Published:
First published in 1930 in the journal Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya No. 1.
Sent from Geneva to Moscow.
Printed from
the original.
Source:
Lenin
Collected Works,
Progress Publishers,
1977,
Moscow,
Volume 37,
pages 392-394.
Translated: The Late George H. Hanna
Transcription\Markup:
D. Moros
Public Domain:
Lenin Internet Archive.
You may freely copy, distribute,
display and perform this work, as well as make derivative and
commercial works. Please credit “Marxists Internet
Archive” as your source.
October 27, 1908
Dear Anyuta,
I am surprised at your long silence. I suppose the move to Moscow caused a lot of bother and you have had no time for letters.
Please give me an address to which I can send the manuscript of my book.[1] It is ready. It amounts to 24 printer’s signatures (at the rate of 40,000 letters a signature) and that is about 400 pages. In a fortnight I shall have finished reading it over and will send it off; I should like to have a good address to send it to.
Things seem to be bad as far as a publisher is concerned; I was informed today that Granat has bought the Mensheviks’ “history”—in other words the Mensheviks have come out on top in that field. It is obvious that he will now refuse to publish my book.[3] Bear in mind that I am not now chasing after royalties, i.e., I am prepared to make concessions (any you like) and agree to the postponement of payment until the book shows a profit—in short there will be no risk for the publisher. As regards the censor, I will also agree to all concessions because in general everything in the book is undoubtedly legal, with the possible exception of some expressions that may be unsuitable.[2]
I shall await an answer.
Our people all kiss Mother and you. So do I.
Yours,
V. Ulyanov
The first page of Lenin’s letter to his sister Anna. October 27, 1908
[1] Materialism and Empirio-criticism.—Ed.
[2] Ergo—conclude a contract if there is the slightest opportunity, on any terms.—Lenin
[3] This refers to the publication of Materialism and Empirio-criticism, which Lenin expected the Granat Brothers Publishing House to handle.
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