The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein: The Early Years, 1879-1902, English Translation

Volume 1 presents important new material on the young Einstein. Over half the documents made available here were discovered by the editors, including a significant group of over fifty letters that Einstein exchanged with Mileva Maric, his fellow student and future wife. These letters, together with other previously unpublished documents, provide an entirely new view of Einstein's youth. The documents in the volume also foreshadow the emergence of his extraordinary creative power. In them is manifested his intense commitment to scientific work and his interest in certain themes that proved to be central to his thinking during the next decade. We can follow, for example, the beginnings of his preoccupation with the electrodynamics of moving bodies that was to lead to the development of this special theory of relativity. For the first time it can be seen how closely he followed such contemporary developments in physics as Planck's work on radiation theory and Drude's work on the electron theory of metals. In addition to all of Einstein's known correspondence and other writings from this period, the volume includes the relevant portions of all third-party letters and other contemporary documents that provide additional information about his secondary schooling at the Aargau Cantonal School; his four years at the Swiss Federal Plytechnical School, or the ETH; and his search for a job after graduation. Included in the volume are those sections of an unpublished biography by Einstein's sister, Maja Winteler-Einstein, which deal with his early years; his extensive notes on a physics course he took at the ETH; and previously unpublished photographs of the young Einstein and his teachers and friends.

Documents in Volume 1 portray Einstein's experiences during the two stressful years after his graduation from the ETH in Zurich. Denied a position as an Assistant at the ETH, he lived a hand-to-mouth existence while he looked for a post at other universities; then he attempted to find a secondary-school post, and finally sought a nonacademic job. Tension with his parents over his plans to marry Mileva Maric is evident throughout this period. With the help of a friend, he finally found work at the Swiss Patent Office, the haven where he would spend the next seven years. Freed from his financial worries, he entered on one of the most productive periods of his life, as the next volume, Writings (1901-1910), will document.

Publisher's Foreword xi

Preface xiii

"Albert Einstein--A Biographical Sketch" (Translated Excerpts) by Maja Winteler-Einstein xv

List of Texts

1. Birth Certificate, 15 March 1879 3

2. Pauline Einstein to Fanny Einstein, 1 August 1886 3

3. Comment on the Proof of a Theorem, 1891-1895 3

4. Two Philosophical Comments, 1891-1895 4

5. "On the Investigation of the State of the Ether in a Magnetic Field," Summer? 1895 4

6. To Caesar Koch, Summer 1895 6

7. Albin Herzog to Gustav Maier, 25 September 1895 7

8. Entrance Report of the Gewerbeschule, Aargau Kantonsschule, ca. 26 October 1895 7

9. Gustav Maier to Jost Winteler, 26 October 1895 8

10. Aargau Kantonsschule Record, 26 October 1895-3 October 1896 8

11. Hermann Einstein to Jost Winteler, 29 October 1895 10

12. Minutes of Teachers' Conference, Aargau Kantonsschule, 8 November 1895 10

13. Jost Winteler to Gustav Maier, 21 December 1895 10

14. Hermann Einstein to Jost Winteler, 30 December 1895 11

15. Pauline Einstein to the Winteler Family, 30 December 1895 11

16. Release from W?rttemberg Citizenship, 28 January 1896 11

17. Inspector's Report on a Music Examination, Aargau Kantonsschule, ca. 31 March 1896 12

18. To Marie Winteler, with a Postscript by Pauline Einstein, 21 April 1896 12

19. Final Grades, Aargau Kantonsschule, 5 September 1896 13

20. To the Department of Education, Canton of Aargau, 7 September 1896 14

21. Matura Examination (A) German: "Synopsis of Goethe's Goetz von Berlichingen," 18 September 1896 14

22. Matura Examination (B) French: "My Future Plans," 18 September 1896 15

23. Matura Examination (C) Geometry, 19 September 1896 16

24. Matura Examination (D) Physics: "Tangent Galvanometer and Galvanometer," 19 September 1896 18

25. Matura Examination (E) Natural History: "Evidence of the Earlier Glaciation of Our Country," 21 September 1896 20

26. Matura Examination (F) Algebra, 21 September 1896 21

27. Matura Examination (G) Chemistry, 21 September 1896 23

28. ETH Record and Grade Transcript, 5-10 October 1896-2 August 1900 25

29. From Marie Winteler, 4-25 November 1896 29

30. From Marie Winteler, 30 November 1896 30

31. Pauline Einstein to Marie Winteler, 13 December 1896 31

32. Pauline Einstein to Marie Winteler, 24 March 1897 31

33. Statement of a Fine, 23-28 April 1897 32

34. To Pauline Winteler, May? 1897 32

35. To Pauline Winteler, 7 June 1897 33

36. From Mileva Marić, after 20 October 1897 34

37. H. F. Weber's Lectures on Physics, ca. December 1897-ca. June 1898 36

38. To Maja Einstein, 1898 123

39. To Mileva Marić, 16 February 1898 123

40. To Mileva Marić, 16 April-8 November 1898 124

41. To Mileva Marić, after 16 April 1898 124

42. J?r?me Franel to Hermann Bleuler, 21 October 1898 125

43. To Mileva Marić, after 28 November 1898 125

44. To Maja Einstein, after February 1899 126

45. To Mileva Marić, 13 or 20 March 1899 126

46. To Rosa Winteler, 29 April 1899 127

47. To Rosa Winteler, 18 May 1899 127

48. To Julia Niggli, 28 July 1899 127

49. Verse in the Album of Anna Schmid, August 1899 128

50. To Mileva Marić, early August 1899 129

51. To Julia Niggli, 6? August 1899 129

52. To Mileva Marić, 10? August 1899 130

53. From Mileva Marić, after 10 August--before 10 September 1899 131

54. To Mileva Marić, 10 September 1899 132

55. To Julia Niggli, 11 September 1899 133

56. To Pauline Winteler, 11 September 1899 134

57. To Mileva Marić, 28? September 1899 135

58. To Mileva Marić, 10 October 1899 136

59. Municipal Certificate of Residence and Good Conduct, 18 October 1899 137

60. To the Swiss Federal Council, 19 October 1899 137

61. From Mileva Marić, 1900? 138

62. To the Swiss Department of Foreign Affairs, 28 February 1900 138

63. Mileva Marić to Helene Kaufler, 9 March 1900 138

64. Mileva Marić to Helene Kaufler, 4 June-23 July 1900 139

65. To the Zurich City Council, 26 June 1900 139

66. Municipal Police Detective's Report, 4 July 1900 140

67. Adolf Hurwitz to Hermann Bleuler, 27 July 1900 140

68. To Mileva Marić, 29? July 1900 141

69. To Mileva Marić, 1 August 1900 142

70. To Mileva Marić, 6 August 1900 143

71. To Mileva Marić, 9? August 1900 144

72. To Mileva Marić, 14? August 1900 145

73. To Mileva Marić, 20 August 1900 146

74. To Mileva Marić, 30 August or 6 September 1900 147

75. To Mileva Marić, 13? September 1900 149

76. To Mileva Marić, 19 September 1900 150

77. To Adolf Hurwitz, 30 September 1900 151

78. To Adolf Hurwitz, 26 September 1900 151

79. To Mileva Marić, 3 October 1900 152

80. Mileva Marić to Helene Kaufler, before 9 October 1900 153

81. To Helene Kaufler, 11 October 1900 153

82. Questionnaire for Municipal Citizenship Applicants, 11-26 October 1900 153

83. Mileva Marić to Helene Savić, with a Postscript by Einstein, 11 December 1900 154

"Conclusions Drawn from the Phenomena of Capillarity," 13 December 1900 [title only] 155

84. Minutes of the Municipal Naturalization Commission of Zurich, 14 December 1900 155

85. Mileva Marić to Helene Savić, 20 December 1900 155

86. To Helene Savić, 20 December 1900 156

87. Mileva Marić to Helene Savić, with a Postscript by Einstein, 8 January-19 March 1901 157

88. Report of the Schweizerisches Informationsbureau, 30 January 1901 157

89. Dedication to Friedrich M?hlberg, ca. March 1901 158

90. To Otto Wiener, 9 March 1901 158

91. Military Service Book, 13 March 1901 158

92. To Wilhelm Ostwald, 19 March 1901 159

93. To Mileva Marić, 23 March 1901 159

94. To Mileva Marić, 27 March 1901 160

95. To Wilhelm Ostwald, 3 April 1901 162

96. To Mileva Marić, 4 April 1901 162

97. To Mileva Marić, 10 April 1901 163

98. To Heike Kamerlingh Onnes, 12 April 1901 164

99. Hermann Einstein to Wilhelm Ostwald, 13 April 1901 164

100. To Marcel Grossmann, 14 April 1901 165

101. To Mileva Marić, 15 April 1901 166

102. To Mileva Marić, 23 April 1901 167

103. From Mileva Marić, 2 May 1901 168

104. To Alfred Stern, 3 May 1901 168

105. From Mileva Marić, 3 May 1901 169

106. To Mileva Marić, 9 May 1901 170

107. To Mileva Marić, second half of May? 1901 171

108. From Mileva Marić, second half of May? 1901 172

109. Mileva Marić to Helene Savić, second half of May? 1901 172

110. To Mileva Marić, second half of May? 1901 173

111. To Mileva Marić, 28? May 1901 174

112. To Mileva Marić, 4? June 1901 174

113. To the Director's Office, Technikum Burgdorf, 3 July 1901 175

114. To Mileva Marić, 7? July 1901 176

115. To Jost Winteler, 8 July 1901 176

116. From Mileva Marić, ca. 8 July 1901 177

117. To the Department of Education, Canton of Bern, 16 July 1901 178

118. From the Department of Internal Affairs, Canton of Bern, 16 July 1901 178

119. To Mileva Marić, 22? July 1901 178

120. From the Department of Internal Affairs, Canton of Bern, 31 July 1901 179

121. From Mileva Marić, 31? July 1901 179

122. To Marcel Grossmann, 67 September 1901 180

123. From Mileva Marić, early November 1901 181

124. From Mileva Marić, 13 November 1901 182

125. Mileva Marić to Helene Savić, ca. 23 November--mid-December 1901 183

126. To Mileva Marić, 28 November 1901 184

127. To Mileva Marić, 12 December 1901 185

128. To Mileva Marić, 17 December 1901 186

129. To the Swiss Patent Office, 18 December 1901 188

130. To Mileva Marić, 19 December 1901 188

131. To Mileva Marić, 28 December 1901 189

132. Receipt for the Return of Doctoral Fees, 1 February 1902 190

133. To Conrad Habicht, 4 February 1902 190

134. To Mileva Marić, 4 February 1902 191

135. Advertisement for Private Lessons, 5 February 1902 192

136. To Mileva Marić, 8? February 1902 192

137. To Mileva Marić, 17? February 1902 193

138. Pauline Einstein to Pauline Winteler, 20 February 1902 193

"On the Thermodynamic Theory of the Difference in Potentials between Metals and Fully Dissociated Solutions of Their Salts and On an Electrical Method for Investigating Molecular Forces," April 1902 [title only] 194

139. To Conrad Habicht, April? 1902 194

"Kinetic Theory of Thermal Equilibrium and of the Second Law of Thermodynamics," June 1902 [title only] 194

140. The Swiss Department of Justice to the Swiss Federal Council, 2 June 1902 194

141. From the Swiss Department of Justice, 19 June 1902 195

142. From the Swiss Patent Office, 19 June 1902 196