By Albert Einstein

The Meaning of Relativity – First English Edition, Presentation Copy (1922)

£2,675.00

Albert Einstein’s The Meaning of Relativity is one of the most significant scientific texts of the 20th century, presenting the content of a series of lectures delivered at Princeton University in 1921. These lectures aimed to make the principles of relativity more accessible to a general audience, though they remained highly technical and mathematically rigorous. This first edition, published by Methuen in 1922, marks the first English-language appearance of Einstein’s expanded thoughts on the subject, solidifying his relationship with Princeton and bridging European and American scientific discourse. This particular copy is a presentation copy, adding to its rarity and desirability among collectors. The book itself remains one of the earliest accessible versions of Einstein’s groundbreaking work on relativity, originally presented to a lay audience yet dense with advanced mathematical explanations. The Princeton lectures were Einstein’s attempt to explain his theories beyond the academic sphere, though they still required a strong foundation in higher mathematics. The publication of this edition represents an important moment in Einstein’s career, as it followed closely on the heels of his 1921 Nobel Prize in Physics. The association with Princeton, which would later offer Einstein a permanent academic home at the Institute for Advanced Study, further underscores its historical significance. Methuen’s role in publishing the first English edition of The Meaning of Relativity also reflects the firm’s broader contributions to bringing European intellectual thought to an English-speaking audience. This first edition is particularly scarce in good condition, and presentation copies are even more desirable. A cornerstone work in the history of modern physics, this book is an essential acquisition for serious collectors of Einsteiniana, early 20th-century scientific literature, and rare first editions.