Oersted is universally known for his discovery of Electro-Magnetism in 1820. Afterwards he went on to write a number of important philosophical works on natural philosophy and empiricism, of which he considered "Aanden i Naturen" as his main work.

The work is found printed on 2 sorts of paper, common- and vellum paper, the present copy being on vellum.

Both Hans Christian Andersen and Søren Kierkegaard admit to having been influenced by the writings of Oersted. "He was an enthusiastic follower of the "Naturphilosophie" school in Germany, whose main object was the unification of physical forces, thus producing a monistic theory of the universe. It was to further this purpose that Oersted sought in actual phenomena the electro-magnetic identity of which he had already convinced himself on metaphysical grounds" (Percy H. Muir in Printing and The Mind of Man).

The copy once belonged to the renowned Danish book collector Gustav Philipsen (1853-1925) and carries his exlibris.