V. I.

Lenin

40

To:   HIS MOTHER AND HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW

February 14, 1898

I have received a book (Bulgakov [6] ) from Manyasha, Mother dearest, and thank her for it. She asks whether
I received a registered package sent by Anna on December
27. [1]

It is difficult for me to remember now because it was a
long time ago. I remember that I received some foreign catalogues and
Neue Zeit . [7] Manyasha’s letter is dated
January 26, so it is quite possible that my answer to the
letter of December 27 had not reached Moscow by then. [2]

I received Bogdanov’s book before that; I liked it very
much and have written a review. [3]

Bulgakov’s book is not too bad, either, but I do not like the chapter on turnover
and his formulation of the question of the foreign market
is not quite correct. I was, of course, very pleased to
receive it.

Again our allowance is being delayed—owing to the new year. Another piece of news—a new chief of police has
arrived from Yeniseisk (it is the one who wanted to take
the shotguns away). [8] He does not seem to have done anything to distinguish himself yet. For some unknown reason
Prominsky has had his allowance reduced from 31 rubles a month (he has five children) to 21 rubles—seven people
cannot live on that sum in Shusha and his hatter’s business
(that is his trade) is not a going concern here. Another comrade [4] went to see a doctor in Minusinsk and has been
admitted to hospital there.

It is still very, very cold here; the Siberian winter intends
to make itself felt after all. But I seem to have got fairly
used to the frosts, and do quite a lot of walking every day.

Yours,

V. U.

Did you send N.K. money to subscribe to Vestnik Finansov ? I did not expect it at all (because I asked her to
subscribe only in the event of my finances being in a brilliant
state) and now I get it from her as I always did.

Today I am sending Anyuta tho books from the library and the technical reports by registered post.

Mark,

Nadezhda Konstantinovna writes that the writer has proposed either to look for money for the publication of
my articles or a publisher for them, and for this reason
she will not take the manuscripts away from him. I answered
that she should take them and send them to you because one
can “look” for many years, and, indeed, who would willingly
go to so much trouble. I shall start on the corrections to
Sismondi in a couple of days without waiting for your answer
to one of my earlier letters and as soon as they are finished
I shall send them to you. [9] (The writer’s proposal is
important to me only because it shows the feasibility of this
enterprise from the standpoint of censorship, which is actually
the only thing that interested me.) As regards my other
manuscripts, with the exception of the article on handicraftsmen, [5]
[10]

I do not think they should be included, first, because they are of a different character, suitable only for
a journal, the subjects are polemical and of temporary interest, and, secondly, because it is not worth the risk.

When you receive this letter you should be able, I think,
to begin negotiations with the printers (in the plural,
because you will probably have to seek and haggle) and look
for a shop in which to buy paper. While these preliminary
searches are going on I shall send the corrections, and you
will then be able to go straight on with the printing. It
seems to me important not to waste time, so that the book
can come out in April.

All the best,

V. U.

I think the article on Sismondi had better go first, followed
by the handicrafts.

---
Notes:
[1]
I have received Neue Zeit No. 3.
— Lenin

[2]
See Letter No. 38.— Ed .

[3]
See Letter No. 39.— Ed .

[4]
O. A. Engberg.— Ed .

[5]
That is, the articles on the “heritage” and on Yuzhakov. The
note on Mikulin’s book is, of course, absolutely unsuitable for
inclusion in the book. [11] — Lenin

[6]
This refers to S. Bulgakov’s book Markets Under Capitalist Production. A Theoretical Study . Lenin reviewed this book in his
article “A Note on the Question of the Market Theory (Apropos
of the Polemic of Messrs. Tugan-Baranovsky and Bulgakov)”.