First offprint of Einstein’s groundbreaking paper to formulate the Unified Field Theory, 1929

Albert EINSTEIN: ZUR EINHEITLICHEN FELDTHEORIE. [On The Unified Field Theory]. Sonderabdruck [Offprint] aus den Sitzungsberichten der Preussischen Akademie der Wissenschaften, physikalisch-mathematischen Klasse, I (1929). Berlin: Verlag der Akademie der Wissenschaften (in commission at Georg Reimer [Reichsdruckerei]), 30th January 1929.

Imperial 8vo (25,4:18,2 cm). 8 pages. Letterpress on machine paper, in original publisher’s brochure on orange stock with black title printing.

First offprint in the original wrappers, of this important paper by Einstein formulating groundbreaking developments towards the formulation of the Unified Field Theory.

Content: »On The Unified Field Theory« is one of Einstein's last scientific core works. According to Weil "This paper represents a new development which was immediate news. A translation by L.L.Whyte appeared in the (London) Times of Feb. 4, 1929. It was quoted in full in "Observatory", vol. 52, under the title "New Field Theory" pp.82-87 and (1930) pp.11-118." In 1928 Einstein embarked on a new approach to a unified field theory, involving what he called „distant parallelism“. By early 1929 he had solved the main problems involved in writing down field equations for his unified field theory. On the day of offical publication of the third of a formidably technical series of 9 articles on the theory, excited headlines appeared in newspapers around the world. (Cf. Parkinson, Breakthroughs, p.279.)

Condition, State: Fine, uncut, thus unread. - The list of academy offprints on the rear side of the cover states present offprint not in last place. All offprints listed later were printed in 1929 though. The typeset of all pages is identical to other authentified offprints of this papers. This indicates that our copy is indeed a first offprint, but presumably with a later cover.

Reference: Alicke 141; Boni-Russ-L. 183; Norman Collection I, 700; Printing and the Mind of Man 416 („Principal Work“); Schilpp-Shields 226; Weil *165.