FIRST EDITION IN GERMAN OF H.A. LORENTZ'S SICHTBARE UND SICHTBARE BEWEGUNGEN, 1902
LORENTZ, Henrik A. Sichtbare Und Unsichtbare Bewegungen ["Visible and Invisible Movements"]. Braunschweig: Druck und Verlag con Friedrich Vieweg und Sohn, 1902. Octavo, contemporary burgundy cloth. $850.
First edition in German of these lectures on electron theory given in Leiden in 1902, the year he was co-awarded the Nobel Prize "in recognition of the extraordinary service [he] rendered by [his] researches into the influence of magnetism upon radiation phenomena."
Dutch scientist H.A. Lorentz, a professor at the University of Leiden, did some of the most influential research in the area of relativity. "Before the existence of electrons was proved, Lorentz proposed that light waves were due to oscillations of an electric charge in the atom. He developed his mathematical theory of the electron for which he received the Nobel Prize in 1902. Lorentz is also famed for his work on the FitzGerald-Lorentz contraction, which is a contraction in the length of an object at relativistic speeds. Lorentz transformations, which he introduced in 1904, form the basis of Einstein's special theory of relativity. They describe the increase of mass, the shortening of length, and the time dilation of a body moving at speeds close to the velocity of light" (Franklin Institute). Translated by G. Siebert from the original Dutch. Ex-libris Bibliothek der Pulverfabrik Premnitz, with shelf label on front pastedown, stamp on half title, and other expected markings.
Only mild toning to interior, a bit of wear and toning to cloth extremities. An extremely good copy.