Description

This is the true first edition published by Methuen in May 1922 — it preceded the more familiar Princeton edition by one month.

It's stamped on the title page as a publisher’s presentation copy, identifying it as a copy distributed by Methuen at the time of publication.

The Methuen issue is scarce in any state, but in presentation form it is especially uncommon, which gives this particular copy a distinctive place among other surviving examples.

The text is based on Einstein’s 1921 Stafford Little Lectures at Princeton, his first sustained attempt to explain the theory of relativity to an English-speaking audience.

Delivered only months before he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics, the lectures marked a turning point in his career, extending his influence beyond European academia and onto the broader international stage.

The Princeton edition of the same year appears with some regularity, but the Methuen first is of far greater scarcity, particularly in presentation state.

Condition report

Tanning to the endpapers, with a few pencil retail marks. Light marking and rubbing to the boards. Pages are generally clean, with light rubbing visible on the title page (see images). Some slight wear to the gutter at approximately page 80 (middle of the book). The text block is tight. The images form part of the description; prospective buyers are encouraged to examine them closely. Overall, the book is in good to very good condition for its age.