Presentation Copies to Ruth Tolman of : THE OPEN MIND and SCIENCE AND THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING [ together with ] a Handwritten Note by Oppenheimer, J. Robert - 1954

New York: Simon & Schuster, 1954. SCIENCE AND THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING, 1954, First Printing, SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR on front end page - "for Ruth in gratitude & love Robert May - June 1954". Laid in, a single page of typing paper titled "Errata in SCIENCE AND THE COMMON UNDERSTANDING" , denoting 6 errors and a suggested improvement. Also laid in a page torn from "The New Statesman and Nation", dated Dec. 26, 1953 and an undated newspaper clipping from the same period, both concerning Oppenheimer. THE OPEN MIND, 1955, First Printing, SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR on front end page - "for Ruth, with my love Robert Christmas 1955". Laid in, a single page , folded, 6 1/2" x 5 1/2", "The Institute for Advanced Study, Office of the Director, Princeton, New Jersey" letterhead, undated and unsigned, which reads - " Ruth Dear, Most of these you have seen at one time or another, but perhaps you would like to have them neat & tidy. The S F talk is still on its way, & I don't yet have it. There is a long letter in me crying to be written to you - it should reach you before this." Both books are Fine in Near Fine dust jackets, light rubbing and small chips at bottom edge of spine folds. Ruth Sherman Tolman was the wife of Richard C. Tolman, and she was Robert Oppenheimer's best friend and confidant. A brilliant psychologist in her own right, she helped lead the effort to make psychology a science, held a key post with the OSS, the forerunner of the CIA, and established some of the first treatments for battle fatigue, which we know today as PTSD. Robert Oppenheimer, the "Father of the Atomic Bomb", head of the Manhattan Project, and the founder of modern theoretical physics in America, became a friend of the Tolman's while in his 20s, staying at their guest house during his time spent going between Caltech and UC Berkeley. Robert and Ruth were rumored to have had a long-running affair, which was disavowed by those who knew them, but recent books have renewed that debate. It is known that Ruth destroyed many of his letters, although some have come to light. While this note doesn't settle that debate, it does, along with the inscription, indicate the intimacy that they shared. Books SIGNED AND INSCRIBED by Oppenheimer are uncommon, and with the note to Ruth, the presentation inscriptions and unique association, this collection of material is RARE. . SIGNED AND INSCRIBED BY AUTHOR. First Editions. Hard Cover. Fine/Near Fine. 8vo - over 7¾" - 9¾" tall. Presentation Copy.