In preceding volumes, the “Editorial Method” set out in Volume 1, and based on
the following guidelines for documentary selection, establishment, presentation,
transcription, annotation, and bibliographic commentary, has been supplemented
incrementally as required. Beginning with Volume 8, and in all subsequent volu-
mes, modifications and additions are incorporated as needed.
SELECTION
After Volume 1, The Early Years, the edition was divided into two series, Writings
and Correspondence. In the first four Writings volumes (1900–1917), all of Albert
Einstein’s articles, books, and unpublished scientific manuscripts have been
included. Only a handful of his notebooks are preserved, including his notes as a
student of physics, lecture notes for university courses that he taught, and research
notes. Auditors’ lecture notes, verbatim or in abstract, that supplement Einstein’s
course notes, as well as reliable records of his lectures, speeches, comments, or
interviews, are included along with marginalia by Einstein that contribute signifi-
cantly to an understanding of his thoughts.
All known letters written by Einstein before May 1920 are presented in the first
four volumes containing correspondence (Vols. 1, 5, 8, and 9, 1879–April 1920).
Volume 10 presents a substantial number of newly available letters for the period
1909 through April 1920. Letters addressed to more than one recipient are printed
only once, and all known addressees are noted. Letters to Einstein are handled more
selectively, however. All significant letters to him for which we were able to obtain
permission to publish are printed in whole or excerpted. Where such permission
could not be obtained, we have provided a summary in the Calendar.
Third-party letters and other documents (such as certificates and official reports)
that are important for understanding Einstein’s development, milieu, and public
activities are printed in whole, part, or in summary. Significant contemporary
accretions are published as part of such texts.
EDITORIAL METHOD
OF THE SERIES