EINSTEIN, Albert (1879–1955). “Über das Relativitätsprinzip und die aus demselben gezogenen Folgerungen.” In: Jahrbuch der Radioaktivität und Elektronik. Vol. 4, pp. 411–62. Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 1908. [With:] “Berichtigungen”. In: Jahrbuch der Radioaktivität und Elektronik. Vol. 5, pp. 98–99. Leipzig: S. Hirzel, 1908.

Rare first edition, journal issue, of Einstein’s transitional paper from the special to the general theory of relativity; with correction, both in original wrappers.

This paper marked the beginning of Einstein's conceptualization of gravity not as a force, but as a geometric property of spacetime—a revolutionary idea that would be fully realized in his 1915 theory of general relativity. Many of the predictions made in this paper, such as gravitational time dilation and the bending of light by gravity, were later confirmed experimentally, providing strong support for Einstein's theories.

Einstein wrote that when he was working on this paper, “There occurred to me the happiest thought of my life, in the following form. The gravitational field has only a relative existence in a way similar to the electric field generated by magnetoelectric induction. Because for an observer falling freely from the roof of a house there exists—at least in his immediate surroundings—no gravitational field”. Years later, during a lecture at Kyoto, Einstein recalled when the “happiest thought” occurred to him: “I was sitting in a chair in the patent office at Bern when all of a sudden a thought occurred to me. ‘If a person falls freely he will not feel his own weight!’ I was startled. This simple thought made a deep impression on me. It impelled me toward a theory of gravitation.”

Extremely rare: only one copy of the journal issue (without the correction) has appeared at auction and one copy of the offprint issue.

Both volumes: octavo (238 × 158mm). Leaves uncut. Original orange wrappers (very light soiling, few faint creases); red clamshell box.