EDITORIAL METHOD
OF THE SERIES
In
preceding
volumes,
the “Editorial Method” set
out
in Volume
1
and
based
on
the
following guidelines
for
documentary
selection, establishment,
presentation,
tran-
scription,
annotation,
and
bibliographic commentary,
has been
supplemented
incrementally as required. Beginning
with this volume and in all
subsequent
vol-
umes,
modifications and additions
are cumulatively incorporated.
SELECTION
After Volume
1,
The
Early
Years,
the edition
was
divided into two
series, Writings
and
Correspondence.
In the first four
Writings
volumes (1901-1917),
all of Ein-
stein’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unpublished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
significantly
to
an
understanding
of
his
thoughts.
Certain letters will be inaccessible at The Hebrew
University
of
Jerusalem until
the
year
2006.
Besides this
correspondence,
all known letters written
by
Einstein
are
presented
in the first two volumes
containing
correspondence (Vols.
1
and
5,
1879-1914). Letters addressed to
more
than
one
recipient
are printed
only
once,
and all known addressees
are
noted. Letters to Einstein
are
handled
more
selec-
tively,
however.
All
significant
letters
to him for which
we were
able to obtain
per-
mission
to
publish are
printed
in whole
or excerpted.
Where
such
permission
could
not
be
obtained,
we
have
provided
a summary.
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.