1st Edition, very rare [The Climates of the Geological Past] Die Klimate der geologischen Vorzeit, 1924

1st edition, exceptionally rare, of this work that pioneered and established the paleoclimatology as a geoscience. The book was created with really sustained efforts by three legendary scientists. It is absolutely fascinating to see how their unique contributions concluded in this remarkable monograph.

''All - save a few private copies of [Die Klimate der geologischen Vorzeit / The Climates of Geological Past] were destroyed during the Second World War, rendering the book essentially unavailable.’'

                                                            Alfred Wegener Institut, Germany, 07 October 2015

''The discussion of the course and causal relationship of climates and climate change in the geological past are of principal scientific interest. Important elements of the discussions herein stem from the close collaboration with Milutin Milankovitch (who contributed entire sections of text, but is not named as an author). Building on the principles of the Milankovitch frequencies allowed Köppen and Wegener for the first time, early in the last century to establish a precise time scale of Late Cenozoic glacial-interglacial cycles.

More recently, the orbital parameters originally calculated by Milankovitch were refined using time series data from deep-sea sediments and ice cores. Furthermore, Milankovitch's cycles may be extrapolated into the future to predict climate change. This very book, in which Köppen and Wegener roll out their theory, is therefore an important publication which has early on shaped our understanding of how climate has evolved and continuously evolves in the course of time.’'

                                                              Schweizerbart Science Publishers, 2015

This work, obviously occured after Milankovitch published in 1920 the monograph under the title: Mathematical Theory of Heat Phenomena Produced by Solar Radiation (in French). ''Although the book went unnoticed by the majority of geologists, it immediately attracted the attention of Wladimir Koeppen, a widely known and greatly respected German climatologist. Thus, the arrival of a postcard from the great Koeppen caused no small stir in the Milankovitch household. He later write:

‘One day, this simple postcard, which I saved like a relic, will be found in my estate. It came from Hamburg, from Wladimir Koeppen, the great German climatologist and reffered to my recently Mathematical Theory. Gradually it was followed by another forty-nine letters and cards. In this second letter, Koeppen informed me that together with his son-in-law, Alfred Wegener, he was working on a book about the climates of the geological past. Already seventy-six years old, this scholar had recognized earlier than others the benefits that could be derived for the paleo-climatological problem from my theory, and invited me to collaborate.’

Milankovitch agreed willingly, and there followed a fruitful exchange of ideas between the Yugoslavian mathematician and the two Germans-one a famous climatologist, the other a leader among European geologists.

Koeppen indicated that diminution of heat during the summer half-year in north hemisphere is the decisive factor in glaciation. Seen the logic of this argument, Milankovitch began at once to calculate curves showing how summer radiation at latitudes 55°, 60° and 65° North varied over the past 650,000 years.’'

                                                                   John Imbrie - Katherine Palmer Imbrie, Ice Ages: Solving the Mistery, 1979, pp. 103-104

''After World War I, Alfred Wegener worked in Hamburg; he and Else were married and moved in with her parents. Close cooperation developed between Wegener and his father-in-law. Else wrote that her father first opposed the new ideas [of continental drift theory] but as he became more involved became convinced that the idea provided ‘paths through the labyrinth of palaeoclimates.'

She wrote again: 'Often my father waited impatiently for Alfred to come home and to discuss new arguments.' Wegener himself wrote of how he enjoyed: '... a daily exchange of ideas with Köppen, and I had the satisfaction that he, initially cool and doubtful, increasingly warmed to drift theory, and finally convinced himself that here the ‘red thread’ through the labyrinth of palaeoclimatology had been found. Several chapters were written in such close exchange of ideas that the bounds of intellectual ownership can no longer be decided.'

Following uniformitarian principles and modern distribution of climate belts (following Köppen’s climate classification system), latitudes were recreated and plotted on these maps (e.g., equator; 30°N/S; 60°N/S; South and North pole). A second significant idea associated with the book was the incorporation and application of the work of Milutin Milankovitch on determining orbital variations of insolation. On the behest of Köppen, Milankovic calculated summer radiation curves for latitudes 55/60/65°N over the last 650,000. The radiation curves were published as the final table in the book and was used to discuss Quaternary climate change and to provide an explanation to geologically determined cold and warm phases during the Quaternary ice age.’'

                                                                     Joachim Dorsch, 2014 GSA Meeting in Vancouver