Collection Summary
Harry Ransom Center, The University of Texas at Austin
Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955
Albert Einstein Collection
1906-1979 (bulk 1906-1955)
Manuscript Collection MS-01292
4 boxes (1.68 linear feet)
The Albert Einstein Collection
consists of handwritten manuscripts, typescripts, and correspondence by Einstein and
others.
Materials are in English,German, and French.
Acquisition:
Purchases and gifts, 1967-1979 (R3781, R4029, R5180, R5868, R5374, R6489, G66, R8447,
G411)
Access:
Open for research
Processed by:
Joan M. Sibley, 2010
Biographical Information
Albert Einstein (1879-1955) was a German-American physicist best known for his theory
of relativity, his unified field theory, and his contributions to the fields of
statistical mechanics and quantum mechanics. He was the recipient of the Nobel Prize
in 1921 for his work on the photoelectric effect.
Scope and Contents
The Albert Einstein Collection consists of handwritten manuscripts, typescripts, and
correspondence by Einstein and others, dating from 1906-1979 (bulk 1906-1955). The
materials are arranged in three series: I. Einstein Works, 1920-1955, undated; II.
Einstein Letters, 1906-1955, undated; and III. Third-Party Works and Correspondence
re Einstein, 1920-1979, undated. The manuscripts and letters are primarily written
in German, although some English- and French-language items are present. Part of
this collection was previously accessible through a card catalog, but has been
recataloged as part of a retrospective conversion project.
Among works by Einstein are an undated handwritten manuscript with revisions of Über
die Grundbegriffe der Physik und ihre neuester Wandlungen; an undated handwritten
manuscript with revisions of Über Gravitationswellen; a typescript autobiographical
statement prepared for Georges Schreiber's
Portraits and
Self-Portraits in 1935; and marginal annotations and handwritten notes
in a copy of Über die Spezielle und die Allgemeine
Relativitatstheorie (Gemeinverständlich). Unpublished notes and
calculations dating from 1950-1955 show Einstein's final work on the hydrodynamical
equations in general relativity, the variational principle, and the unified field
theory.
Letters by Einstein include forty-six letters written to Gustav Bucky between 1933
and 1950, fifty-six letters written to Maurice Solovine between 1906 and 1955, and
one or more letters to Pascal Covici, William and Hans Lebach, Walther Mayer,
Georges Schreiber, and others. A complete index of correspondents is included in
this finding aid.
Also present in the collection are two handwritten manuscripts of Maurice Solovine's
introduction to
Lettres à Maurice Solovine: Reproduites en
Facsimile et Traduites en Français; a reminiscent essay about Einstein
by Frida Sarsen Bucky; and a typescript of Einstein: The Life
and Times, a biography by Ronald William Clark.
Nearly all of the materials in the Einstein collection, as well as Einstein materials
from other Ransom Center collections, are described in:
Albert Einstein, 1879-1955: A Centenary Exhibit of Manuscripts, Books, and
Portraits Selected from the Humanities Research Center Collections by
Albert C. Lewis. Austin: University of Texas. Humanities Research Center, 1979.
Additional Einstein letters and manuscripts are located in a number of other Ransom
Center collections. These include Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.; Julian Beck; Thomas Bertram
Costain; Enit Kaufman; Ludwig Lewisohn, International PEN; John G. Moore; Ilya
Prigogine; Robert Haven Schauffler; Evelyn Scott; George Bernard Shaw; and Edward
Weeks.
In addition to Einstein books held by the Ransom Center Library, there are portraits
of Einstein by Ivan Opffer, William Rothenstein, and S. J. Woolf present in the
Center's Art Collection. The Personal Effects Collection includes a cardboard box
bearing the ownership stamp of Albert Einstein and containing a Molecular Model Kit
manufactured by the Fisher Scientific Company of Pittsburgh, accompanied by a
booklet on the model with a few handwritten annotations, possibly in Einstein's
hand. Three photographs of Einstein that were acquired with Einstein's letters to
Maurice Solovine are part of the Literary File Collection in the Center's
Photography Collection. These holdings include portraits of Einstein alone and with
others, including Maurice Solovine and Conrad Habicht. The Vertical File Collection
contains a folder of general information plus two posters related to Einstein
centenary celebrations at the University of Minnesota and the Ransom Center in 1979.
The bulk of Albert Einstein's papers are held by the Jewish National &
University Library at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and may be accessed via the
Einstein Archives Online at
http://www.alberteinstein.info/, a joint project with the Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology in
Pasadena with the support of Princeton University Press, publisher of The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein.
Container List
Series I. Einstein Works, 1920-1955, undated
1.1
Autobiographical statement, signed typescript, 1 page, December
1935, written in German
1.1
Über die Grundbegriffe der Physik und ihre neuester Wandlungen,
handwritten manuscript with revisions, 13 pages, undated
Über die Spezielle und die Allgemeine
Relativitätstheorie (Gemeinverständlich) von A. Einstein.
Braunschweig: F. Vieweg & Sohn, 1920
1.2
Einstein's personal copy with marginal annotations
1.3
Manuscripts removed from volume, including an untitled 1-page
handwritten manuscript (formerly inserted between pages 56 and 57),
and a 2-page carbon typescript entitled “Druckfehlerberichtigung”
(formerly laid in)
1.4
Über Gravitationswellen, signed handwritten manuscript with
revisions, 5 pages on 6 leaves, undated
Acquisition R5868, 1973: A collection of unpublished handwritten
manuscripts by Einstein, circa 1950-1955 (additional descriptions from
the dealer are included in each folder)
3.1
Relativity studies, 17 pages on 9 leaves
3.2
First approximation of gravitational waves, 26 pages on 14
leaves
3.3
Study of the velocity of light, 14 pages on 7
leaves
3.4
Index of inertia, 6 pages on 3 leaves
3.5
Transformations of the Ricci tensor Rik, 22 pages on 11
leaves
3.6
Studies in Riemannian space, 25 pages on 13 leaves
3.7
Transformation of Bianchi's identity, 19 pages on 12 leaves
3.8
Relativity studies, 18 pages on 9 leaves
3.9
Attempt of field equations defined by gik function, 18 pages
on 11 leaves
3.10
Application of Γ terms to manifolds, 20 pages on 10 leaves
3.11
Thermodynamics: investigation of stability in general, 14
pages on 7 leaves
3.12
Thermodynamics: investigation of stability in general, 16
pages on 9 leaves
3.13
Field equations and thermodynamics, 11 pages on 6 leaves
3.14
Study of Riemannian space, 16 pages on 8 leaves
3.15
Further studies in Riemannian space, 12 pages on 6 leaves
3.16
Further studies in Riemannian space, 19 pages on 10 leaves
3.17
Miscellaneous papers, 7 pages on 4 leaves
3.18
A rotating Euclidean system, 19 pages on 10 leaves
Acquisition R8447, 1979: Einstein papers on unified field
theory, circa 1950-1954 (more detailed descriptions by Professor Paul H.
Savet are included in each folder)
4.1
Manuscript A, 23 pages on 13 leaves
4.2
Manuscript B, 27 pages on 15 leaves (1 page on verso of cover
for Jean Mariani, Théorie des Champs Macroscopiques, 1947)
4.3
Manuscript C, 27 pages on 17 leaves (2 pages on verso of
fragments of letter from Robert L. Platzman, Purdue University, 11
June 1952)
4.4
Manuscript D, 26 pages on 18 leaves
4.5
Manuscript E, 60 pages on 34 leaves
4.6
Manuscript F, 52 pages on 42 leaves
4.7
Manuscript G, 2 pages on 1 leaf
4.8
Manuscript H, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of envelope with
unidentified letter fragment enclosed)
4.9
Manuscript I, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of letter from
Elisha M. Friedman, 2 March 1947)
4.10
Manuscript J, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of card from Simon
and Schuster)
4.11
Manuscript K, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of letter from Max
Sommerfeld, probably 7 April 1953)
4.12
Manuscript L, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of envelope from
Rev. Jose____ Watkins, postmarked 3 June 1953)
4.13
Manuscript M, 2 pages on 2 leaves (1 page on verso of
deposition by John Desmond Bernal, November 1952; 1 page on verso of
typescript by D. N. Pritt, The Rosenberg Case, November 1952)
4.14
Manuscript N, 1 page on 1 leaf (on verso of letter to Robert
Oppenheimer, 24 January 1950)
Series II. Einstein Letters, 1906-1955, undated
1.4
A-Z
1.5-6
Bucky, Gustav, 1933-1953, undated
1.7
Mayer, Walther, undated
1.8-9
Solovine, Maurice, 1906-1955, undated
Series III. Third-Party Works and Letters re Einstein, 1920-1979, undated
1.10
Bucky, Frida Sarsen. My vis à vis (Intimate memories of
Einstein), carbon typescript, 15 pages, undated
Clark, Ronald William. Einstein, The Life
and Times (1972), photocopy of typescript with handwritten
revisions, with additional revisions on the photocopy, circa 800 pages
2.1
Chapters 1-8
2.2
Chapters 9-15
2.3
Chapters 16-22
1.10
Einstein, Albert. Printed calling card, given to Elias Tobenkin
by Einstein in 1920
1.10
Markel, Lester (New York Times).
Letter to Georges Schreiber re Einstein quotation, 27 April 1955
1.10
Otto, Nathan. 4 letters to Lawrence Cranberg, 1979 accompanied by
photocopies of 4 letters from Cranberg to Nathan, 1979
1.10
Popper, Karl Raimund. Letter to J. M. Fried, 25 May 1968
1.10
Solovine, Maurice. Introduction [to Lettres à Maurice Solovine: Reproduites en Facsimile et Traduites
en Français], two handwritten manuscripts/incomplete with
handwritten revisions, 25 pages and 11 pages, circa 1956
Index of Correspondents
- Bucky, Gustav, 1880-1963 --1.5-6 (46 letters from Albert
Einstein, plus 7 handwritten notes and worksheets, 3 handwritten poems, 1
typescript poem, 1933-1953, written in German)
- Covici, Pascal, 1885-1964-- 1.4 (2 letters from Albert
Einstein, 9 June 1934 and 7 August 1934, written in German)
- Cranberg, Lawrence--1.10 (photocopies of 4 letters to
Nathan Otto, 1979)
- Dukas, Helen--1.5-6 (postscript on letter from Albert
Einstein to Gustav Bucky); 1.8-9 (1 letter to Maurice Solovine, 11 October 1951)
- Einstein, Albert, 1879-1955--1.4-9
- Einstein, Elsa, 1876-1936--1.5-6 (postscript on letter
from Albert Einstein to Gustav Bucky)
- Einstein, Ilse--1.8-9 (2 letters to Maurice Solovine, 15
January 1921 and 14 November 1922)
- Einstein, Maja, 1881-1951--1.5-6 (postscript on letter
from Albert Einstein to Gustav Bucky)
- Einstein-Marić, Mileva, 1875-1948--1.8-9 (1 letter to
Maurice Solovine, 17 September 1939)
- Hersholt, _____, Mr.--1.4 (1 letter from Albert Einstein
on behalf of the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists,
15 June 1946)
- Lebach, Hans H.--1.4 (3 letters from Albert Einstein,
1940-1954, written in German)
- Lebach, William--1.4 (9 letters and telegrams from Albert
Einstein, 1938-1953, undated, written in German)
- Loeb, _____, Mr. and Mrs. --1.4 (1 letter from Albert
Einstein on behalf of the Palestine Orchestra Fund, 27
November 1938)
- Markel, Lester, 1894- (New York
Times)--1.10 (1 letter to Georges Schreiber, 24 April 1955)
- Mayer, W. (Walther), b. 1887--1.7 (1 letter from Albert
Einstein, undated, written in German; typed translation included)
- Otto, Nathan--1.10 (4 letters to Lawrence Cranberg, 1979)
- Popper, Karl R. (Karl Raimund), 1902-1994--1.10 (1 letter
to J. M. Fried, 1968)
- Schreiber, Georges, 1904- --1.4 (2 letters from Albert
Einstein, 6 and 24 December 1935, written in German)
- Smith, Datus Clifford, 1907- (Princeton
University Press)--1.4 (1 letter from Albert Einstein, 13
November 1945 and 1 letter to E. B. Tustin, 16 November 1945; removed from QC 6
E43 1950 HRC)
- Solovine, Maurice--1.8-9 (56 letters and postcards from
Albert Einstein, 1906-1955, plus typed transcripts of 6 of the letters)
- Unidentified recipient--1.4 (1 form letter from Albert Einstein on behalf of
the Emergency Committee of Atomic Scientists, 22 April
1947)