Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem

Marianna Gelfand

doi:doi:10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

| Peer-Reviewed

Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem

Marianna Gelfand

Published in American Journal of Information Science and Technology (Volume 3, Issue 4)

Received: 18 August 2019 Accepted: 12 September 2019 Published: 15 October 2019

Views: Downloads:

Download PDF

Share This Article

Twitter
Linked In
Facebook

Abstract

This article, based on both historical and content analysis of Albert Einstein’s private library, presents a comprehensive picture of the Einstein Collection that was located at his home in Princeton, now housed at The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His private library consisted of approximately 2,400 titles, including not only books but also a small collection of journals, musical scores and records. Staff members of the Archive succeeded in adding additional books, including works by Einstein himself and ones about him in various languages. These amounted to approximately 1,500 titles. Most of the books in Einstein’s library related to subjects other than physics. Many authors presented copies of their books to Einstein. Those books, usually with autographs or dedications by the authors, dealt with various fields of knowledge – philosophy, literature, religions, Jewish culture, etc. Content analysis of Einstein’s personal library reveals scientific, political, and social connections of the scientist. This article includes information about the main institutions involved in conveying the library to Jerusalem and in organizing it. These were the American Friends of The Hebrew University in New York, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and the Jewish National and University Library (today The National Library of Israel). The primary sources for the research on which this article is based are 1) material from The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2) Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel, 3) Kiryat Sefer, bibliographical quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library, 4) Einstein’s reprint collection at The Weizmann Institute of Science. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) From the Einstein private library items were given as gifts both during his lifetime and after his death; 2) a large proportion of the books that Einstein gave to the National Library of Israel were registered in the Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel before the transfer of his complete library to Jerusalem; 3) Einstein's personal library includes books that actually belonged to other members of his family. For example, there are books, like those that belonged to his secretary Helen Dukas and to his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, that contain either the signature of the former owner or autograph/dedication by the author of the book. The article’s references to the contemporary Israeli press about Einstein’s visit to Israel elucidate Einstein’s role in the founding of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Published in	American Journal of Information Science and Technology (Volume 3, Issue 4)
DOI	10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
Page(s)	80-90
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2019. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Albert Einstein, The Albert Einstein Archives, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Einstein’s Personal Library, Dedications

References

[1]	Albert Einstein Archives, Old Working Files (hereafter AEA OWF) 676, Holton, Gerald. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 7 February, 1991. All quotations from AEA sources are with the kind permission of The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
[2]	AEA OWF JNUL 579 1986-87, Beit-Arie, Malachi. Letter tо Milton Handler, 2 December, 1986.
[3]	AEA OWF 189, NHK - 1989-90.
[4]	“I am pleased to inform [you] that I have sent the data on the musical scores and the Hebrew and Yiddish books to you by Express mail Service. <….> Thus, we have completed the cataloguing of Einstein’s library…”, ibid., Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Haruki Kito, 8 November, 1990.
[5]	AEA OWF 189, NHK – 1989-90, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to [Milton] Handler via [Amnon] Pazy, 25 June, 1990. A CD-ROM format of this Japanese television series can be found at The Einstein Archives.
[6]	AEA OWF 189, NHK - 1989-90, ‘Regarding International Academic Publication of the Catalogue of the Einstein Library’.
[7]	AEA, Archival Call Number (hereafter Archival Call Number): 75-412, pp. 2-6, citation p. 3.
[8]	AEA OWF 189, NHK - 1989-90, ‘Protocol, Subject: Catalogue of the Einstein Library’ (Hebrew).
[9]	Archival Call Number: 75-412, p. 3.
[10]	Calaprice, Alice, Daniel Kennefick, and Robert Schulmann, An Einstein Encyclopedia (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2015), p. 10.
[11]	AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Gerald Holton, 16 January, 1990, pp. [1-3], citation p. [2].
[12]	AEA OWF 189, NHK - 1989-90, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Haruki Kito, 25 July, 1990.
[13]	AEA OWF JNUL 581, 1988-90, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 18 December, 1989.
[14]	AEA OWF JNUL 581, 1988-90, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 24 January, 1990.
[15]	AEA OWF JNUL 581, 1988-90, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 8 February, 1990.
[16]	AEA OWF JNUL 581, 1988-90, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 11 January, 1990.
[17]	AEA OWF 676, Holton, Gerald. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 14 January, 1991.
[18]	AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Gerald Holton, 4 March, 1990.
[19]	AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Gerald Holton, 16 January, 1990, p. [2]. ‘List of publications on relativity’ see Archival Call Number: 43-396 (Rosenkranz gives the number of the item in the Archives in his letter).
[20]	AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Gerald Holton, 16 January, 1990, p. [3]. In his list of relevance sources of information "regarding the history of the library” Rosenkranz refers to this letter of Einstein, citing it, and giving its Archival Call Number, 73-052. Rosenkranz also cites here the “letter from Prof. Otto Fanta to Einstein (Prague, 4.1.1939)” (German) on the same subject, citing Archival Call Number: 53-040.
[21]	See also Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 106.
[22]	The Kayser Archive and his personal library were donated to the JNUL. [accessed 25 November 2017]. The Kayser Archive includes biographical material, correspondence, teaching materials, works, etc. Among Kayser's personal effects in the archive is a bronze mask of his first wife Ilse Einstein made after she died by her sister, the sculptor Margot Einstein (Bronzebüste Ilse Kayser. Archival Call Number in JNUL: ARC 4* 1820 1 30).
[23]	Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 10.
[24]	Bucky, Peter A., in Zusammenarbeit mit Allen G. Weakland. Der private Albert Einstein: Gespräche über Gott, die Menschen und die Bombe. Aus dem Amerikanischen von Kurt Simon (Düsseldorf: ECON Verlag, 1991), p. 87.
[25]	Archival Call Number: 32-583, Dukas, Helen. Letter to Otto Nathan, 28 March, 1958 (German), cited in AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Gerald Holton, 16 January, 1990.
[26]	Pais, A., Nauchnaya deyatel’nost’ i zhizn’ Al’berta Einshteina (The Scientific Activity and Life of Albert Einstein). Translation from English by V. I. and O. I. Matsarskii, edited by A. A. Logunov (Moscow: Nauka, 1989), p. 305. Originally: Abraham Pais, Subtle Is the Lord…: The Science and the Life of Albert Einstein (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1982), p. 317.
[27]	Archival Call Number: 29-175, Einstein, Albert. ‘Last Will and Testament’, pp. 1-10.
[28]	Archival Call Number: 29-175, Einstein, Albert. ‘Last Will and Testament’, p. 2.
[29]	Archival Call Number: 29-175, Einstein, Albert. ‘Last Will and Testament’, p. 8.
[30]	Archival Call Number: 29-175, Einstein, Albert. ‘Last Will and Testament’, p. 6.
[31]	Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 11.
[32]	On this see also in Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 12.
[33]	AEA OWF 579 1986-87, Cohn, Margot. Letter to Ehud Behamy, 26 January, 1987.
[34]	AEA OWF 579 1986-87, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Margot Cohn, 15 January, 1987.
[35]	AEA OWF 579 1986-87, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Margot Cohn, 25 August, 1987.
[36]	Kirjath Sepher, 22: 1945-46, p. 179.
[37]	Kirjath Sepher, 24: 1947-1948, p. 287.
[38]	“During its first years (1924-1927) it [Kiryat Sefer=Kirjath Sepher] was edited by Gershom Scholem and later by Issachar Joel (1928-1968) …”, cited from Baras, Zvi, A Century of Books: The Jewish National & University Library, 1892-1992 (Jerusalem: Berman Hall/The Jewish National and University Library, 1992), p. 65.
[39]	Kirjath Sepher, 8: 3 (1932), 284, in the section “Yediyot Beit ha-Sefarim” (“News from the library”) (Hebrew). This special section existed until 1950 (see note 38).
[40]	“Prof. Albert Einstein (of Princeton, New Jersey) has sent several books that were published in recent years.” Cited from Kirjath Sepher, 17: 1 (1940), 4 (Hebrew).
[41]	Baras, Zvi, A Century of Books: The Jewish National & University Library, 1892-1992 (Jerusalem: Berman Hall/The Jewish National and University Library, 1992), p.קי =110 (Hebrew).
[42]	“In America Einstein had often been regarded officially as a leader of the Jewish people”, cited from Frank, Philipp, Einstein: His Life and Times. Translated from a German manuscript by G. Rosen; edited and revised by S. Kusaka (New York: Knopf, 1953); reprint (New York: Da Capo Press, 1989), p. 280.
[43]	AEA 67-706, Wormann, Curt. Letter to Albert Einstein, 5 February, 1953.
[44]	Cited in Hoffmann, Banesh, Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel (New York: The Viking Press, 1972), p. [151].
[45]	Kuf-Lamed [K. L.] (author’s initials), ‘Harza’at ha-profesor Einstein al Har ha-Tsofim’ (‘Prof. Einstein’s Lecture on Mount Scopus’), Ha’aretz, vol. 4, no. 1060 (Feb. 11, 1923), p. 3 (Hebrew).
[46]	‘Delayed tribute for a revolutionary idea’, The Jerusalem Post (January 18, 1980), p. 9.
[47]	On such contacts see, for example, Levenson, Thomas, Einstein in Berlin (New York: Bantam Books, 2003), pp. 23-24.
[48]	It should be noted that the National Library also reported the receipt of a collection of reprints from Einstein: “A gift from Prof. Einstein, [from] Princeton, a collection оf reprints of various scientific articles.” Cited from Kirjath Sepher, 23: 1 (1946-47), 255 (Hebrew).
[49]	The Einstein reprint collection (in fifty-nine volumes) at The Weizmann Institute of Science, vol. 34.
[50]	The Einstein reprint collection (in fifty-nine volumes) at The Weizmann Institute of Science, vol. 54.
[51]	The Einstein reprint collection (in fifty-nine volumes) at The Weizmann Institute of Science, vol. 13.
[52]	The Einstein reprint collection (in fifty-nine volumes) at The Weizmann Institute of Science, vol. 17.
[53]	A copy of the French-language original of the biography of Marie Curie, Madame Curie (Paris: Gallimard, 1938), written by her daughter Eve Curie, is located at The Einstein Archives, along with the German translation Madame Curie: Leben und Wirken (Wien: Bermann-Fischer Verlag, 1937). The French version contains the author's handwritten dedication to Albert Einstein: “ă Albert Einstein Hommage de fervente admiration et de sympathie [from] EveCurie” (“To Albert Einstein, A tribute of fervent admiration and sympathy”). I would like to thank Paloma Tulman for deciphering this handwritten French dedication, as well as other handwritten dedications in French.
[54]	The Einstein reprint collection (in fifty-nine volumes) at The Weizmann Institute of Science, vol. 11.
[55]	AEA OWF 676, Holton, Gerald. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 16 March, 1990.
[56]	Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 137.
[57]	Stachel, John, ‘The Formative Years’, in Howard, Don [and] John Stachel, eds. Einstein: the Formative Years, 1879-1909. Einstein studies 8 (Boston: Birkhäuser, 2000), pp. [1]-22, citation p. 16, note 22.
[58]	“Naturally I am well acquainted with your principal works, of which I especially admire the one on mechanics.” - from Einstein’s letter to Ernst Mach, [9 August 1909], in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. English translation. Vol. 5, The Swiss Years: Correspondence, 1902-1914. Martin J. Klein et al., eds. Anna Beck, translator (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1995), Doc. 174, p. 130; cited in Stachel, John. ‘Introduction to Einstein: The Formative Years’, in Stachel, John, ed. Einstein from ‘B’ to ‘Z’. Einstein studies 9 (Boston: Birkhäuser, 2002), pp. 121-139, citation p. 125; Einstein referred to this book in ‘Autobiographical Notes’, in Albert Einstein: Philosopher-Scientist, Vol. 1, Schilpp, Paul Arthur, ed. (New York: Harper Torchbooks/Science Library, 1959), pp. 1-95, see p. 21.
[59]	AEA OWF 676, Rosen, Nathan. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 19 July, 1990 (Hebrew).
[60]	AEA OWF 676, Jost, Res. Letter to Ze’ev Rosenkranz, 14 August, 1990.
[61]	AEA OWF 676, Holton, Gerald. Letter to Haruki Kito, 29 May, 1990.
[62]	‘Albert Einstein Archives: The History of the Archives’. In Albert Einstein: the Persistent Illusion of Transcience, the Albert Einstein Archives, ed., Z. Rosenkranz, B. Wolff, Engl. ed., revised and substantially enlarged (Jerusalem: Magnes Press, 2007), p. 258. About Gerald Holton’s help to Helen Dukas see also in Calaprice, Alice (2015), p. 31.
[63]	AEA OWF Misc. Corr. Estate T-Z, Dukas, Helen. Letter to Rabbi J. J. Weinstein, after 4 May 1971.
[64]	See, for example JNUL 578 1985-86, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Margot Cohn, 25 September, 1986; Cohn, Margot. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 29 July, 1986; Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Mordecai Nadav [was the head of the Department of Manuscripts & Archives], 13 February, 1986; Nadav, Mordecai. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 30 January, 1986; Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Mordecai Nadav, 24 December, 1985; Nadav, Mordecai. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 13 December, 1985.
[65]	See, for example JNUL 579 1986-87, Cohn, Margot. Letters to Ehud Benamy, 4 October, 1987, and 7 December, 1987.
[66]	AEA OWF 580 1987-89, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Margot Cohn, 2 November, 1989.
[67]	AEA OWF 579 1986-87, Benamy, Ehud. Letter to Margot Cohn, 10 February, 1987.
[68]	AEA OWF 676, Rosenkranz, Ze’ev. Letter to Nathan Rosen, 15 July, 1990 (Hebrew).
[69]	See the letter of thanks for her AEA OWF JNUL 578 1985-86, Cohn, Margot. Letter to Elizabeth R. Einstein, 29 July, 1986.
[70]	AEA OWF JNUL 578 1985-86, Einstein, Elizabeth R. Letter to Roy Calder, 23 October, 1985.
[71]	AEA OWF JNUL 578 1985-86, Nadav, Mordecai. Letter to Ehud Benamy, 9 September, 1985.
[72]	'How I became a Zionist' in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. English translation. V. 7, The Berlin Years: Writings, 1918-1921. Michel Janssen et al., eds. Translated by Alfred Engel (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2002), pp. [234]-237, citation pp. 235-236; also in Kopel’man, Zoya, comp. and ed., translation: Yu. Miller, Al’bert Einshtein: obresti dostoinstvo i svobodu (Jerusalem; Moscow: Gesharim/Mosty Kul’tury, 2006), pp. 37-42, citation p. 40.
[73]	Rosenkranz, Ze’ev, Einstein before Israel: Zionist Icon or Iconoclast? (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2011), pp. 21-22.
[74]	Reiser, Anton, Albert Einstein: A Biographical Portrait (New York: Albert and Charles Boni, 1930), pp. 36-37.
[75]	Hoffman, Banesh, with the collaboration of Helen Dukas, Albert Einstein: Creator and Rebel (New York: The Viking Press, 1972), p. 24.
[76]	The Einstein library contains two books written by Max Talmey (Talmud). The Relativity Theory Simplified: and the Formative Period of Its Inventor, with an introduction by George B. Pegram, (New York: Falcon Press, 1932) & Psyche: A Concise and Easily Comprehensible Treatise on the Elements of Psychiatry and Psychology: for Students of Medicine and Law (New York: Medico-Legal Pub. Co., 1910); the second book contains a handwritten dedication to Einstein by the author: “A loken of longstanding friendship to Professor Albert Einstein Max Talmey, October 17, 1937”. The Weizmann Institute’s the Einstein reprint collection contains a typewritten copy of the text of the lecture by Max Talmey ‘Origin and Essence of the Nordic-Aryan Fabrication’ (New York City, February 1936), V. 56 Miscellaneous S-Z, pp. [1]-10.
[77]	Reiser, Anton (1930), p. 36. Bernstein’s Naturwissenschaftliche Volksbücher [Popular Books on Natural Sciences] are mentioned along with the books Kraft und Stoff [Force and Matter] by Büchner, and Kosmos by Humboldt, which were recommended for reading “among others” by Talmey, in Winteler-Einstein, Maja, ‘Albert Einstein-a Biographical Sketch’ (Excerpt). In The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. English translation. Vol. 1, The Early Years, 1879-1902. John Stachel et al., eds. Anna Beck, translator (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987), pp. xv-xxii, citation p. xxi.
[78]	Hoffmann, Banesh (1972), p. 24.
[79]	Rosenkranz, Ze’ev (2011), p. 138.
[80]	For detailed list of places visited by Einstein in Palestine and information about speeches he gave there (both mainly based on the local press) see Ze’ev Rosenkranz, ‘Secular Pilgrim or Zionist Tourist? Einstein’s Tour of Palestine in 1923’ (pp. 139-180), in Einstein before Israel.
[81]	Einstein, Albert, ‘On the Founding of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’. Published 26 August 1921. In: Jüdische Pressezentrale Zürich, 26 August 1921, p. [1]. (An interview by the “Jüdische Pressezentrale Zürich” with Professor Einstein, August 26, 1921), in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. English translation. V. 7, pp. [248]-249; also in Russian translation under the title ‘O sozdanii Evreiskogo universiteta v Ierusalime’, in Kopel’man, Zoya (2006), pp. 50-51.
[82]	Einstein, Albert, ‘On the Founding of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem’, in The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein. English translation. V. 7, pp. [248]-249.
[83]	The plan for the establishment of a national library, that was always linked to the establishment of a university, influenced the construction of Beit ha-Sefarim ha-Leumi veha-Universitai as a national and university library. See Katz, Shaul [and] Heyd, Michael, eds., The History of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem: Origins and Beginnings (Jerusalem: The Magnes Press, 1997), p. 151 (Hebrew).
[84]	Kopel’man, Zoya (2006), p. 57.
[85]	Baras, Zvi (1992), p. 42.
[86]	“…Einstein perceived Palestine as “a land of new beginnings.”” Cited from Rosenkranz, Ze’ev (2011), p. 178.
[87]	“Bayit Ne’eman” was built as a first “permanent home for” the Jewish National Library. In A Century of Books (1992), p. 28. This building in Jerusalem at Bnei Brit Street No. 18 does not have a balcony, as stated in the newspaper Ha’aretz [in its report of Einstein’s visit] (see note 88). However, on the lot next to it there is another two-storey building (Bnei Brit St. No. 16) whose upper storey does have a balcony. The history of the National Library began in 1892 with the establishment of “Midrash Abrabanel Library”. “The name “Midrash Abrabanel”, which hinted at а ‘house of study’ (Beit Midrash), was chosen to allay the suspicion of the Ottoman authorities who would oppose the establishment of any new institution that seemed to have a nationalist character.” In A Century of Books (1992), p. 20.
[88]	‘Ha-profesor Einstein be-Veit ha-Sefarim ha-Leumi’ (‘Prof. Einstein at the Beit ha-Sefarim ha-Leumi’), Ha’aretz, vol. 4, no. 1058, 8 February, 1923, p. 3 (Hebrew).
[89]	Kopel’man, Zoya (2006), p. 55.
[90]	‘Jerusalem University Publication’, The Palestine Weekly, vol. 5, no. 34, 31 August, 1923, pp. 163-164, citation p. 163.
[91]	‘Jerusalem University Publication’, The Palestine Weekly, vol. 5, no. 34, 31 August, 1923, p. 164.
[92]	The National Library Law, 5768-2007, complete and updated version [accessed 25 November 2017].

Cite This Article

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Marianna Gelfand. (2019). Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. American Journal of Information Science and Technology, 3(4), 80-90. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Marianna Gelfand. Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. Am. J. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2019, 3(4), 80-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Marianna Gelfand. Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. Am J Inf Sci Technol. 2019;3(4):80-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11,
  author = {Marianna Gelfand},
  title = {Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem},
  journal = {American Journal of Information Science and Technology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {80-90},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajist.20190304.11},
  abstract = {This article, based on both historical and content analysis of Albert Einstein’s private library, presents a comprehensive picture of the Einstein Collection that was located at his home in Princeton, now housed at The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His private library consisted of approximately 2,400 titles, including not only books but also a small collection of journals, musical scores and records. Staff members of the Archive succeeded in adding additional books, including works by Einstein himself and ones about him in various languages. These amounted to approximately 1,500 titles. Most of the books in Einstein’s library related to subjects other than physics. Many authors presented copies of their books to Einstein. Those books, usually with autographs or dedications by the authors, dealt with various fields of knowledge – philosophy, literature, religions, Jewish culture, etc. Content analysis of Einstein’s personal library reveals scientific, political, and social connections of the scientist. This article includes information about the main institutions involved in conveying the library to Jerusalem and in organizing it. These were the American Friends of The Hebrew University in New York, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and the Jewish National and University Library (today The National Library of Israel). The primary sources for the research on which this article is based are 1) material from The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2) Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel, 3) Kiryat Sefer, bibliographical quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library, 4) Einstein’s reprint collection at The Weizmann Institute of Science. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) From the Einstein private library items were given as gifts both during his lifetime and after his death; 2) a large proportion of the books that Einstein gave to the National Library of Israel were registered in the Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel before the transfer of his complete library to Jerusalem; 3) Einstein's personal library includes books that actually belonged to other members of his family. For example, there are books, like those that belonged to his secretary Helen Dukas and to his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, that contain either the signature of the former owner or autograph/dedication by the author of the book. The article’s references to the contemporary Israeli press about Einstein’s visit to Israel elucidate Einstein’s role in the founding of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem
AU  - Marianna Gelfand
Y1  - 2019/10/15
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
T2  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JF  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JO  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
SP  - 80
EP  - 90
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0588
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
AB  - This article, based on both historical and content analysis of Albert Einstein’s private library, presents a comprehensive picture of the Einstein Collection that was located at his home in Princeton, now housed at The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His private library consisted of approximately 2,400 titles, including not only books but also a small collection of journals, musical scores and records. Staff members of the Archive succeeded in adding additional books, including works by Einstein himself and ones about him in various languages. These amounted to approximately 1,500 titles. Most of the books in Einstein’s library related to subjects other than physics. Many authors presented copies of their books to Einstein. Those books, usually with autographs or dedications by the authors, dealt with various fields of knowledge – philosophy, literature, religions, Jewish culture, etc. Content analysis of Einstein’s personal library reveals scientific, political, and social connections of the scientist. This article includes information about the main institutions involved in conveying the library to Jerusalem and in organizing it. These were the American Friends of The Hebrew University in New York, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and the Jewish National and University Library (today The National Library of Israel). The primary sources for the research on which this article is based are 1) material from The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2) Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel, 3) Kiryat Sefer, bibliographical quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library, 4) Einstein’s reprint collection at The Weizmann Institute of Science. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) From the Einstein private library items were given as gifts both during his lifetime and after his death; 2) a large proportion of the books that Einstein gave to the National Library of Israel were registered in the Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel before the transfer of his complete library to Jerusalem; 3) Einstein's personal library includes books that actually belonged to other members of his family. For example, there are books, like those that belonged to his secretary Helen Dukas and to his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, that contain either the signature of the former owner or autograph/dedication by the author of the book. The article’s references to the contemporary Israeli press about Einstein’s visit to Israel elucidate Einstein’s role in the founding of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download

Author Information

Marianna Gelfand

The Library Authority, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, Israel

Download PDF

Sections

Plain Text BibTeX RIS

APA Style

Marianna Gelfand. (2019). Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. American Journal of Information Science and Technology, 3(4), 80-90. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

ACS Style

Marianna Gelfand. Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. Am. J. Inf. Sci. Technol. 2019, 3(4), 80-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

AMA Style

Marianna Gelfand. Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem. Am J Inf Sci Technol. 2019;3(4):80-90. doi: 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11

Copy | Download

@article{10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11,
  author = {Marianna Gelfand},
  title = {Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem},
  journal = {American Journal of Information Science and Technology},
  volume = {3},
  number = {4},
  pages = {80-90},
  doi = {10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.ajist.20190304.11},
  abstract = {This article, based on both historical and content analysis of Albert Einstein’s private library, presents a comprehensive picture of the Einstein Collection that was located at his home in Princeton, now housed at The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His private library consisted of approximately 2,400 titles, including not only books but also a small collection of journals, musical scores and records. Staff members of the Archive succeeded in adding additional books, including works by Einstein himself and ones about him in various languages. These amounted to approximately 1,500 titles. Most of the books in Einstein’s library related to subjects other than physics. Many authors presented copies of their books to Einstein. Those books, usually with autographs or dedications by the authors, dealt with various fields of knowledge – philosophy, literature, religions, Jewish culture, etc. Content analysis of Einstein’s personal library reveals scientific, political, and social connections of the scientist. This article includes information about the main institutions involved in conveying the library to Jerusalem and in organizing it. These were the American Friends of The Hebrew University in New York, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and the Jewish National and University Library (today The National Library of Israel). The primary sources for the research on which this article is based are 1) material from The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2) Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel, 3) Kiryat Sefer, bibliographical quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library, 4) Einstein’s reprint collection at The Weizmann Institute of Science. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) From the Einstein private library items were given as gifts both during his lifetime and after his death; 2) a large proportion of the books that Einstein gave to the National Library of Israel were registered in the Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel before the transfer of his complete library to Jerusalem; 3) Einstein's personal library includes books that actually belonged to other members of his family. For example, there are books, like those that belonged to his secretary Helen Dukas and to his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, that contain either the signature of the former owner or autograph/dedication by the author of the book. The article’s references to the contemporary Israeli press about Einstein’s visit to Israel elucidate Einstein’s role in the founding of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.},
 year = {2019}
}

Copy | Download

TY  - JOUR
T1  - Albert Einstein Library: From Princeton to Jerusalem
AU  - Marianna Gelfand
Y1  - 2019/10/15
PY  - 2019
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
DO  - 10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
T2  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JF  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
JO  - American Journal of Information Science and Technology
SP  - 80
EP  - 90
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2640-0588
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.ajist.20190304.11
AB  - This article, based on both historical and content analysis of Albert Einstein’s private library, presents a comprehensive picture of the Einstein Collection that was located at his home in Princeton, now housed at The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem. His private library consisted of approximately 2,400 titles, including not only books but also a small collection of journals, musical scores and records. Staff members of the Archive succeeded in adding additional books, including works by Einstein himself and ones about him in various languages. These amounted to approximately 1,500 titles. Most of the books in Einstein’s library related to subjects other than physics. Many authors presented copies of their books to Einstein. Those books, usually with autographs or dedications by the authors, dealt with various fields of knowledge – philosophy, literature, religions, Jewish culture, etc. Content analysis of Einstein’s personal library reveals scientific, political, and social connections of the scientist. This article includes information about the main institutions involved in conveying the library to Jerusalem and in organizing it. These were the American Friends of The Hebrew University in New York, the Japan Broadcasting Corporation, and the Jewish National and University Library (today The National Library of Israel). The primary sources for the research on which this article is based are 1) material from The Albert Einstein Archives at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, 2) Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel, 3) Kiryat Sefer, bibliographical quarterly of the Jewish National and University Library, 4) Einstein’s reprint collection at The Weizmann Institute of Science. The following conclusions were drawn: 1) From the Einstein private library items were given as gifts both during his lifetime and after his death; 2) a large proportion of the books that Einstein gave to the National Library of Israel were registered in the Inventory Books of the National Library of Israel before the transfer of his complete library to Jerusalem; 3) Einstein's personal library includes books that actually belonged to other members of his family. For example, there are books, like those that belonged to his secretary Helen Dukas and to his stepdaughter Margot Einstein, that contain either the signature of the former owner or autograph/dedication by the author of the book. The article’s references to the contemporary Israeli press about Einstein’s visit to Israel elucidate Einstein’s role in the founding of The Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
VL  - 3
IS  - 4
ER  -

Copy | Download