Division of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Einstein papers Project
Albert Einstein (1879–1955) was a visiting scientist at Caltech on three separate occasions in the early 1930s. His contribution to and presence on this campus is undeniable. His legacy persists in the ongoing scientific projects currently exploring many implications of his theory of general relativity, and extending his interest in a unified field theory and in the history and structure of the universe.
Seventy years later, his presence is officially restored at Caltech through a major humanities research project, headed by Professor of History Diana Kormos-Buchwald.
A collaborative effort involving at present an international group of 17 researchers and students, the Einstein Papers Project constitutes a major addition to research and teaching in the history and philosophy of science at Caltech. The participants, who have expertise in physics, astronomy, mathematics, and chemistry, German language and history, as well as in the history and philosophy of modern science, are engaged in researching, selecting, editing, annotating, translating, and publishing The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. Published in chronological order and comprising Einstein's writings and correspondence in large format hardcover books, the series is expected to run to 30 volumes containing more than 15,000 documents — the most ambitious publishing venture in the history of 20th-century science.
Over a period of 25 years after Einstein's death in Princeton in 1955, the trustees of his estate, Otto Nathan and Helen Dukas, organized the documents in his home and collected a substantial amount of additional material from all over the world. They planned that all of Einstein’s papers eventually be published — not just the scientific ones — and in 1971 Princeton University Press took on the massive publishing effort.
The Einstein Papers Project houses close to 100,000 Einstein-related documents in photocopy and comprises all known Einstein correspondence and scientific manuscripts (publications and drafts), lectures, speeches and articles on a variety of topics ranging from the philosophy of science to education, international cooperation, pacifism, civil liberties, and other humanistic and social issues.
In collaboration with the Albert Einstein Archives, the Project has made available the complete database of its holdings, available at www.alberteinstein.info. Many manuscripts have been digitized and are accompanied by transcriptions, explanations and translations.
The largest collection of original documents in Einstein’s hand is located at the Albert Einstein Archives, deposited at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem in accordance with Einstein's will. In addition, the Caltech collection contains copies of thousands of documents held in other private collections. A microfilm of the original archive has also been made available in the Caltech Institute Archives.
The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein is a priceless resource for scholarly research on Einstein's life and work. As significant is the intimate knowledge one gains of the intellectual, institutional, and personal relationships among physicists, mathematicians, and other academics during this revolutionary period in the history of modern science. Readers can follow the development of Einstein's work as he struggled with relativity; see what he, Max Planck, Niels Bohr, and Paul Ehrenfest had to write to each other about; delve into the complex political turmoil that led Einstein to become involved in the League of Nations; or learn about his intimate friendships and family connections.
All documents are published in their original language, most often German, the language in which Einstein expressed himself most eloquently and elegantly. The extensive annotations and editorial commentaries are in English. Twelve volumes of the Collected Papers covering the years 1879 to 1921 have already appeared.
