187 résultats
19849023330New York: MJF 1984. Hardcover. fine/fine. Bound in the publisher's original quarter cloth and paper covered boards spine stamped in gilt. <br/><br/> MJF hardcover books
1923108095Princeton University Press 1923. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Very Good/Very Good. First edition with Published 1922 on copyright page and 1923 on title page very good in the very rare dust jacket which had some wear and chips. Short tear at bottom of rear free endpaper. Housed in a custom-made collector's slipcase. Princeton University Press hardcover books
1953134019Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press 1953. Hardbound. VG exlibrary with minimal marks clean and fresh. Greyish cloth boards sideways title on spine. 165 1 3 pp index. A delightful copy. Princeton University Press hardcover books
1950134020Princeton NJ: Princeton University Press 1950. Hardbound. VG exlibrary with minimal marks slighly soiled with signs of use perforation stamp to first page. Greyish cloth boards sideways title on spine. 162 3 pp index. A well-used copy but lacking the errata slip so don't use it to build anything! Princeton University Press unknown books
1920140938929London: Methuen and Co 1920. First British Edition. Good. First British edition first printing. Bound in publisher's red cloth. Good. Cloth heavily faded at spine spotted and lightly scratched. Previous owner details to front free endpaper. Endsheets offset from binder's glue pages toned with "Biographical Note" page chipped at top edge and pages toward rear creased at the top corner. Methuen and Co unknown books
193410579New York: Covici Friede Publishers 1934. First American Edition. Cloth. Fine/near fine. The first American edition of The World As I See It by Albert Einstein. Octavo xvi 2 19- 290pp. Light gray buckram title stamped in silver on spine. First edition with no additional printings mentioned on copyright page. Top edge yellow. A fine copy likely never read insignificant bump to top edge of spine. In publisher's near fine dust jacket $2.50 retail price on front flap faint toning to spine light rubbing to bottom edge of spine an exceptionally bright example. Boni Russ & Laurence 357a An exceptionally bright example. First published in 1934 as Mein Weltbild this copy is the first American edition translated into English by Alan Harris. It is divided into five topic areas: Scientific Judaism Germany 1933 Politics and Pacifism and The World as I see it. An abridged edition was released in 1949 by the Philosophical Library of New York. Covici Friede Publishers unknown books
191727729Leipzigh Germany: S. Hirzel 1917. First Edition. Hardcover. Very Good. Albert Einstein's 1879-1955 derivation of Planck's law for thermal radiation. Einstein also introduces the possibility of stimulated emission of radiation the principle behind the laser. xi 604 pp. 4to. Black cloth binding with gold embossed titling to spine. Ex-library stamp on title page the only indication of its former life in an institution. Very clean within. S. Hirzel hardcover books
1907433121907. Offprint from "Zeitschrift für Elektrochemie" 1907. Single sheet pp. 41-42. 287 x 206 mm. Chipped several marginal tears some toning. Fair. First edition offprint issue. "In 1907 Einstein published a paper entitled 'Theoretical Observations on the Brownian Motion' in which he considered the instantaneous velocity of a Brownian particle. Einstein showed that by measuring this quantity one could prove that 'the kinetic energy of the motion of the center of gravity of a particle is independent of the size and nature of the particle and independent of the nature of its environment.' This is one of the basic tenets of statistical mechanics known as the equipartition theorem. However Einstein concluded that due to the very rapid randomization of the motion the instantaneous velocity of a Brownian particle would be impossible to measure in practice. "Einstein: The Formative Years. unknown books
68215Typed Letter Signed and Annotated by Einstein Discussing Quantum Theory and the Principle of General Relativity EINSTEIN Albert 1879-1955. Typed letter signed "A. Einstein" to Mr. Daniel M Lipkin. Princeton New Jersey July 5th 1952. 1 page Quarto 11 x 8 1/2 inches; 279 x 217 mm. On stationary for the Institute for Advanced Study School of Mathematics. As well as the signature the letter contains a few ink notations including an equation. Also with the corresponding transmittal envelope. With one horizontal middle crease and two vertical creases as expected with a letter. Overall about fine. This 1952 typed letter signed and annotated by Einstein is to Daniel Lipkin an engineer and a former student of his friend David Bohm at Princeton regarding some equations he had sent to Einstein for comment. Einstein discusses that he has reason to belive that the "present quantum theory inspite sic of it's many successes is far from the truth." "Mr. Daniel M. Lipkin 4925 Rubicam Str. Philadelphia 44 Pa. Dear Mr. Lipkin: It is of course an obstacle for the testing of the theory that it is practically impossible to operate with the solution of the equations g i k. l § 0 -1 with respect to the T. Your point of view to try to operate on the basis of certain lines analogous to the geodetical line seem to me not appropriate for reasons of principles. A relativistic theory of the total field should according to my opinion cannot admit singularities. Particles concentrated in a point can therefore not be used in such theory. For this reason I do not believe that any lines should play a fundamental role. The conviction that only solutions without any singularities can claim physical meaning creates a tremendous difficulty because there are for non-linear differential equationsóas far as I knowóno methods to find them out systematically or even to find general theorems. I too have many reasons to believe that the present quantum theory inspite sic of its many successes is far from the truth. This theory reminds me a little of the system of delusion of an exceedingly intelligent paranoiac concocted of incoherent elements of thought. As you also seem to believe I believe it impossible to get a real insight without satisfying from the start the principle of general relativity. I feel however by no means sure that my own approach is the right one. I do also not believe that the de Broglie-Bohm's approach is very hopeful. It leads f.i. to the consequence that a particle belonging to a standing wave has no speed. This is contrary to the well-founded conviction that a nearly free particle should approximately behave according to classical mechanics. Sincerely yours A. Einstein Albert Einstein" "Daniel Lipkin a Bronx New York native who as a self-described "awestruck 15 year-old high school student" first wrote to Einstein in 1944 and continued his correspondence with the physicist after completing his studies at Princeton 1946-1949 under Einstein's friend David Bohm. Lipkin went on to work as an electrical engineer working for Sperry Univac designing early computers and later at American Electronic Laboratories. Lipkin letter to the editor American Journal of Physics 1981 p. 619; Obit. Philadelphia Inquirer 29 June 2009." From Christie's. HBS 68215. $35000 1952 unknown books
19502131Princeton: np 1950. First edition. Very Good. EINSTEIN RESPONDS TO A STUDENT EXPLAINING A CENTRAL TENET OF RELATIVITY. The schoolboy David Cumberland had answered a test question saying that vertical lines are parallel; his answer however was marked as incorrect by his teacher on the grounds that the lines would converge at the earth's center. After Cumberland insisted he was correct the teacher made a deal with him: if he could find an authority that would support his claim his grade would be changed. Cumberland apparently quite an enterprising young student wrote to Einstein asking if vertical lines are indeed parallel and Einstein in the present letter responded using relativity theory to provide support for the student's test answer: October 28 1950 Mr. David Cumberland 924 S.E. 2nd Str. Fort Lauderdale FL Dear Sir: The concept "vertical" has meaning only with respect to the earth and cannot be used beyond that context. But there is the other concept lines vertical to an euclidian plane. Those lines are parallel. Sincerely yours signed A. Einstein Albert Einstein. One of the central components of relativity is that our understanding of space and time is subject to the relevant frame of reference. In this letter Einstein uses relativity - namely a shift in the frame of reference - to prove that boy's answer can be interpreted to be correct. Upon showing his teacher Einstein's letter the boy's grade was indeed raised. One 8.5x11 inch sheet of Institute for Advanced Study letterhead. Usual folds; some water spots to page not affecting text. A WONDERFUL LETTER SHOWING A VERY HUMAN SIDE OF EINSTEIN AND EXPLAINING A BASIC CONCEPT OF RELATIVITY. np unknown books
19341478Princeton: np 1934. 1st Edition. No Binding. Very Good. AN IMPORTANT SIGNED LETTER in English by Einstein revealing his reservations of associating with communism even in the fight against fascism. Written from Princeton NJ to Professor Albert Sprague Coolidge of Harvard University and dated February 16 1934 the letter reads: My dear Professor Coolidge: I had an opportunity of meeting personally Lord Marley and has sic very favorably impressed by his personality. It became known to me that he sympathizes with the Russian Government i.g. with the Russian communist party and that the committee for which he is active is influenced by communists. The problem as to the attitude which is advisable to be taken towards this committee is rather complicated. On the one hand the world-wide danger of fascism makes it necessary that all enemies of fascism cooperate; on the other hand an action which has communist leanings might endanger that fight since the important task undertaken in defense of culture and civilization may be linked up with interests of a political party. I myself have severed my connections with the committee which with my permission had used my name up to the end of last year. It seems to me advisable to take an attitude as follows: to help their action against fascism but not to identify oneself with the committee. Very truly yours signed A. Einstein P.S. I wish you would be good enough to use this strictly confidentially. In 1934 Lord Baron Marley Dudley Leigh Aman toured the United States to raise funds for his association the World Committee for the Victims of German Fascism. Marley through his committee was "passionately advocating a scheme for which he was to become an international figurehead - resettlement of oppressed German and Polish Jews in the Jewish Autonomous Region" in Siberia. He published a book "The Brown Book of the Hitler Terror and the Burning of the Reichstag sponsored by the World Committee and with an Introduction written by Lord Marley himself which was the first popular exposé of what was happening in Hitler's Germany. It documented the destruction of political parties trade unions and universities book-burning and the building of concentration camps. "At a fundraising dinner held in his honour in New York in February 1934 where Einstein presumably met him just before writing this letter Marley opened the Brown Book and 'speaking quietly declaring that he did not intend to harrow' read aloud to his audience of 600 American Jews some of the collected evidence of Nazi repressions. Here were documentary records of what was happening in Germany - a substantiation of the brutality that hitherto had had no distinct form in the mind of the American Jewish public. What before had been the subject of a growing fear mingled with disbelief was now being presented as hard fact and supported with detailed evidence. The New York Times 8 February 2005 reports the audience being 'startled' by the disclosures and the night ending with $3500 raised for the World Committee" The Jewish Quarterly No. 198. Einstein was correct to be suspicious of Marley's activities for it was later determined that the "World Committee" was indeed a Communist front; Einstein writing here to Coolidge in 1934 was prescient about the motives of the committee. This letter in addition to underscoring Einstein's passionate stance against fascism is particularly important as documentary evidence of Einstein's caution about having any dealings with communism especially considering that the U.S. FBI worried about Einstein's political leanings kept a file on Einstein that grew to 1427 pages. Princeton NJ: February 16 1934. One 8.5 x 11 in. page. Envelope folds minor spotting. An outstanding letter with important and revealing content. np unknown books
19532270Princeton NJ: np 1953. First edition. custom folder. Very Good. TOWARDS THE END OF HIS LIFE EINSTEIN WRITES TO ONE OF HIS FRIENDS FROM THE PATENT OFFICE CONCERNING ONE OF THE CENTRAL STRUGGLES OF HIS SCIENTIFIC LIFE. COMMENTING ON THE WORK OF DIRAC EINSTEIN ADMITS THAT ALTHOUGH HE "CAN'T TAKE A STATISTICAL FOUNDATION OF PHYSICS SERIOUSLY" HE FINDS IT "DIFFICULT TO MOVE BEYOND IT". Background: Einstein's struggle with accepting a strictly statistical quantum theory has been one of the most discussed and debated topics of twentieth-century physics. When introduced to the statistically-based quantum mechanics of Heisenberg Born and Jordan in 1926 Einstein famously wrote to Max Born that "Quantum mechanics is certainly imposing. But an inner voice tells me that it is not yet the real thing. The theory says a lot but does not really bring us any closer to the secret of the 'old one.' I at any rare am convinced that He is not playing at dice." Einstein letter to Born from 4 December 1926. From the onset "Einstein regarded the quantum theory as descriptively incomplete. What he meant was that in typical cases the probabilistic assertions provided by the theory for an individual quantum system do not exhaust all the relevant and true physical assertions about the system. Put briefly according to Einstein the typical statistical story told by quantum theory is not the whole story." Arthur Fine "What is Einstein's Statistical Interpretation or Is It Einstein for Whom Bell's Theorem Tolls". Einstein's discomfort with the new theory haunted him for the next three decades and his challenges to the theory were the cause of some of the most fertile and defining moments of modern science notably the celebrated "Bohr-Einstein debates" begun at the Fifth Solvay Conference 1927 and his monumentally influential "EPR" paper of 1935 "Can Quantum-Mechanical Description of Physical Reality Be Considered Complete" written with Boris Podolsky and Nathan Rosen. As late as 1949 in his "Reply to Criticisms" published in Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist Einstein notes that Born and Wolfgang Pauli in their contributions to the volume "deprecate the fact that I reject the basic idea of contemporary statistical quantum theory insofar as I do not believe that this fundamental concept will provide a useful basis for the whole of physics" and spends the majority of the essay explaining his position and distinguishing between his acceptance of the model for "ensembles of systems" while still rejecting it for an "individual physical system". The letter: Dated September 12 1953 and written to his old colleague at the patent office in Bern Joseph Sauter the letter translated from the original German reads in full: Dear Mr. Sauter If I am able to I will gladly assist Mr. Keberle. I have heard of you often from my old friend Besso and I have also received a manuscript which deals critically with handwritten Dirac's presentation of the statistical approach to quantum theory. I have not been able to judge it myself because it is simply impossible for me to take a statistical foundation of physics seriously. But I have to admit that it is difficult to move beyond it. Yours sincerely signed A. Einstein. Albert Einstein. The recipient Joseph Sauter worked with Einstein at the Bern Patent office during the years he was developing the ideas for his revolutionary papers of 1905. "Among his colleagues at the Patent Office Einstein discovered one with similar scientific interests-Dr. Josef Sauter a French-Swiss who had also studied at the Polytechnic and who had been Professor Weber's chief assistant for a while. Sauter like Einstein tried to fill the gaps in the Polytechnic's syllabus by private study so that Einstein was able to discuss with him Maxwell's thermodynamics and Helmholtz's and Hertz's theoretical concepts. The two also discussed Einstein's publications on thermodynamics with the result that Sauter discovered a mistake in them which Einstein accepted 'without being the least upset.' Fifty years later Einstein recalled 'that I had a lot of discussions with Sauter about. my thermal-statistical papers'. At least as important as his help with the 'rewriting and amending' were Sauter's connections with scientific circles in Bern to which he soon introduced his new colleague." Albrecht Fölsing Albert Einstein. Edouard Keberle mentioned in the first line by Einstein was a Bulgarian physicist who at the time of the letter had just left the Institute of Theoretical Physics in Bern over a publication dispute. Not long after this letter - in early 1954 - Keberle accepted a post at the Midwest Research Institute in Kansas City. It is unclear if Einstein helped him in any way to get this position. Michele Besso - also mentioned in this letter - was Einstein's close lifelong friend. What prompts Einstein to declare that "it is simply impossible for me to take a statistical foundation of physics seriously" is the mention of a manuscript on the work of Paul Dirac. Philosophically Dirac was almost the opposite of Einstein - he had no interest in probing the interpretations of quantum theory wryly noting in his paper "The Inadequacies of Quantum Field Theory" that "The interpretation of quantum mechanics has been dealt with by many authors and I do not want to discuss it here. I want to deal with more fundamental things." It is revealing in this letter that although Einstein re-states his objection to a statistical basis of quantum theory he has doubts about his position admitting - less than two years before his death - that he still has difficulty moving beyond it. Typed Letter Signed. Princeton NJ: September 12 1953. One 8.5x11 inch sheet with Einstein's embossed Mercer Street address at top. Custom silk presentation folder. With original mailing envelope with postmarks. A few small smudges usual folds; fine condition. ONE OF EINSTEIN'S FINAL STATEMENTS ON ONE OF THE CENTRAL TENETS OF HIS SCIENTIFIC PHILOSOPHY. np unknown books
1926374131926. Weil 153. Offprint from S. preuss. Akad. Wiss. unknown books
192237429Braunschweig: F. Vieweg & Sohn 1922. Weil 124. F. Vieweg & Sohn unknown books
193137423Berlin: Akad. Wiss 1931. Akad. Wiss unknown books
08777Np; 1923. First Edition. offprint from Sitzungsberichten der Presussichen Akademie der Wissenschaften Sitzung der physikalishch-mahematischen klasse vom 31 mai XVII. p. 137-140 bound in original orange printied wraps; quarto 254 x 184mm. Einstein's first investigation of Weyl's ideas published in the present work introduced the notion of distant parallelism; however Einstein later rejected Weyl's theory. <br/><br/> paperback books
1923374071923. <p>Einstein Albert 1879-1955. Zur affinen Feldtheorie. Offprint from Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 17 1923. 137-140pp. 256 x 185 mm. Original printed wrappers. Fine.</p> <p>First Edition Offprint Issue. In 1923 Einstein published four short papers of which "Zur affinen Feldtheorie" is the third on Eddington's attempt at a unified field theory marking the beginning of a scientific passion that would dominate the remainder of his career. In 1921 British physicist Arthur Eddington had proposed a unified field theory inspired by the work of Hermann Weyl. "Einstein's own initial reaction was that Eddington had created a beautiful framework without content. Nevertheless he began to examine what would be made of these ideas and finally decided that 'I must absolutely publish since Eddington's idea must be thought through to the end.' That was what he wrote to Weyl. Three days later he wrote to him again about unified field theories: 'Above stands the marble smile of implacable Nature which has endowed us more with longing than with intellectual capacity.' Thus romantically began Einstein's adventures with general connections adventures that were to continue until his final hours" Pais Subtle is the Lord p. 343. This paper is included on Shields's list of Einstein's most significant papers; see Albert Einstein Philosopher-Scientist 1949 p. 758. Shields 175. Weil 132. </p> . unknown books
1923374061923. unknown books
19152125Berlin: Verlag der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1915. First edition. Original wrappers. Fine. FIRST PRINTING IN ORIGINAL WRAPPERS IN FINE CONDITION of Einstein's famous November 4 1915 paper introducing his new version of general relativity. By autumn 1915 Einstein experienced a "crisis" in his work on his gravitational equations and the general theory of relativity forcing him to abandon several key elements of his earlier work. In October 1915 "Einstein shifted his focus from the physical strategy which emphasized his feel for the basic principles of physics and returned to a greater reliance on a mathematical strategy which made use of the Riemann and Ricci tensors. 'Einstein's reversal' writes John Norton 'parted the waters and led him from bondage into the promised land of general relativity'. "The result was an exhausting four-week frenzy during which Einstein wrestled with a succession of tensors equations corrections and updates that he rushed to the Prussian Academy in a flurry of four Thursday lectures. It climaxed with the triumphant revision of Newton's universe at the end of November 1915" Isaacson. In this November 4th paper and lecture On the General Theory of Relativity Einstein presented "to the plenary session of the Prussian Academy a new version of general relativity" explaining "that he had 'completely lost confidence' in the equations he proposed in October 1914. His answers were still not entirely right. There was still one flaw a much smaller one which he eliminated three weeks later. But the road lay open. He was lyrical. 'No one who has really grasped it can escape the magic of this new theory'" Pais. Three weeks later - on November 25 1915 - Einstein did indeed eliminate the flaw and "presented to the physics-mathematics section of the Prussian Academy of Sciences a paper in which 'finally the general theory of relativity is closed as a logical structure'. The work is done" Pais. See: Isaacson Einstein pp. 211-221 and Pais Subtle is the Lord pp.250-261. Note: Einstein's November 11 paper was titled "Zur allgemeinen Relativitatstheorie II" but rather than a continuation or advancement of the November 4 paper it was a step backwards introducing a serious mistake that he would correct by November 25. IN: Sitzungsberichte der Königlich Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften. Berlin: Verlag der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1915. Vol. 44. 778-786. Quarto original wrappers; custom box. A fine copy. RARE. Verlag der Königlichen Akademie der Wissenschaften unknown books
1929374191929. <p>Einstein Albert 1879-1955. Zur einheitlichen Feldtheorie. Offprint from Sitzungsberichten der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1 1929. 8vo. 8pp. Berlin: Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaft 1929. 256 x 183 mm. Original printed wrappers slightly soiled and creased. Very good. </p> <p>First Separate Edition. "In 1928 Einstein embarked on a new approach to a unified field theory . . . involving what he called 'distant parallelism'. . . . By early 1929 he had solved the main problems involved in writing down field equations for his unified theory. On the day of official publication of the third of a formidably technical series of nine articles on the theory . . . excited headlines appeared in foreign newspapers throughout the world. . . . In this frenzied unscientific atmosphere Einstein's new theory was hailed in the press as an outstanding scientific advance. Yet Einstein had stated in his article that it was still tentative; and soon he found he had to abandon it Hoffman Einstein pp. 225-26. This paper is included on Shields's list of Einstein's most significant papers; see Albert Einstein Philosopher-Scientist 1949 p. 758. Weil 165. Pais Subtle is the Lord pp. 344-46. </p> . unknown books
1906602Leipzig: Barth 1906. 1st Edition. Hardcover. Fine. FIRST EDITION of two important Einstein papers including one of the two papers on his Noble Prize winning work on the photoelectric effect. On the Theory of Light Production and Light Absorption: A continuation and development of Einstein's revolutionary first paper in 1905 on the photoelectric effect "On a Heuristic Point of View about the Creation and Conversion of Light". "In a companion paper to "On a Heuristic Point." published in 1906 Einstein exposed appeal to the quantum as fundamentally counter to the ethos of classical physics: 'the theoretical bases on which Planck's radiation theory rests are different from those of Maxwell's theory'. Planck had not initially intended to quantify light-radiation itself but Einstein demonstrated that his own 'light-quantum hypothesis' was implicit in Planck's earlier work. In viewing radiation not as a continuous wave but as composed of small packets of energy later called photons Einstein was again shaking the foundations of classical physics" Honner The Description of Nature 31. Particle Physics: One Hundred Years of Discoveries: "Corpuscular-wave dualism for photons. Explanation of the photoelectric effect using the quantum hypothesis of Planck. Nobel prize to A. Einstein awarded in 1921 'for services to Theoretical Physics and especially of he law of the photoelectric effect.'" Weil 12. The Principle of Conservation of Motion of the Center of Gravity and the Inertia of Energy: Einstein's further development of E=mc2. Einstein boldly uses his relationship to insist that the conservation of mass is a special case of the conservation of energy and broadens the law to include not only mechanical but electromagnetic processes as well. Weil 13. IN: Annalen der Physik Vol. 20 pp. 199-206; 627-633. Leipzig: Barth 1906. Octavo modern full green morocco. Rippling to the first few leaves of volume not affecting Einstein papers. Provenance: with library stamp on series title from the prestigious Gmelin Institute after 1996 part of the Max Planck Institute. Very handsomely bound. Barth hardcover books
1922374051922. unknown books
1930433141930. Offprint from Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1930. Single sheet pp. 1-2. 256 x 184 mm. Upper edge a bit creased light toning but very good. First edition offprint issue. One of Einstein's last papers on Riemann metrics and distant parallelism written the year before he abandonded this approach to constructing a unified field theory. Pais Subtle is the Lord p. 347. Weil Albert Einstein Bibliography 173. unknown books
193037422Berlin: Akad. Wiss 1930. Weil 170. Offprint from S. preuss. Akad. Wiss. Akad. Wiss unknown books
1921433161921. Offprint from Sitzungsberichte der preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften 1921. Single sheet pp. 882-883. 256 x 184 mm. Minor marginal tears one corner chipped but very good. First ediiton offprint issue. "Since after 1917 Einstein firmly believed that light-quanta were here to stay it is not surprising that he would look for new ways in which the existence of photons might lead to observable devations from the classical picture. In this he did not succeed. At one point in 1921 he thought he had found a new quantum criterion published in the present paper but it soon turned out to be a false lead" Pais Subtle is the Lord pp. 412-413. Weil Albert Einstein Bibliography 118. unknown books
