Essential to the study of electricity

HAUKSBEE, Francis the Elder. Physico-Mechanical Experiments on Various Subjects. Containing an Account of several Surprizing Phenomena touching Light and Electricity... London: R. Brugis for the Author, 1709. First edition, with 8 engraved plates (7 folding), of Hauksbee's highly influential discoveries concerning electricity. A strong influence on Priestley, Franklin, and Isaac Newton. Rare.

A first edition of an important paper by Isaac Newton

NEWTON, Isaac. A true Copy of a Paper found, in the Hand Writing of Sir Isaac Newton, among the Papers of the Late Dr. Halley, containing a Description of an Instrument for observing the Moon's Distance from the Fixt Stars at Sea, in Phil. Trans., no. 465, pp. 155-6. London: 1742. First edition of a posthumously published paper by Isaac Newton describing the basis for the invention of what became known as "Hadley's quadrant", the most accurate nautical navigational device of its time.

A first edition of Isaac Newton's
Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel

NEWTON, Isaac. Observations upon the Prophecies of Daniel, and the Apocalypse of St. John. In Two Parts. London: J. Darby and T. Browne, 1733. Quarto, contemporary full calf. First edition of Isaac Newton's posthumously published theological interpretation of the Biblical prophecies; a beautiful copy in contemporary calf.

The wave theory of light:
Thomas Young's "epoch-making contribution to the theory of light" with the first statement of his interference theory and "double-slit" experiment

YOUNG, Thomas. The Bakerian Lecture: On the theory of light and colours, in Phil. Trans. of the Royal Society WITH: An account of some cases of the production of colours, not hitherto described, in Phil. Trans. London: G. and G. Nicol, 1802. First printing of two of the most fundamental papers in modern physics: Thomas Young's evidence of the wave theory of light and the first statement of his interference principle and double-slit experiment, the most influential experiment in quantum theory.

One of Maxwell's most important works

MAXWELL, James Clerk. On the Dynamical Theory of Gases, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Vol. 157. London: Taylor and Francis, 1867. Quarto, original printed wrappers.; custom cloth box. Very rare first printing in original wrappers of one of Maxwellís seminal papers: the most developed and complete exploration of his theory of gases.

Hertz's Electric Waves, first edition in English

HERTZ, Heinrich. Electric Waves... Preface by William Thompson, Lord Kelvin. London and New York: Macmillan and Co., 1893. First edition in English in original cloth of Hertz's collected papers on electromagnetic waves; the foundation for wireless communication. Originally published in German in 1892, the collected edition gathers together Hertz's important journal publications from 1887-1892 with the addition of an introduction in which Hertz surveys and analyzes his work of the past five years.

WILSON, C.T.R. Condensation of Water Vapour in the Presence of Dust-free Air and other Gases, in Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A, pp. 265-307. London: Harrison and Sons, 1897. Quarto, original publisher's burgundy blind-stamped cloth. First edition of the first description of WIlson's famous cloud chamber, the first type of detector to show the tracks of elementary particles. 

 "...completely revolutionized the study of chemistry and physics ..." (PMM, 380)

[RONTGEN] Roentgen, Wilhelm Conrad. Ueber eine neue Art von Strahlen [About a new kind of rays], parts I and II. WITH: Weitere Beobachtungen uber die Eigenschaften der X-Strahlen [Further observations about the properties of X-rays], in Annalen der Physik. Leipzig: Barth-Verlag, 1898. First complete edition of Rontgenís announcement of the discovery of the X-Ray

The earliest description of television, in original wrappers

SWINTON, A.A. Campbell. Distant Electric Vision, in Nature. June 18, 1908. WITH: BIDWELL, Shelford. Telegraphic Photography and Electric Vision, in Nature, June 4, 1908. London: The Macmillan Company, 1908. Original wrappers rebacked. Very scarce first printing of what is generally considered the most important paper in the history of television. 

The most important volume in modern science:
the famous volume 17, 1905, of Annalen der Physik, containing three of Einstein's most important papers including the first edition of the special theory of relativity

EINSTEIN, Albert. Zur Elektrodynamik bewegter Korper, in Annalen der Physik, Vierte Folge, Volume 17, part 10, pp. 891-921; WITH: Ðber einen die Erzeugung und Verwandlung des Lichtes betreffenden heuristischen Gesichtspunkt, ibid, part 6, pp. 182-148. WITH: Ðber die von der molekularkinetischen Theorie der Warme geforderte Bewegung von in ruhenden Flussigkeiten suspendierten Teilchen, ibid, part 8, pp. 549-560. Leipzig: Johann Ambrosius Barth,1905. The entire volume 17 offered. The most sought-after volume of modern science: first edition of three of Einstein's revolutionary papers of 1905 including the first edition of the initial paper on special relativity. A fine copy.

EINSTEIN, Albert. Ist die Trgheit eines Krpers von seinem Energieinhalt abhngig? [Does The inertia of a body depend upon its energy-content?] in, Annalen der Physik. Leipzig, 1905. First printing of Albert Einstein's groundbreaking 1905 paper, the introduction and derivation of the most famous equation in modern physics: E=mc²

Millikan's famous "Oil Drop" experiment to determine electron charge

MILLIKAN, Robert Andrews. A new modification of the cloud method of determining the elementary electrical charge and the most probable value of that charge, in The London, Edinburgh, and Dublin Phil. Mag. London: Taylor and Francis, 1910. First printing of one of the most important experiments in modern physics, providing the first definitive proof that electric charge is made up of elementary indivisible quantities, and the determination of the value of e, the electron charge.

The foundation of quantum mechanics

HEISENBERG, Werner. Uber quantentheorestische Umdeutung kinematischer und mechanischer Beziehungen, in Zeitschrift fur Physik, Vol. 33. Berlin: Julius Springer, 1925. Octavo, contemporary half cloth over marbled boards. First edition of Heisenberg's critically important paper marking the foundation of quantum mechanics; Heisenberg was awarded the 1932 Nobel prize in physics "for the creation of quantum mechanics."

Rutherford's splitting of the atom

RUTHERFORD, Ernest. Collision of alpha Particles with Light Atoms; An Anomalous Effect in Nitrogen, in The Phil. Mag. London: Taylor and Francis, 1919. Octavo, contemporary three-quarter calf, marbled boards. The complete volume (January - June, 1919) offered. First edition, first printing of Ernest Rutherford's announcement of the splitting of the atom and the discovery of the proton.  

The most important tool for exploring the nucleus: James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron

CHADWICK, James. The Existence of a Neutron, in Proc. of the Royal Soc. of London, Series A. Vol CXXXVI. London: The Royal Society, June 1932. First printing of James Chadwick's discovery of the neutron. "More than any other development, Chadwick's neutron made practical the detailed examination of the nucleus. Hans Bethe once remarked that he considered everything before 1932 'the prehistory of nuclear physics, and from 1932 on the history of nuclear physics.' The difference, he said, was the discovery of the neutron."

The discovery of the positron

ANDERSON, Carl. The Positive Electron, in The Physical Review. Lancaster, PA and New York, NY: American Institute of Physics, March 15, 1933. First printing in original wrappers of Carl Anderson's announcement of the discovery of the positron, the first antiparticle.  

The invention of the transistor

BARDEEN, John, and BRATTAIN, William. "Physical Principles Involved in Transistor Action." In The Bell System Technical Journal, Vol. 28, No. 2, April 1949 (pp. 239-277). WITH: BARDEEN, John, and BRATTAIN, William, and SHOCKLEY, William, et al., ibid, Vol. 28, No. 3. July, 1949. Two issues, both in original wrappers. Two landmark journals documenting the revolutionary invention of the transistor: the April 1949 issue of The Bell System Technical Journal containing the first description of the invention (published simultaneously in The Physical Review), and the famous July 1949 ìSemiconductor Issueî dedicated entirely to the discuss of the transistor and semiconductor devices. Fine copies.

Superconductivity

BARDEEN, J., L. N. COOPER & J. R. SCHRIEFFER. Theory of Superconductivity, In The Physical Review. Lancaster, PA, 1957. Original blue printed wrappers. First printing in original wrappers of arguably the most important paper in the field of superconductivity.