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
