical flaws of the Entwurf theory setting Einstein back on the path of general covariance which eventually brought him in November 1915 to the correct formulation of the gravitational field equations. Also in November 1915 the great German mathematician David Hilbert 1862-1943 published an article in which he correctly showed that Einstein's gravitational field equations could be obtained from a variational principle at least in the presence of an electromagnetic field. Five days later independently of Hilbert Einstein obtained in the present paper the same results thus obtaining the definitive variational formulation of the field equations. Einstein considered his approach to be more general than Hilbert's as Hilbert had made some hypotheses about matter which Einstein dispensed with Einstein also refused to accept the electromagnetic origin of matter which Hilbert had assumed. In the course of this paper Einstein also proved a special case of Emmy Noether's second theorem on the relation between symmetry and conservation laws which she published in full generality two years later. The only author's presentation offprint listed on RBH is that is the collection of Einstein's son Hans Albert Christie's 2006; it was not in Einstein's own collection of his offprints Christie's 2008.</p> <br /> <p>Provenance: Arnold Sommerfeld 1868-1951 his characteristic numbering in red pencil '34' on front cover; Institut für Theoretische Physik Munich ink stamp on upper cover. "The son of a physician Sommerfeld was educated at the University of Königsberg. After teaching briefly at the universities of Göttingen Clausthal and Aachen he was appointed professor of physics at the University of Münich in 1906. Sommerfeld should have retired in 1936 in favour of his pupil Werner Heisenberg. Opposition from the Nazi party to Heisenberg's appointment prolonged Sommerfeld's tenure and it was not in fact until late 1939 that he finally retired to be succeeded not by Heisenberg but by Wilhelm Müller a Nazi aerodynamicist without a single publication in physics to his credit. Although Sommerfeld and Heisenberg were not Jewish they were regarded by the Nazis as Jewish sympathizers. Sommerfeld however survived the war and returned to his Münich chair in 1945 continuing to work at physics until he died in a car accident in 1951" Oxford Reference. "Arnold Sommerfeld was one of the most distinguished representatives of the transition period between classical and modern theoretical physics. The work of his youth was still firmly anchored in the conceptions of the nineteenth century; but when in the first decennium of the century the flood of new discoveries experimental and theoretical broke the dams of tradition he became a leader of the new movement and in combining the two ways of thinking he exerted a powerful influence on the younger generation. This combination of a classical mind to whom clarity of conception and mathematical rigour are essential with the adventurous spirit of a pioneer are the roots of his scientific success while his exceptional gift of communicating his ideas by spoken and written word made him a great teacher" Max Born p. 275. </p> <br /> <p>"Einstein's first paper on a metric theory of gravity co-authored with his mathematician friend Marcel Grossmann was published as a separatum in early 1913 and was reprinted the following year in Zeitschrift für Mathematik und Physik. Most of the formalism of general relativity as we know it today was already in place in this Einstein-Grossmann theory. Still missing were the generally-covariant Einstein field equations .</p> <br /> <p>"In the fall of 1915 Einstein came to the painful realization that the 'Entwurf' field equations are untenable. Casting about for new field equations he fortuitously found his way back to equations of broad covariance that he had reluctantly abandoned three years earlier . on November 4 1915 presented the rediscovered old equations to the Berlin Academy. He returned a week later with an important modification and two weeks after that with a further modification .</p> <br /> <p>"When it was all over Einstein commented with typical self-deprecation: 'unfortunately I have immortalized my final errors in the academy-papers;' and 'it's convenient with that fellow Einstein every year he retracts what he wrote the year before.' What excused Einstein's rushing into print was that he knew that the formidable Göttingen mathematician David Hilbert was hot on his trail. Nevertheless these hastily written communications to the Berlin Academy proved hard to follow even for Einstein's staunchest supporters such as the Leyden theorists H. A. Lorentz and Paul Ehrenfest . Ehrenfest's queries undoubtedly helped Einstein organize the material of November 1915 for an authoritative exposition of the new theory .</p> <br /> <p>"In March 1916 Einstein sent his new review article 'Die Grundlage der Relativitätstheorie' to Wilhelm Wien editor of the Annalen . In this paper the field equations and energy-momentum conservation are not developed in generally-covariant form but only in special coordinates. Einstein had found the Einstein field equation in terms of these coordinates in November 1915. This part of the review paper is basically a sanitized version of the argument that had led Einstein to these equations in the first place .</p> <br /> <p>"As he was writing his review article he was already considering redoing the discussion of the field equations and energy-momentum conservation in arbitrary coordinates. In November 1916 he published such a generally-covariant account in the Berlin Sitzungsberichte the offered paper. This paper is undoubtedly much more satisfactory mathematically than the corresponding part of the review article but it does not offer any insight into how Einstein actually found his theory.</p> <br /> <p>Reading the offered paper without having read the November 1915 papers and the 1916 review article one easily comes away with the impression that Einstein hit upon the Einstein field equations simply by picking the mathematically most obvious candidate for the gravitational part of the Lagrangian for the metric field namely the Riemann curvature scalar. This is essentially how Einstein himself came to remember his discovery of general relativity. He routinely trotted out this version of events to justify the purely mathematical speculation he resorted to in his work on unified field theory.</p> <br /> <p>"In this paper he derived the generally-covariant field equations from an action principle with the Riemann curvature scalar as the Lagrangian . The present paper fills two important gaps in the review article. First Einstein derived the generally-covariant version of the Bianchi identities which in conjunction with the field equations imply energy-momentum conservation . Second Einstein showed that the identities guaranteeing energy-momentum conservation are a direct consequence of the covariance of the action functional. Einstein had thus in a mathematically impeccable way found a special case of one of Noether's theorems published two years later.</p> <br /> <p>"From a purely mathematical point of view the discussion of the field equations and energy-momentum conservation in the present paper is far more elegant than in the review article. This more elegant treatment however obscures the way in which Einstein found the Einstein field equations. It makes it look as if it was a matter ofpicking the most obvious candidate for the Lagrangian the Riemann curvature scalar at which point everything else fell into place. Ironically this is exactly what Einstein in his later years came to believe himself in part no doubt because it made his successful search for the field equations of general relativity look so similar to his fruitless search for a unified field theory. The clumsier discussion in unimodular coordinates in the review article however may serve as a reminder that-whatever he believed said or wrote about it later on-Einstein only discovered the mathematical high road to the Einstein field equations after he had already found these equations at the end of a poorly paved road through physics. Serving as road signs were Newton's gravitational theory Maxwell's electrodynamics and such key results of special relativity as the law of energy-momentum conservation. Considerations of mathematical elegance played only a subsidiary role" Janssen.</p> <br /> <p>This author's presentation offprint is of extreme rarity and must be distinguished from other so-called 'offprints' of papers from the Berlin Sitzungsberichte many of which are commonly available on the market. The celebrated bookseller Ernst Weil 1919-1981 in the introduction to his Einstein bibliography wrote: "I have often been asked about the number of those offprints. It seems to be certain that there were few before 1914. They were given only to the author and mostly 'Überreicht vom Verfasser' Presented by the Author is printed on the wrapper. Later on I have no doubt many more offprints were made and also sold as such especially by the Berlin Academy." If the term 'offprint' means as we believe it should a separate printing of a journal article given only to the author for distribution to colleagues then 'offprints' were not commercially available. Although there is certainly some truth in Weil's remark in our view it requires clarification and explanation.</p> <br /> <p>Until about 1916 most of Einstein's papers were published in Annalen der Physik; from 1916 until he left Germany for the United States in 1933 most were published in the Berlin Sitzungsberichte. The Sitzungsberichte differed from other journals in which Einstein published in that it made separate printings of its papers commercially available. These separate printings have 'Sonderabdruck' printed on the front wrapper the usual German term for offprint but they are not offprints according to our definition. They were available to anyone; indeed a price list of these 'trade offprints' is printed on the rear wrapper. True author's presentation offprints can be distinguished from these trade separates by the presence of 'Überreicht vom Verfasser' on the front wrapper.</p> <br /> <p>In the period 1916 to 1919 or 1920 the Sitzungsberichte trade separates are themselves rare. After 1919 or 1920 however the trade separates become much more common although the author's presentation offprints are still very rare. The reason for this change is that it was only in 1919 that Einstein became famous among the general public.</p> <br /> <p>It might seem obvious that Einstein's fame dates from 1905 his 'annus mirabilis' in which he published his epoch-making papers on special relativity and the light quantum. However these works did not make him immediately well known even in the physics community - many physicists did not understand or accept his work and it was two or three years before his genius was fully accepted even by his colleagues. Einstein did not secure an academic position until 1908. Among the general public Einstein became well known only in late 1919 following the success of Eddington's expedition to observe the bending of light by the Sun which confirmed Einstein's general theory of relativity. This was front-page news and made Einstein universally famous. See Chapter 16 'The suddenly famous Doctor Einstein' in Pais Subtle is the Lord for an account of these events. Before 1919 the trade separates of Einstein's papers would probably only have been purchased by professional physicists; after 1919 everyone wanted a memento of the famous Dr. Einstein whether or not they understood anything of theoretical physics and the trade separates of his papers were printed and sold in far greater numbers than before to meet the demand. It is telling that when these post-1919 trade separates appear on the market they are often in mint condition - they were never read simply because their owners were unable to understand them.</p> <br /> <p>BRL 90; Weil 88. Born 'Arnold Johannes Wilhelm Sommerfeld 1868-1951' Obituary Notices of Fellows of the Royal Society 8 1952 pp. 275-296. Janssen 'Einstein's First Systematic Exposition of General Relativity' 2004 .</p> <br/> <br/> 8vo 252 x 180 mm pp. 1111-1116. Original orange printed wrappers light vertical crease for posting. Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften unknown
