Natural Philosophy LibraryA project of the NPRI
Natural Philosophy Library

Preserving serious work outside mainstream science

Generations of independent researchers have challenged the accepted foundations of science in books, journals and papers that no university library set out to keep. We collect that work, care for the physical copies, and scan and publish it so it stays available.

  • Physics
  • Cosmology
  • Mathematics
  • Philosophy
Contribute to the library Browse the digital archive
Why a library

Work like this disappears when no one keeps it

Much of the best critical thinking in physics and cosmology was self-published, printed in small runs, or presented at conferences whose proceedings were never collected. When an author dies, their books, papers and correspondence are often thrown away. The Natural Philosophy Library exists so that this work is kept, catalogued and still there for the next generation of researchers to read.

The physical archive

We take in and look after the original objects: books, journal runs, conference proceedings, offprints, manuscripts and research papers. The collection is kept in a dedicated space maintained by co-director John Reed, where it is catalogued, stored safely and kept available for reference.

The digital archive

We scan works, with the permission of authors and rights holders, and publish them on the Natural Philosophy Wiki. There each book, paper and author gets a page, and readers can find and read the full text online at no cost.

3,600+researcher profiles on the wiki
6,000+paper abstracts catalogued
1,500+books catalogued
3,300+full-text papers online
What we collect

Serious work in physics, cosmology, mathematics and philosophy

We are looking for careful, reasoned work by researchers who questioned mainstream assumptions. That includes published and unpublished material, recent and old.

Books

  • Monographs and treatises
  • Self-published and small-press titles
  • Out-of-print editions

Journals

  • Runs of independent journals and newsletters
  • Conference proceedings
  • Society bulletins

Papers

  • Offprints and preprints
  • Manuscripts and lecture notes
  • Research correspondence

Collections and estates

  • A researcher's complete library
  • Papers left by a family member
  • Society or group archives

Digital material

  • PDFs and existing scans
  • Recordings of talks
  • Old websites and files

Your own work

  • Authors can deposit copies of their books and papers
  • We link them to your page on the wiki
How it works

From your shelf to the archive

  1. Get in touch

    Use the contribute button and tell us what you have. A short description is enough to start.

  2. We plan it together

    We talk through the items, rights and permissions, and how to ship or deliver them.

  3. Catalogued and kept

    Physical items are catalogued and stored in the library's collection.

  4. Scanned and published

    With permission, works are scanned and put on the Natural Philosophy Wiki for anyone to read.

Directors

Who runs the library

Greg Volk

Greg Volk

Director

Greg Volk is an electrical engineer, entrepreneur and independent researcher in fundamental physics. He studied electrical engineering at Stanford University and completed the full undergraduate physics curriculum there. He is vice president of the Natural Philosophy Research Institute and managing editor of the Natural Philosophy Journal, and earlier served as president of the Natural Philosophy Alliance.

Greg wrote most of the entries in the Natural Philosophers Database, the collection from which much of the Natural Philosophy Wiki grew. His own papers include 39 Questionable Assumptions in Modern Physics (2009), published by the American Institute of Physics, and work on Maxwell's equations and reference-frame-independent dynamics.

Full biography on the wiki →
John H. Reed, M.D.

John H. Reed, M.D.

Director · keeper of the physical collection

John Reed is a physician with an M.D., a Master of Public Health and an MBA, and studied at Johns Hopkins University. He is president and CEO of the World Institute for Scientific Exploration (WISE), where he has directed the WISE Journal for many years, publishing research in medicine, energy and other unexplained phenomena.

John is treasurer of the Natural Philosophy Research Institute and business manager of the Natural Philosophy Journal. He provides and looks after the physical space where the library's books, journals and papers are kept.

Full biography on the wiki →

Do you have books, journals or papers to preserve?

Whether it is a single book, your own life's work, or the library of someone who has passed away, we would like to hear from you.

Contact the library
Contribute

Contact the library

Tell us what you would like to contribute, or how you would like to help. The directors read every message and will reply by email.

What would you like to contribute? (choose any)

We use your details only to reply to you about the library.