Die Entstehung der Kontinente (original journal issues in wrappers)

Wegener, Alfred

Published by Justus Perthes, Gotha, 1912

About this Item

First edition in the journal "Petermanns Mitteilungen", issues April, May and June 1912. In original wrappers, untouched, only some edges slightly frayed and some spotting inside. "Wegener is remembered today as the originator and one of the chief proponents of the theory of continental drift, which he conceived after being struck by the apparent correspondence in the shapes of the coastlines on the west and east sides of the Atlantic, and supported with extensive research on the geological and paleontological correspondences between the two sides. [.] Wegener's first publication on continental drift appeared in three issues of Petermanns Mitteilung in April-June 1912; however, Wegener's theory attracted little interest until 1919, when he published the second edition of his treatise Die Entstehung der Kontinente und Ozeane. Between 1919 and 1928 continental drift was "the focus of much controversy and debate, but the theory afterwards fell into obscurity, not to be revived until the discovery of new paleomagnetic evidence in the 1950s" (Norman). The last copy in the original wrappers I found at auction was Norman's copy, rebacked (Christie's, 29 October 1998, lot 1337, $2185).

Seller Inventory # ABE-1676211018088

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Die Entstehung der Kontinente (original journal issues in wrappers)
• Publisher: Justus Perthes, Gotha
• Publication Date: 1912
• Language: German
• Binding: Soft cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Condition: Fine