Dossier 2 - Drafts and related papers: numerical series

1 file

These manuscripts are all in Eddington’s own hand, with the exception of the ringed pencil number on the first page of each and the foliation (in red biro, except B2/20), which were added by Slater, the former in June 1945, the latter about the end of 1947. Other notes by Slater indicate that there is a sheet missing from B2/22 between ff. 4 and 5, and that B2/29 f. 14 is a modification of f. 4.

The items have been arranged in accordance with the numbers assigned to them by Slater. The chapters to which Slater assigned the numbers 11, 12 and 23 are wanting; but the first of these is printed in his book in full (pp. 68–72).

Edited by Noel B. Slater in The Development and Meaning of Eddington’s ‘Fundamental Theory’ (1956).

B2/13, 10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 2, and 1 were denominated by Slater (in that order) as draft H. This was the last draft before the ‘final’ version described under B1. All these chapters are dated, with the exception of B2/8 (Chapter IV). The first three chapters (B2/13, 10 and 9) were drafted in December 1942 and revised in August the following year; Chapters V and VI (B2/7 and 6) were drafted in March 1943 and revised in December. Slater dated B2/8 August 1943, but a more cautious range has been adopted below, since this chapter too probably existed in an original and a revised state. The remaining chapters are dated between January and June 1944.

B2/28, 30, 22, 15, 18, and 3 constitute Slater’s draft G, B3/1 being placed between B2/15 and B2/18. B2/14 is also, but with a query, assigned to this draft. B2/22, B2/15, B3/1, and B2/3 are dated respectively April, May, July, and October 1943, and B2/28 and 30 were assigned by Slater to March 1943; B2/18 and B2/14 are undated but probably belong to the same year. The manuscripts in this draft comprise versions of Chapters V–IX and were presumably originally preceded by Chapters I–IV of draft H in their unrevised state, B3/30 being immediately superseded by B3/6.

B2/33, 34, 27, and 25 form Slater’s draft C; B2/17, 32, 31, 24, 26, and (possibly) 19, draft B; and B2/16, 35 and 21, draft A. None of these manuscripts is dated, but all are earlier than the lectures delivered by Eddington at Dublin in July 1943 (B3/22). B2/29 and 20, not classified by Slater (see p. 13), are apparently earlier than draft A.

The numbers assigned to the items in Slater's edition have been noted in brackets.