[EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1966)] - Felix EBERTY (1812-84). Die Gestime und die Weitgeschichte ... Mit einer Einleitung von Albert Einstein.

[EINSTEIN, Albert (1879-1955)] – Felix EBERTY (1812-84).  Die Gestirne und die Weltgeschichte. Gedanken Uberzeit Raum und Ewigkeit. Neu Herausgegeben von Gregorius Itelson. Mit einer Einleitung von Albert Einstein. Berlin: Verlag von Gregor Rogoff, 1923. Small 4to (190 x 129mm). (Some very light mainly marginal spotting.) Original wrappers printed in red and green (lightly stained). Provenance: from the Collection of Peter and Margarethe Braune. FIRST EDITION THUS. It was probably something of a coup for the publishers to secure an introduction by Albert Einstein for their reprint of Felix Eberty’s speculative work which was first published, under a pseudonym, in 1846. The title in English reads: “Stars and World History. Thoughts about Time, Space and Eternity” and it is known that Einstein had read the book and been influenced by it as a young man. His 8-line introduction, translated from the original German, and which, in this edition, makes its first appearance, reads as follows: “There is no lack of current interest in this little book, written by an original, witty person. For it shows, on the one hand, a mind that is critical toward the obsolete concept of time; on the other hand, it shows the peculiar consequences from which the theory of relativity, which so often is being charged precisely for the bizarre nature of its consequences, saves us.” RARE.