August 29, 1939
Professor Gilbert N. Lewis
Department of Chemistry
University of California
Dear Professor Lewis:
I am very happy to know that you are pleased with my book, and feel that it is good
enough to be worthy of its dedication to you. You know, of course, that I had you
in mind continually while it was being written, and I have been hoping that my treatment
would prove to be acceptable to you.
I shall look forward to seeing the paper on color which you and Calvin are to have
in the October number of Chemical Reviews. I have been working on the theory of
the color of dyes for some months, and spoke about my preliminary results in Chicago.
I mentioned very briefly in my chapter in Gilman's ORGANIC CHEMISTRY a fundamental
idea regarding the color of dyes, and some months ago I thought of a way of making
approximate quantum mechanical calculations- the difficulty is, of course, to find
an approximate treatment which is reasonably simple and still good enough to be significant.
I do not know yet when I shall be able to come to Berkeley for the stay which I have
promised to make, but I think that my wife and I will come for two or three days during
the week of September 11 or possibly a few days before then.
With best regards, I am
Sincerely yours,
Linus Pauling
LP/jr
