788 - MAX BORN (1882-1970)

MAX BORN (1882-1970) Autograph letter signed ‘M. Born’ to Kenneth Heuer in New York, editor of Born’s memoirs published in English by Charles Scribner’s Sons in 1968. Bad Harzburg, 24.VII.1967. Fol. 1 page. In English. ‘Airmail light letter’ on bluish paper with address and sender on the back. ‘...your letter has been forwarded to me (we will be here in 3388 Bad Harzburg, Hotel Harzburger Hof, until August 15th). Thank you very much for it. I had already suggested to the Nymphenburger Verlagsanstalt, that the American edition should have a different title. Your suggestions do not quite agree with my taste. I dislike ‘Faith’ or ‘Creed’ in connection with science. I believe that most of my thinking is based on more solid ground. My wife suggests the title: ‘A Scientists Recollections and Reflections’, which seems to me quite acceptable. One could also say: ‘My life and my views’, or something like that, as ‘A physicist’s life and views’. Perhaps you find a better formulation of this kind. Please let me know. I hope you can arrange for proof reading without my taking a major part; I am too old and too ill for doing such work. But if possible I should like to see the proofs (to be sent to Bad Pyrmont) [...]’. The English memoirs appeared in 1968 under the title ‘My Life and My Views’; the German edition did not appear until 1975. Max Born, German-British physicist and brilliant theorist, is mainly known for his important contribution to quantum physics, notably for the probabilistic interpretation of the wave function, for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1954 with Walther Bothe. Upon the buyer’s request, we are pleased to provide a general condition report for the Lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to conduct their own inspection or consult a specialist or restorer of their choice for a comprehensive professional assessment. Any condition descriptions provided in the catalogue or through any correspondence are for guidance only and should not be considered a substitute for a firsthand evaluation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’ IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.