February 11, 1982
Dear Dewey:
This week I am visiting with my parents, sister, and six-months-old nephew in Toronto, away from most work, which gives me a chance to catch up on some long overdue correspondence.
Late last month I was in Baltimore for few days visiting Elizabeth Philip of Frontiers of Science, who asked me to be of help to her in preparing future issues of the magazine. We discussed also your article, which she likes and wants to publish. She did raise a few points, one involving the title, which she wants to change. She will make some suggestion. Next, there were two passages, which did not seem clear enough, on pp. 15 and 16. I enclose my attempt at rewording them. You may have a better formulation. In any case, the article will most likely go either into the March-April or the May-June issue. I will let you know as soon as the plans are more definite.
Rainer tells me that your new book is very nearly ready, and I am really looking forward to seeing it. When I mentioned it to Elizabeth she offered to handle it in her mail order book service, on the basis of a 40% discount (which, according to her, is less than she usually gets). She is willing to handle your other books on the same basis. William Corliss may be another possible distributor from the new book.
I hope you are pleased with Reciprocity XI.3. The next issue (XII.1), which carries the first chapter of your Solid Matter together with Ronald’s paper on photoionization and photomagnetization, is getting close to completion, and Frank and I hope to have it out in mid-March.
As to A. Hoff, I received from him a copy of his eleven-page letter to you, and passed on copies to Ronald and to Rainer, in case one of them wants to get involved in the discussion. One of Hoff’s main problems appears to be with fractional units which, it seems to me, you explained adequately in Nothing But Motion. But I admit, I am a little out of my depth here.
Would like to join Maurice Gilroy in urging you to give proper consideration to some sort of a historical article outlining the origins of the Reciprocal System. Or, if that would be easier, you could make it the subject of a talk in Philadelphia, which could be recorded and transcribed. You once told me you wished your “annals” to be short—so far they are practically non-existent. But I have no right to burden you with any more tasks; it only seems wrong to me to keep future historians of science groping in the dark.
Please give my warm regards to Dorothy and thank her for her very thoughtful Christmas card.
My best,
