…you can’t say to anyone to their face: your paper is rubbish. Max Planck as Editor of the Annalen der Physik

Annalen der Physik (Berlin), Vol. 17, P. 273-301, 2008.Max Planck’s place in the history of the Annalen der Physik, which spans some two hundred years, can be characterized as unique. Planck not only published the majority of his own scientific papers in this periodical but was also connected to it personally in various editorial positions. Thus for over half a century, from 1894 until 1947, he contributed decisively toward its promotion as a leading international professional journal of modern physics. This paper documents Planck’s diverse relationships with the Annalen der Physik and analyzes his editorship against the backdrop of the evolving physics in the first quarter of the 20th century.