Mathematician Felix Klein Writes on Einstein's Theory and the International Mathematic Commission

Felix Klein

Manuscripts & Autographs

[Mathematics] Klein, Felix. Autograph Letter Signed, 10 November 1918, written in German to a former student and colleague, directly references Einstein’s recently published General Theory of Relativity and comments on the work of the International Mathematical Education Commission. Composed in the closing days of the First World War, the letter places Klein within active scholarly exchange concerning the mathematical implications of relativity, which had been formally presented in 1915 and widely disseminated by 1918. Klein, long established for his foundational contributions to group theory, non-Euclidean geometry, and mathematical physics, addresses questions raised by “Einstein’s theory,” noting that he required further reflection to clarify its implications for his own work. The document supports research in the history of relativity, German mathematical networks, scientific communication during wartime, and the institutional organization of mathematics in the early twentieth century.

Klein, Felix. Autograph Letter Signed, 10 November 1918. Two pages written on both sides of a single leaf. In German with accompanying English translation. Addressed to a former student, the letter discusses the circulation of lecture manuscripts, difficulties in securing copyists during wartime conditions, and the intellectual demands posed by Einstein’s theory: “A further exploration of my work does not exist yet, as I had and still have more thinking to do about questions raised by Einstein’s theory to clarify it for myself.” Klein also comments critically on the IMUK, observing that its published statements are “a display of wasted paper,” while acknowledging the commission’s broader social significance. He singles out contemporary educational treatises, including studies by W. Trost, Heinrich Emil Timerding, and M. Girndt, indicating his sustained engagement with mathematical pedagogy alongside theoretical research.

The letter was written days before the November Revolution in Germany and at a moment when academic institutions faced political upheaval and material shortages. Klein’s remarks regarding limited copyists and uncertainty about the coming months provide contemporaneous evidence of scholarly life under strained postwar conditions. His reference to Einstein situates the correspondence within the earliest phase of professional reception of general relativity among leading mathematicians, while his comments on the International Mathematical Education Commission underscore his longstanding commitment to mathematical instruction and institutional reform. Clean and well preserved with strong legibility and a clear signature. Overall near fine condition. A substantive document of early relativity discourse and mathematical research at the end of the First World War.

Item #13575

Price: $2,400.00