Perhaps the 20th century's greatest physicist, and certainly the most well-known, Albert Einstein left behind a massive intellectual legacy — and quite a bit of correspondence, too. A great number of these letters have been collected by historical memorabilia dealer Profiles in History, and will be auctioned off on June 11. The letters touch on all kinds of subjects both professional and personal: a letter to Einstein's ex-wife, Mileva Maric, questioning the connection between relativity, electricity and gravitation; a letter lamenting his position as a Jewish man in prewar Germany; and a letter to his son written shortly after the first atomic bomb was dropped. There's even the famous letter to a Jesuit correspondent with the physicist's much-quoted "I am, of course, and have always been an atheist," as well as other reflections on God and philosophy.
Many of the writings, still in good shape and quite legible, are expected to fetch upwards of $20,000-30,000, though of course one never knows with auctions. If you're interested in the rest of the auction items, which comprise letters and other ephemera from luminaries like Napoleon Bonaparte, Thomas Edison and Abraham Lincoln, you can browse the catalog — just don't expect any bargains.
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