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

EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Lot 74
13.07.2022 10:30UTC +00:00
Classic
Starting price
£ 30 000
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 794516
Lot 74 | EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)
Estimate value
£ 30 000 – 50 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)

Typed letter signed ('A. Einstein') to Dr F.G. Garcia, 112 Mercer Street, Princeton, 14 August 1950.

In English. Half page, 280 x 213mm, blind-stamped address, envelope (addressed to Garcia in Puerto Rico); both laid down on a mount. Framed and glazed.



Underlining the importance of his equation E=mc2 to the development of the atomic bomb: 'To the theory of relativity is due a formula informing us about the energy which can be freed by nuclear reactions. If you are interested in this matter you may read the popular book "Explaining the Atom" by Selig Hecht which is really excellent'.



Although Einstein does not cite it explicitly, the 'formula' which reveals 'the energy which can be freed by nuclear reactions' is none other than E=mc2, the equation derived from special relativity which expresses the fact that mass and energy are equivalent and can be changed into each other. In the book Einstein recommends, Selig Hecht describes E=mc2 as 'probably the most important equation in history ... In 1905 Einstein wondered how to test this equation experimentally, and suggested that it might apply to the enormous energies released in radioactivity, which had only recently been discovered ... little did Einstein imagine then that his equation would be demonstrated forty years later on so large a scale as was done at Hiroshima [and] Nagasaki' (p.111). It is worth noting that at this date nuclear devices had been applied solely to military purposes: the first experimental use of nuclear power to generate electricity was not until the following year. Although inextricably linked to the development of atomic weapons both scientifically and practically (through the 1939 Einstein-Szilard letter to F.D. Roosevelt which prompted the Manhattan Project), Einstein deeply regretted the connection, and was notably reluctant to discuss it; he also extended this reluctance to quoting his most famous theory in correspondence. Letters connecting E=mc2 to the bomb are therefore of extreme rarity. Even writing to his son Hans Albert immediately after the war, Einstein wrote only obliquely 'I showed (39 years ago already) that according to the special theory of relativity there exists an equivalence between the mass and energy of a system [and] that the energies released by radioactive decay are great enough to be emitted in a nuclear reaction when there is an imbalance of mass. That is all' (letter of 2 September 1945). Selig Hecht (1892-1947) was a professor of biophysics at Colombia University: his Explaining the Atom (1947) was a much-praised popularisation of the science behind the development of atomic weapons.









Special notice


This lot has been imported from outside of the UK for sale and placed under the Temporary Admission regime. Import VAT is payable at 5% on the hammer price. VAT at 20% will be added to the buyer’s premium but will not be shown separately on our invoice.
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
13.07.2022 – 13.07.2022
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.