The Historical Development of Quantum Theory: Volume 1 - 5 (part 1)

6 volumes, 8vo (24.5 cm), XLVIII, 372 pp; VI, pp. 373-878; VIII, 356 pp; VIII, 334 pp; VIII, 322 pp; XX, 366 pp. Publisher's cloth and dust jacket. Quantum Theory, together with the principles of special and general relativity, constitutes a scientific revolution that has profoundly influenced the way in which we think about the universe and the fundamental forces that govern it. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory is a definitive historical study of that scientific work and the human struggles that accompanied it from the beginning. Drawing upon materials such as the resources of the Archives for the History of Quantum Physics, the Niels Bohr Archives, and the archives and scientific correspondence of the principal quantum physicists, as well as Jagdish Mehra's personal discussions over many years with most of the architects of quantum theory, the authors have crafted a rigorous scientific history of quantum theory in a deeply human context. This multivolume work presents a rich account of an intellectual triumph, offering a unique analysis of the creative scientific process. The Historical Development of Quantum Theory intertwines science, history, and biography, all wrapped in the story of a great human enterprise. Its lessons will aid those working in the sciences and humanities alike (from the publisher's description). Volume 1, 2 parts: The Quantum Theory of Planck, Einstein, Bohr, and Sommerfeld: Its Foundation and the Rise of Its Difficulties, 1900-1925; Volume 2: The Discovery of Quantum Mechanics, 1925; Volume 3: The Formulation of Matrix Mechanics and Its Modifications, 1925-1926; Volume 4, 2 parts in one volume: The Fundamental Equations of Quantum Mechanics, 1925-1926 and The Reception of the New Quantum Mechanics; Volume 5: Erwin Schrödinger and the Rise of Wave Mechanics, first part only.…