JERUSALEM, July 11 (UPI) -- A secret collection of Albert Einstein's letters was made public this week in Israel, shedding new light not on his work, but on the man himself.
"There is nothing specific which is revolutionarily new," former Hebrew University President Hanoch Gutfreund told The Jerusalem Post. "The value of the Einstein correspondence is in the size, the scope, the details, and the mood -- it is a supplement."
Einstein's stepdaughter, Margot, specified in her will the university be prohibited from releasing the letters until July 8, 2006, the 20th anniversary of her death.
The correspondence, some of which discusses some of his mistresses, is unique in that it will be the last major collection ever to be revealed.
"This is the last time that such a large body of materials will come to the public's attention," Gutfreund told the newspaper. "We may find a document here or there, but nothing of this size."
Einstein willed his correspondences to Hebrew University, which requires anyone using Einstein's image or quotes for commercial purposes purchase a license. The sale of such licenses earns the university about $1 million a year, the Post reported.
