Ostwald's aim was to remedy the "Mangel an Kenntnis jener großen Arbeiten, auf welchen das Gebäude der Wissenschaft ruht" (Lack of knowledge of those great works on which the edifice of science rests).
The first volume in 1889 was Über die Erhaltung der Kraft (On the conservation of power) (first 1847) by Hermann von Helmholtz.
However, Ostwald initially continued to publish the chemistry volumes until he was replaced by Richard Abegg.
From 1982 there were reprints of the old series before the Second World War, in West Germany by the publishing house Verlag Harri Deutsch in Frankfurt, which specialized in the publication of scientific literature from the GDR in the FRG.
After World War II[nb 1] published by Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Verlag Harri Deutsch and Europa-Lehrmittel (except for reprints and new editions of the old series): Only six volumes were published by Akademische Verlagsgesellschaft, Frankfurt, which, as a new series, did not follow the old series in terms of numbering: More volumes were planned (such as François Viète's Einführung in die Algebra (Introduction to Algebra), which was published elsewhere in 1973).