EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 1
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 2
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955) - photo 3

EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Lot 152
11.12.2024 14:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
£ 17 640
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 1349760
Lot 152 | EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
Estimate value
£ 15 000 – 20 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
‘Eine neue Bestimmung der Moleküldimensionen’. Offprint from: Annalen der Physik, 4th Series, vol. 19. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth, 1906.
Rare second edition, author's offprint issue, of Einstein's doctoral thesis, from the library of pioneering theoretical physicist Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951). This initial step towards his more famous work on Brownian motion was first printed in Bern in 1905 before republication by the Annalen der Physik in 1906. ‘According to a study done by Abraham Pais in the 1970s, between 1961 and 1975 it was quoted more than any other scientific paper written prior to 1912, including Einstein's papers on relativity’ (Mlodinow).

Einstein initially submitted a dissertation to the University of Zurich in 1901 but withdrew it the following year. In his second attempt in 1905 he ‘combined the techniques of classical hydrodynamics with those of the theory of diffusion to create a new method for the determination of molecular sizes and of Avogadro's number, a method he applied to solute sugar molecules […] The dissertation also marked the first major success in Einstein's effort to find further evidence for the atomic hypothesis, an effort that culminated in his explanation of Brownian motion’ (Stachel).

Arnold Sommerfeld was a German theoretical physicist who made significant contributions to atomic and quantum physics. He extended Niels Bohr's atomic model by introducing elliptical orbits for electrons and proposed additional quantum numbers, including the azimuthal and magnetic quantum numbers. Sommerfeld also introduced the fine-structure constant, contributed to X-ray wave theory, and co-discovered the Sommerfeld-Wilson quantization rules. His seminal work Atombau und Spektrallinien became a foundational text for the new generation of physicists developing atomic and quantum physics. Sommerfeld was an exceptional educator, mentoring 7 Nobel Prize winners and numerous other prominent physicists. Despite being nominated for the Nobel Prize a record 84 times, he never received the award. Nevertheless, he was honoured with several prestigious accolades, including the Lorentz Medal, the Max-Planck Medal, and the Oersted Medal, and was elected to numerous scientific academies worldwide. In 1918, Sommerfeld succeeded Einstein as chair of the Deutsche Physikalische Gesellschaft, and in 1922 Einstein wrote to his successor: ‘What I especially admire about you is that you have, as it were, pounded out of the soil such a large number of young talents’ (A. Pais, ‘Subtle is the Lord...’: The Science and Life of Albert Einstein, 1982). L. Mlodinow, Euclid's Window. New York: Touchstone, 2002; J. Stachel, Einstein's Miraculous Year. Five Papers that Changed the Face of Physics. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1998.

This author's offprint can be distinguished from the normal 'trade' edition by the statement 'Überreicht vom Verfasser' on the wrapper. Extremely rare; we have not been able to trace any copy appearing at auction (RBH/ABSAA). BRL 6.1; Weil 7a.

Octavo (224 x 144mm). Paginated 289-306. Original printed wrappers (a few tiny nicks). Provenance: Arnold Sommerfeld (1868-1951; red chinagraph underlining and numbering to upper wrapper).
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
11.12.2024 – 11.12.2024
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

A signed photograph
A signed photograph
$100
"Demostracion de la no existencia de campos gravitacionales sin singularidades de masa total no nula"
$5 500
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
An endorsed check to the United Jewish Appeal
$100
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£18 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£8 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£7 000
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
Albert Einstein (1879-1955)
£40 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
£70 000

Related terms

Frequently asked questions

First of all, you should register to be able to purchase at auction. After confirming your email address, enter your personal information in your user profile, such as your first name, last name, and mail address. Choose a lot from the upcoming auction and the maximum amount you want to place on it. After confirmation of your choice, we will send your application by e-mail to the appropriate auction house. If the auction house accepts a request, it will participate in the auction. You can view the current status of a bid at any time in your personal account in the "Bids" section.
Auctions are performed by auction houses and each of the auction houses describes their terms of auction. You can see the texts in the section "Auction information".
The results of the auction are published within a few days after the end of the auction. In the top menu of the site, find the tab "Auctions". Click on it and you will be on the auction catalog page, where you can easily find the category "Results". After opening it, select the desired auction from the list, enter and view the current status of the interested lot.
The information about the auction winners is confidential. The auction winner will receive a direct notification from the auction house responsible with instructions for further action: an invoice for payment and the manner in which the goods will be received.
Each of the auction houses has its own payment policy for the won lots. All auction houses accept bank transfers, most of them accept credit card payments. In the near future you will find detailed information for each case in the section "Auction information" on the page of the auction catalog and the lot.
Shipment of the won lot depends on its size. Small items can be delivered by post. Larger lots are sent by courier. Employees of the auction houses will offer you a wide range to choose from.
No. The archive serves as a reference for the study of auction prices, photographs and descriptions of works of art.