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Christie Henry, Director of the Princeton University Press, on publishing Einstein:
Albert Einstein is one of the foremost scientists and public figures of the 20th century, who revolutionized our views of time and space, matter and light, gravitation and the universe. His work has also revolutionized, and inspired, Princeton University Press’s science publishing program for over a century. In 1922, the Press published The Meaning of Relativity, becoming the first US publisher to produce a book of Einstein’s. Based on lectures he delivered at Princeton University in 1921, the book provided an overview of his then-controversial theory of relativity. A foundational book of modern physics, The Meaning of Relativity has been continuously in print ever since its first publication, has been translated into more than fifty languages, and arguably gave enduring meaning to the world of science publishing.
The press’s honor and enthusiasm for publishing the works of Einstein is profound, and extends to all his writings, as well as the vibrant literature his writing and science have inspired in many scholars and authors. Published works of popular science, histories of science, critical editions, biographies, and textbooks all amplify Einstein’s own writing, and further the exploration and understanding of the universe. The Press’s Einstein endeavors also demonstrate the essentiality of partnerships in achieving publishing ambitions. Providing the first assemblage and English translation of Einstein’s massive written legacy, The Collected Papers of Albert Einstein is published by Princeton University Press and edited by The Einstein Papers Project at the California Institute of Technology with the assistance of The Albert Einstein Archive at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. In addition, these three partners together produce The Digital Einstein Papers—an online platform that provides readers around the world with online access to The Collected Papers.
Our global publishing endeavors continue to be inspired by Einstein’s science, and his words:
Imagination is more important than knowledge. Knowledge is limited. Imagination encircles the world.
Einstein, Albert. The Meaning of Relativity. Princeton University Press, 1923.
Einstein, Albert. Relativity: The Special and the General Theory. Princeton University Press, 2019.
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