The Travel Diaries of Albert Einstein

The Far East, Palestine, and Spain, 1922 - 1923

Albert Einstein, Ze'ev Rosenkranz, Ze'ev Rosenkranz

• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9781400889952
• Topic: History
• Subtopic: Science History
• Index: History

The first publication of Albert Einstein's travel diary to the Far East and Middle East In the fall of 1922, Albert Einstein, along with his then-wife, Elsa Einstein, embarked on a five-and-a-half-month voyage to the Far East and Middle East, regions that the renowned physicist had never visited before. Einstein's lengthy itinerary consisted of stops in Hong Kong and Singapore, two brief stays in China, a six-week whirlwind lecture tour of Japan, a twelve-day tour of Palestine, and a three-week visit to Spain. This handsome edition makes available, for the first time, the complete journal that Einstein kept on this momentous journey.The telegraphic-style diary entries--quirky, succinct, and at times irreverent—record Einstein's musings on science, philosophy, art, and politics, as well as his immediate impressions and broader thoughts on such events as his inaugural lecture at the future site of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, a garden party hosted by the Japanese Empress, an audience with the King of Spain, and meetings with other prominent colleagues and statesmen. Entries also contain passages that reveal Einstein's stereotyping of members of various nations and raise questions about his attitudes on race. This beautiful edition features stunning facsimiles of the diary's pages, accompanied by an English translation, an extensive historical introduction, numerous illustrations, and annotations. Supplementary materials include letters, postcards, speeches, and articles, a map of the voyage, a chronology, a bibliography, and an index. Einstein would go on to keep a journal for all succeeding trips abroad, and this first volume of his travel diaries offers an initial, intimate glimpse into a brilliant mind encountering the great, wide world.

Notes

Historical Introduction

1. For general overviews of the trip to the Far East, Palestine, and Spain, see Grundmann 2004, pp. 223–250; Eisinger 2011, pp. 21–71; and Calaprice et al. 2015, pp. 111–115.

2. See “Travel Diary Japan, Palestine, Spain, 6 October 1922–12 March 1923 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 379, pp. 532–588].

3. See Sugimoto 2001b, pp. 12–133; Rosenkranz 1999; “Einstein’s Travel Diary for Spain, 1923,” in Glick 1988, pp. 325–326; and Nathan and Norden 1975, pp. 75–76.

4. On Einstein’s trip to the United States in the spring of 1921, see CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Introduction, pp. xxviii–xxxviii.

5. See “South American Travel Diary Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil,” 5 March–11 May 1925 [CPAE 2015, Vol. 14, Doc. 455, pp. 688–708]; “Amerika-Reise 1930,” 30 November 1930–15 June 1931 [AEA, 29 134]; “Travel diary for USA,” 3 December 1931–4 February 1932 [AEA, 29 136]; “Reise nach Pasadena XII 1932,” 10 December 1932–18 December 1932 [AEA, 29 138]; and “Travel Diary for Pasadena,” 28 January 1933–16 February 1933 [AEA, 29 143].

6. See “Calculations on Back Pages of Travel Diary,” ca. 9–22 January 1923 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 418, pp. 670–694].

7. Indirect evidence for this can be derived from a letter Einstein wrote while on his trip to South America. On 15 April 1925, he wrote home from Buenos Aires: “What adventures I have had! You will read about it in my diary” (see Einstein to Elsa and Margot Einstein, 15 April 1925 [CPAE 2015, Vol. 14, Doc. 474]).

8. See Sayen 1985, p. 72.

9. See Bailey 1989, pp. 348–351.

10. See “Note for the files,” 3 March 1980 [AEA, Helen Dukas Papers, Heineman Foundation file].

11. See James H. Heineman to Otto Nathan, 21 October 1980 [AEA, Helen Dukas Papers, Heineman Foundation file].

12. See Charles Hamilton Galleries Inc., “Certification,” 8 July 1981, and John F. Fleming, untitled appraisal, 8 July 1981 [AEA, Helen Dukas Papers, Heineman Foundation file].

13. See Otto Nathan to James H. Heineman, 15 August 1981, and James H. Heineman to Otto Nathan, 20 August 1981 [AEA, Helen Dukas Papers, Heineman Foundation file].

14. On the various factors, see Grundmann 2004, pp. 180–183.

15. See see CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Introduction, pp. xxviii–xxxviii.

16. He held a lecture cycle at the University of Zurich in January–February 1919; a series of lectures in Oslo and a lecture on relativity at the Technical University of Copenhagen in June 1920; he gave his inaugural lecture at the University of Leyden in October 1920; and he delivered lectures at the Urania in Prague and at the University in Vienna in January 1921 (see CPAE 2004, Vol. 9, Calendar, entry for 20 January 1919; CPAE 2006, Vol. 10, Calendar, entries for 15, 17, 18, and 25 June 1920 and 27 October 1920; and CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Calendar, entries for 7, 8, 10, 11, and 13 January 1921).

17. In June 1921, he addressed Jewish students on the Hebrew University at the University of Manchester (see CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Calendar, entry for 9 June 1921).

18. See CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Chronology, entries for 3, 5–7 April 1922.

19. See Kagawa 1920.

20. See Sanehiko Yamamoto, “Fifteen Years of Kaizo,” Kaizo, April 1934; and Kaneko 2005, p. 13.

21. See Jun Ishiwara, “Preface,” in Ishiwara 1923.

22. See Yokozeki 1956.

23. See Jun Ishiwara to Einstein, 24 September 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 244].

24. See Koshin Morubuse to Einstein, before 27 September 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 245].

25. See Einstein to Elsa Einstein, 8 January 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 12].

26. See Einstein to Ilse Einstein, 9 November 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 292].

27. See Einstein to Jun Ishiwara, 6 December 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 312].

28. See Sanehiko Yamamoto to Einstein, 15 January 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 21].

29. See Einstein to Paul Ehrenfest, 15 March 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 87].

30. See Eintein to Jun Ishiwara, 27 March 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 118].

31. See Sanehiko Yamamoto to Einstein, between 12 July and 8 August 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 283].

32. See Uzumi Doi to Einstein, 27 May 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 206].

33. See Einstein to Koshin Morubuse, 27 September 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 246].

34. See Text 4 in the Additional Texts section of this volume.

35. See W. S. Ting, Chinese Embassy, Copenhagen to Einstein, 11 September 1920 [CPAE 2006, Vol. 10, Calendar, entry for 11 September 1920].

36. See Zhu Jia-hua to Einstein, 21 March 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 101].

37. See Einstein to Zhu Jia-hua, 25 March 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 111].

38. See Chenzu Wei to Einstein, 8 April 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 135].

39. See Einstein to Chenzu Wei, 3 May 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 177].

40. See Chenzu Wei to Einstein, 22 July 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 305].

41. On the trip to Palestine, see Rosenkranz 2011, pp. 139–180.

42. See Chaim Weizmann to Einstein, 7 October 1921 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 259].

43. This invitation was a written one, yet it is not extant. For its existence, see Arthur Ruppin to Zionist Executive, 16 Oct. 1922 [IsJCZA, A126/542]. For Blumenfeld’s notes of 12 October 1922, see Text 2 in the Additional Texts section of this volume.

44. Einstein was to travel to Batavia (Java) to show his gratitude to the joint Dutch-German expedition that had observed a solar eclipse there in one of the attempts to prove his theories (see Einstein to Paul Ehrenfest, 18 May 1922 [CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Doc. 193]).

45. See Text 2 in the Additional Texts section of this volume.

46. See “Prof. Einstein besucht Palästina,” Zionistische Korrespondenz, 6 October 1922; and “Einstein to visit Palestine,” Latest News and Wires through Jewish Correspondence Bureau News and Telegraphic Agency, 10 October 1922.

47. See Weizmann to Einstein, 6 Oct. 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Doc. 380]; Ilse Einstein to Weizmann, 20 October 1922 [CPAE 2012, Vol. 13, Abs. 435]; and Wasserstein 1977, Introduction, note 15.

48. On the problematic issues that arose during Einstein’s tour of the United States, see CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Introduction, p. xxxiv.

49. Solomon Ginzberg, who had acted as Einstein’s host during the U.S. tour.

50. Her name was actually Rosa Ginzberg; she was Solomon’s wife.

51. See Arthur Ruppin to Zionist Executive, Jerusalem, 16 October 1922 [IsReWW].

52. See Arthur Ruppin to Chaim Weizmann, 16 October 1922 [IsReWW].

53. See Einstein to Fritz Haber, 6 October 1920 [CPAE 2006, Vol. 10, Doc. 162].

54. See Julio Rey Pastor to Einstein, 22 April 1920 [CPAE 2004, Vol. 9, Doc. 391]; CPAE 2004, Vol. 9, Calendar, entry for 28 April 1920, and CPAE 2009, Vol. 12, Calendar, entry for 1 July 1921.

55. See Einstein to Heinrich Zangger,...