V. I.

Lenin

41

To:   HIS BROTHER-IN-LAW

February 18, 1898

Today I am sending you, Mark, the corrections to the
Sismondi article by registered post. There were fewer corrections than I expected—only the misprints and the
division, of the article into chapters (two) and paragraphs.
It is to be expected that the compositors will find it much
easier to work from a printed text, so there will be fewer
mistakes and less proof-reading to do (but the proofs absolutely must be read ). The magazine pages I am sending
can go straight to the printers, but give them strict warning not to lose
them [1] (they usually do lose manuscripts)
and that each time they should send the original (manuscript or magazine page) together with the proofs ; without
this it is terribly difficult for a stranger (not the author) to
correct them (I know this from my own experience) and there will be many unpleasant misunderstandings and
mistakes. I hope Manyasha will find time to undertake the
proof-reading. In general, it is very important for the proofs
to be read by one person from beginning to end, otherwise
there will be a muddle because of the signs the proof-readers
use, and, furthermore, they usually forget, when subsequent proofs are received (there must be at least two), to
verify whether the mistakes indicated in the first proofs
have been corrected and whether fresh mistakes were not
made in correcting the old ones. Accurate printing and an
elegant edition are very important.

The article (together with this letter) will arrive at the
very beginning of March and if you set about the printing
immediately and carry it out without delay, and if you hurry the printer, you may manage to finish it and present
it to the censor by Easter. That would be very good; the
sale of the book will probably be much slower if it does
not come out until May. I am awaiting news from you on the way things are going.

I have been thinking a lot about the other two articles
(on the “heritage” and on Yuzhakov); on the one hand, caution tells me that they should not be printed, but, on
the other hand, it is a pity to abandon them, especially
the second.... The fact is that it analyses a book and not
a magazine article.... Perhaps we should try? If experienced
people had not decided that it was impossible I should not
have been averse to trying. We should have to cross out
a few places recalling the defunct journal [2] (I have no rough
copy of the Yuzhakov article, so the publisher will have to
do it. It is not a big job), and then place them at the end,
so that if they are removed (in case the authorities demand
it) it will not spoil the preceding articles. If you estimate
the cost of the publication at 40 rubles a printer’s signature, the loss on those two articles (together four signatures)
would not be so great. In any case the book should not be
delayed on account of them.

If they have not yet sent you the manuscripts from St.
Petersburg, write an urgent letter to Nadezhda
Konstantinovna to send them immediately and start printing what I send
today.

All the best,

V. U.

Please hand or send the enclosed letter to N.K. She asks me to write to Moscow now, since they will probably
be moving her soon.