JEANS, J. H. (James Hopwood), Report on Radiation and the Quantum-Theory. (The Physical Society of London), The Electrician Printing & Publishing Co , 1914

8vo. iv, 90pp. Original publisher’s grey paper wraps w/black title. Contents on back cover, with advertisements on recto. Equations throughout the text. 1st edition. Rare. Spine chipped. Front cover has an approx. 12cm tear at hinge, however it is still very much attached. Additionally, the tear in no way affects the legibility of the cover as it runs straight along the hinge. Paper covers’ edges are slightly tanned. A discreet, bookseller’s sticker (Deighton, Bell & Co. Ltd) is present on the front cover. There is a small, circular hole on the title page; about the size of a pencil tip. Internally the book is in exceptionally good condition. Clean, crisp and complete. Report on Radiation was the first complete account of all known aspects of quantum theory. Jeans discussed not only the law of radiation and the explanation of the origin of spectral lines, but also the photoelectric effect and the behavior of specific heats of solids at low temperatures. Finally he discussed what he considered to be the physical basis of quantum theory: the atomicity of matter, radiation and electricity. Jeans’ report rendered an invaluable service, as it introduced the British scientific public to the new quantum concepts which had been developed since Planck derived his radiation law in 1900. A rare first edition, in very good condition, of an integral contribution to the history of physics.