Shakespeare, William. Offprints on Relativity - photo 1
Shakespeare, William. Offprints on Relativity - photo 1

Offprints on Relativity

Lot 37
15.10.2021 00:00UTC +00:00
Classic
Sold
$ 27 500
AuctioneerCHRISTIE'S
Event locationUnited Kingdom, London
Buyer Premiumsee on Website%
Archive
The auction is completed. No bids can be placed anymore.
Archive
ID 627527
Lot 37 | Offprints on Relativity
Estimate value
$ 8 000 – 12 000
EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955). "Zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie. (Mit Nachtrag)" Offprint from Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Sitzungsberichte, XLIV.XLVI. Berlin, 1915. [AND:] "Erklärung der Perihelbewegung des Merkur aus der allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie." Offprint from Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Sitzungsberichte. XLVII. Berlin, 1915. [AND:] "Kosmologische Betrachtungen zur allgemeinen Relativitätstheorie." Offprint from Preussische Akademie der Wissenschaften, Sitzungsberichte. VI. Berlin, 1917.

First editions, offprint issues, of the first publication of Einstein's general theory of relativity in the form it is known today. The first two offprints contain the first three of the four lectures which Einstein presented to the plenary session of the Prussian Academy in November 1915 (November 4, 11 and 18). They give his new formulation of general relativity theory, 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). Very rare at auction.

In the third paper present here, Einstein introduces an entire field, general relativistic cosmology, and introduces a constant--termed the Cosmological Constant—to describe a universe that is ever expanding. Einstein would later reject this concept as the worst mistake of his life. Nevertheless, discoveries in recent decades agree that we live in a universe that will always expand, and at an ever-increasing rate. Boni 74, 75, 96; Weil 75, 76, 92.

Three volumes, octavo. Original orange printed wrappers (some minor soiling and creasing, pencil numbering and small erasures to each).


Artist:William Shakespeare (1564 - 1616)
Applied technique:Pencil
Address of auction CHRISTIE'S
8 King Street, St. James's
SW1Y 6QT London
United Kingdom
Preview
01.10.2021 – 15.10.2021
Phone +44 (0)20 7839 9060
Email
4FQ.AYGKAGLUQ@FO3G@
Buyer Premium see on Website
Conditions of purchaseConditions of purchase

More from Creator

Antiquities of Mexico
Antiquities of Mexico
$16 000
Verbiest's world map
Verbiest's world map
$12 000
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
A previously unknown invoice for furnishings
$2 800
Iliad, in Latin
Iliad, in Latin
$1 500
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
New York City commissions a painting of Washington
$100
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
The East Asia Co-prosperity Sphere
$1 000
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
Inscriptiones sacrosanctae vetustatis
$1 200
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
Huguan County, Lu’an Prefecture, Shanxi Province
$1 600

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.