Milestones of Science Books

MINKOWSKI, Hermann.

Raum und Zeit.

Leipzig: Teubner, 1909.

1st Edition. Hardcover. Near Fine. Item #101879

In: Verhandlungen der Gesellschaft deutscher Naturforscher und Ärtze, vol. 80, part II, pp. 4-9. Versammlung zu Cöln. 20.-26. September 1908. Leipzig: Verlag von F.C.W. Vogel, 1909. 4to (240 x 167 mm). Parts I, II/i-ii and 'Geschäfts-Bericht' bound in single volume. 124, [2], [4], 246; x, [2], 218; xxi [1], 595, [3] pp. Contemporary library cloth with handwritten paper label, sprinkled edges (wear to extremities, spine creased, corners scuffed, binding a bit weak with few pages working loose). In modern cloth protective case with morocco spine label. Light marginal browning, but generally clean and bright throughout. The whole volume is offered. ----

RARE FIRST EDITION AND FIRST APPEARANCE. In this paper 'Space and Time,' read by Minkowski in Cologne only a few days before his death, he introduced the notion that made possible the expansion of the relativity theory of Einstein from its specific to its general form. The technical description of Minkowski's hypothesis is the four-dimensional space-time continuum. . . Minkowski maintained that the separation of time and space is a false conception; that time itself is itself a dimension, comparable to length, breadth and height; and that therefore the true conception of reality was constituted by a space-time continuum possessing these four dimensions . . ." (PMM).
The paper was first published here (pp.4-9 of part II, i of the Verhandlungen) and was then reprinted in Jahrsbericht der deutschen Mathematiker-Vereinigung, vol. XVIII (1909). Following Minkowski's unexpected death in 1909, an offprint from the Jahrsberichts was commissioned as a tribute.
References: PMM 401 (Deutschen Mathematiker-Vereinigung issue); DSB IX, 414; Norman 1514 (offprint). - visit our website to see more images!

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