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Scottish physicist and mathematician (1831-1879) who was responsible for the classical theory of electromagnetic radiation, which was the first theory to describe electricity, magnetism, and light as different manifestations of the same phenomenon. Maxwell's equations for electromagnetism achieved the second great unification in physics, whereas the first had been realized by Isaac Newton. ALS signed “J. Clerk Maxwell,” one page, 4.75 x 3, postcard letterhead, December 30, 1872. Handwritten letter to bookseller Wellwood Anderson, in full: "I have not left home for long but will pass through Dumfries tomorrow, Tuesday, at the same time, about 11 o'clock, and would be much obliged if you can send Middlemarch to the station. After this my address is 11 Scroope Terrace, Cambridge." Addressed on the reverse in Maxwell's hand. In fine condition.
While fellow revolutionary minds Albert Einstein and Isaac Newton are scarce and desirable in their own right, autographic material from Maxwell remains virtually unobtainable. This example, just the second we have offered, is notable in that it references his address at Cambridge—where he served as the first Cavendish Professor of Experimental Physics from 1871—and reveals his literary preferences, asking for a copy of Middlemarch, George Eliot's enduringly popular and profoundly influential novel of English provincial life.
Maxwell’s discoveries helped usher in the era of modern physics, laying the foundation for special relativity and quantum mechanics. Many physicists regard Maxwell as the 19th-century scientist to have had the greatest influence on 20th-century physics, and his contributions to science are considered by many to be of the same magnitude as those of Newton and Einstein.
In 1922, when Einstein was told by his host at Cambridge University that he had achieved greatness because he stood on the shoulders of Newton, Einstein replied: ‘No I don't. I stand on the shoulders of Maxwell.’ Maxwell was Einstein’s personal scientific hero and was said to have kept a portrait of him on his study wall alongside pictures of Michael Faraday and Isaac Newton. Maxwell’s work served as a direct inspiration to Einstein and his Theory of Relativity.
From the personal collection of a lifelong collector, teacher, and traveler with a passion for world history. His collecting years ranged from the 1970s to the present day, meaning that several of the premier pieces have not been on the market in decades.
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