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Collection Overview

Title:
Kurt Gödel Papers
Repository:
Manuscripts Division
Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/v979v310g
Dates:
1905-1980 (mostly 1930-1970)
Size:
30.75 linear feet and 54 boxes, 22 items, and 9 reels
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-27; 1a; 1b; 1c; 2a; 2b; 2c; 3a; 3b; 3c; 4a; 4b; 4c; 5a; 5b; 5c; 5d; 6a; 6b; 6c; 7a; 7b; 7c; 8a; 8b; 8c; 9a; 9b; 9c; 10a; 10b; 10c; 11a; 11b; 11c; 13a; 13b; 13c; 14a; 14b; 14c
Language:
English German

Abstract

The papers comprise documents relating to all periods of the life of Kurt Gödel, foremost mathematical logician of the twentieth century, including scientific correspondence, notebooks, drafts, unpublished manuscripts, academic, legal, and financial records, and all manner of loose notes and memoranda.

Collection Description & Creator Information

Scope and Contents

The Papers of Kurt Gödel include documents spanning the years 1905-1980, with the bulk of the material falling between 1930 and 1970. Of greatest extent and significance are Gödel's scientific correspondence (Series I), his notebooks (Series III), and numerous drafts, manuscripts, and galleys of his articles and lectures, published and unpublished (Series IV).

The papers comprise documents relating to all periods of Gödel's life, including scientific correspondence, notebooks, drafts, unpublished manuscripts, academic, legal, and financial records, and all manner of loose notes and memoranda. Family correspondence is notably absent, as are financial records after Gödel's emigration in 1940. Of the manuscript material, a substantial part is in Gabelsberger shorthand, a German system originally devised by Franz Xaver Gabelsberger (1789-1849) and published in his textbook, Anleitung zur deutschen Redezeichenkunst oder Stenographie (1834). Box 26 houses a microfilm copy of Kleines Lesebuch für Gabelsber'sche Stenographie, which could help users with the shorthand system. A photocopy of Karl Ludwig Weizmann's Lehr- und Ubungsbuch der Gabelsbergerschen Stenographie (1915) is in the Manuscript division's Vertical File for assistance in deciphering the system if needed. A bibliography of Gödel's 700-book library is available upon request from the librarian of the Institute's Historical Studies Library. Preprints and offprints sent to Gödel by others are briefly described in the finding aid. They are now stored in seven cartons at Firestone Library.

Prior to its first arrangement in 1983-1984, the collection was stored in filing cabinets and moving cartons in a cage in the basement of the Institute for Advanced Study's Historical Studies Library. In 1985 the papers were placed on deposit in Firestone Library by the Institute for Advanced Study. At that time, the 22 Paige boxes and oversized container used in the first organization of the collection were split into 41 archival boxes, one flat box, one extra large box and seven cartons. In 1997, the finding aid was revised and amplified. Most of the oversized correspondence was merged with that in the main series, as were items from Series III and IV.

Although gathered together in some haste and disarray following Gödel's death, most of the items were found in envelopes labeled by Gödel himself; on that basis, an attempt has been made to retain or, where necessary, restore Gödel's original order. An exception is the division of the correspondence into two series (I: Personal and Scientific Correspondence, II: Institutional, Commercial, and Incidental Correspondence) for convenience of scholarly access; the former is arranged alphabetically by correspondent, the latter by subject. Folders are numbered sequentially within each series. Documents were originally assigned six-digit item numbers, also sequentially within each series, with the first two digits corresponding to series designation. Thus, item 11013 is the thirteenth item in Series XI. Envelopes used by Gödel to organize his papers have been assigned the same number as the item they contained (or the first item among the items they contained). On folder labels, Gödel's own designations are enclosed in quotation marks, while dates in square brackets refer to citations of Gödel's own works in Dawson's bibliography (see the reference list at the end of the preceding biographical sketch). With the publication of a new standard bibliography in the Oxford edition of Gödel's Collected Works, pencil annotations were added to folder labels in accordance with the citations of the new bibliography (Volume III, pp. 487-491). The finding aid, revised in 1997, follows the new bibliography with publication dates in italics.

The correspondence in Series I bulks between 1950 and 1975, but includes earlier items from such correspondents as Paul Bernays, Rudolf Carnap, Jacques Herbrand, Arend Heyting, Karl Menger, Emil Post, Oswald Veblen, John von Neumann, and Ernst Zermelo. Other major correspondents include William Boone, Paul J. Cohen, Georg Kreisel, Oskar Morgenstern, Abraham Robinson, Paul A. Schilpp, Dana Scott, Gaisi Takeuti, and Hao Wang. Approximately two-thirds of the correspondence is incoming. Family correspondence is virtually absent, but about 1000 pages of Gödel's letters to his mother are preserved in the Neue Stadtbibliothek, Vienna.

Early records in the collection include patent correspondence of Gödel's father, birth and baptismal certificates, and Gödel's notebooks and report cards from elementary and secondary schools. Some university course notebooks are also preserved, but there are no enrollment or grade records from the University of Vienna.

Financial records (Series IV) are quite detailed for the period 1930-1939 but are totally absent after Gödel's emigration in 1940. They include account books, canceled checks and deposit slips, ledgers, and various bills and receipts.

Gödel's personal notes and notebooks (Series III, V, and VI) span most of his life. They are largely in Gabelsberger shorthand, as are also some drafts of letters and lectures (Series I and IV). However, there are often longhand headings in German and English, and where mathematics and logic are involved, computational or symbolic notes make some material accessible to readers who cannot read the shorthand. Manuscript items are are almost entirely in pencil.

An assortment of loose manuscript notes and memoranda (also largely in Gabelsberger Shorthand) comprise series V and VI, including reading notes, library request slips, bibliographic memoranda, computation sheets (especially concerning Gödel's work in relativity theory), and personal notes on diverse subjects, including American history, languages, philosophy, and theology. Especially prominent are voluminous notes on the works of Gottfried Wilhelm von Leibniz.

Smaller categories include medical records (Series X), photographs (Series XI), and ephemera (Series XII). A few folders of correspondence from other sources have also been incorporated as addenda.

Ancillary materials include the books from Gödel's library, now shelved at the Institute for Advanced Study. A list of the books is available at the Historical Studies Library of the Institute, and includes a record of journals received by Gödel (not annotated and thus not slated for retention). Assorted preprints and offprints sent to him by others have been segregated into three groups for retention: presentation copies, items accompanied by correspondence, and items bearing annotations or with accompanying notes. Items within each of these groups are filed alphabetically by author but are not numbered or otherwise indexed.

A few non-documentary items, donated with the papers, have been transferred for safekeeping to the Director's office at the Institute for Advanced Study. They include Gödel's briefcase, door plate, and National Medal of Science (medallion and lapel pin).

Collection History

Acquisition:

Prior to its arrangement in 1983-84, the collection was stored in filing cabinets and moving cartons in the basement of the Historical Studies Library of the Institute for Advanced Study (Princeton, N.J.). Gathered together after Gödel's death, most of the items were found in envelopes labeled by Gödel himself; on that basis, an attempt has been made to retain/restore his original order. The Papers were placed on deposit by the Institute for Advanced Study in 1985.

Files of Dr. Philip Erlich relating to Kurt Gödel were the gift of Gloria Erlich in May 2011 .

Custodial History

The papers of Kurt Gödel (1906-1978) were bequeathed by him to his wife Adele, who donated them to the Institute for Advanced Study in his memory prior to her death in 1981. Under terms of her will, literary rights to the papers are also vested in the Institute for Advanced Study. In 1985, the papers were placed on deposit in Princeton University Library.

Appraisal

No appraisal information is available.

Processing Information

This collection was processed by John W. Dawson, Jr. in 1984. Finding aid written by John W. Dawson, Jr. in 1984. Revised by Rebecca Schoff in 1997.

Access & Use

Conditions Governing Access

This collection is open for research.

Conditions Governing Use

The Institute for Advanced Study reserves all copyrights and other literary rights to the materials, which may not be reproduced in any form without the prior written permission of the Institute. Please contact the Shelby White and Leon Levy Archives Center, archives@ias.edu, for permissions and additional information. To cite or publish quotations that fall within Fair Use, as defined under U. S. Copyright Law, no permission is required. For instances beyond Fair Use, it is the responsibility of the researcher to determine whether any permissions related to copyright, privacy, publicity, or any other rights are necessary for their intended use of the Library's materials, and to obtain all required permissions from any existing rights holders, if they have not already done so. Princeton University Library's Special Collections does not charge any permission or use fees for the publication of images of materials from our collections, nor does it require researchers to obtain its permission for said use. The department does request that its collections be properly cited and images credited. More detailed information can be found on the Copyright, Credit and Citations Guidelines page on our website. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact us through the Ask Us! form.

Physical Characteristics and Technical Requirements

For preservation reasons, original analog and digital media may not be read or played back in the reading room. Users may visually inspect physical media but may not remove it from its enclosure. All analog audiovisual media must be digitized to preservation-quality standards prior to use. Audiovisual digitization requests are processed by an approved third-party vendor. Please note, the transfer time required can be as little as several weeks to as long as several months and there may be financial costs associated with the process. Requests should be directed through the Ask Us Form.

Credit this material:

Kurt Gödel Papers; Manuscripts Division, Department of Special Collections, Princeton University Library

Permanent URL:
http://arks.princeton.edu/ark:/88435/v979v310g
Location:
Firestone Library
One Washington Road
Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
(609) 258-3184
Storage Note:
  • Firestone Library (scamss): Boxes 1-27; 1a; 1b; 1c; 2a; 2b; 2c; 3a; 3b; 3c; 4a; 4b; 4c; 5a; 5b; 5c; 5d; 6a; 6b; 6c; 7a; 7b; 7c; 8a; 8b; 8c; 9a; 9b; 9c; 10a; 10b; 10c; 11a; 11b; 11c; 13a; 13b; 13c; 14a; 14b; 14c

Find More

Existence and Location of Copies

Note on the 1998 Preservation Microfilm:

In 1998, the Kurt Gödel Papers were microfilmed for the purpose of preservation. Funded by the Sloan Foundation Grant (95-10-14) in support of the Collected Works of Kurt Gödel, Oxford University Press, the preservation microfilm includes the entire collection, excepting only a few items which are listed below. These items are largely photocopies of original material from other collections, preserved by other institutions. Also omitted are Gödel's collection of the preprints and offprints of his colleagues' work, and a small collection of cancelled checks, stubs and debits, most blank and physically difficult to film. The microfilm reels of Kurt Gödel's papers are available at the Historical Studies Library of the Institute for Advanced Study, Princeton, and in the Special Collections Department of Princeton University's Firestone Library. The preservation microfilm does not constitute a microfilm edition, and is subject to the same copyright restrictions as the original material.

Portions not Filmed: Only the following items have been omitted from the 1998 filming of the Kurt Gödel Papers:

Series / Box(es) / Folder

IV -- 7a -- 3 -- TMs [photocopy] of the final typescript of Gödel's doctoral dissertation, [1929]. Original is deposited at Universität Wien.

IX -- 13b -- 12 -- Cancelled checks, stubs, and debits.

XIII -- 15 -- 6 -- LsS [photocopies] from the Gödel/Paul Bernays correspondence. Originals are stored at the Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zurich.

XIII -- 15 -- 8 -- LsS [photocopies] from the Gödel/Arend Heyting correspondence. Originals are stored at the Heyting Archief, Entschede.

XV -- 17-23 -- Gödel's collection of the preprints and offprints of his colleagues' work (the entirety of Series XV).

Related Materials

Items Not Stored At Princeton University: Description/Location:

Gödel's personal library: 700 books, including textbook for Gabelsberger shorthand, and available copies of the bibliography / Historical Studies Library, Institute for Advanced Study

Microform reel of 1934 (Gödel's I.A.S. lectures, "On the undecidable propositions of formal mathematical systems" as transcribed by S.C. Kleene and J.B. Rosser) / Historical Studies Library, Institute for Advanced Study

Gödel's briefcase, doorplate, and National Medal of Science tape of memorial service (medallion and lapel pin) / Office of the Director, Institute for Advanced Study

Bound galley of 1931 ("Über formal unentscheidbare Sätze der Principia Mathematica und verwandter Systeme I," with autograph annotations / Rosenwald Rare Book Collection, Institute for Advanced Study

Original TMs Dissertation (the collection at Firestone includes a TMs [photocopy]) / Universität Wien

Letters by Gödel to his mother / Neue Stadtbibliothek, Vienna

Correspondence between Gödel and Arend Heyting (the collection at Firestone includes some photocopies) / Heyting Archief, Entschede / Noord-Hollands Archief in Haarlem

Correspondence between Gödel and Bernays, and Gödel and Seelig (the collection at Firestone includes some photocopies) / Eidgenössische Technische Hochschule, Zürich

Bibliography

References Dawson, John W., "The Published Work of Kurt Gödel: An Annotated Bibliography," Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, 24 (1983), 255-284; Addenda and corrigenda Notre Dame Journal of Formal Logic, 25 (1984), 283-287. Dawson, John W., "Kurt Gödel in Sharper Focus," The Mathematical Intelligencer, 6:4 (1984), 9-17. Dawson, John W., Logical Dilemmas: The Life and Work of Kurt Gödel, Wellesley, Mass.: A. K. Peters, Ltd., 1997. Gödel, Kurt, Collected Works, edited by Solomon Feferman, editor-in-chief; prepared under the auspices of the Association for Symbolic Logic: Vol. I, "Publications 1929-1936," edited by Solomon Feferman, John W. Dawson, Jr., Stephen C. Kleene, Gregory H. Moore, Robert M. Solovay, and Jean van Heijenoort, 1986; Vol. II, "Publications 1938-1974." edited by Soloman Feferman, John W. Dawson, Jr. [et al], 1990; Vol. III, "Unpublished Essays and Lectures: Selections from the Nachlass," edited by Solomon Feferman, John W. Dawson, Jr., [et al], New York and Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1994. Kreisel, Georg, "Kurt Gödel, 1906-1978, elected For. Mem. R.S. 1968," Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society, 26 (1980), 148-224; corrigenda, 27 (1981), 697; further corrigenda, 28 (1982), 697.

Subject Terms:
Logic, Symbolic and mathematical.
Mathematical physics.
Mathematicians -- United States -- 20th century.
Mathematics -- Problems, exercises, etc.
Mathematics -- Research -- New Jersey -- Princeton -- 20th century.
Mathematics, German.
Genre Terms:
Correspondence
Lectures.
Notebooks.
Photographs, Original.
Names:
Gödel, Kurt, 1906-1978