V. I.

Lenin

114

To:   HIS SISTER MARIA

Maria Alexandrovna
Ulyanova, [1]

Sharonov’s House, Bakhmetyevskaya Street, 25, Moscow, Russia

November 6, 1900

Manyasha, I have received your letter, Manyasha, many thanks
for it.

I received the books a few days ago and was horrified when I opened the big box. It contained the medical books of
an Anna Fedulova (from Barnaul in Siberia) who had studied
in Lausanne and Geneva from 1893 to 1899. How absurd and disgraceful! I know nothing about this person and
hear her name for the first time. How could her books have
got here? How could they have been sent to Moscow to the
wrong address? Why did nobody enquire about them during
the months they were lying in Moscow?

Try to find out, if you can, what it is all about. For all
the books I paid about 40 (forty!) rubles. So for someone
else’s books I must have overpaid about thirty rubles on
account of the neglect of some utterly irresponsible persons.

I shall write to Siberia and to Switzerland, asking them
to try and find the lady. In the meantime I have put the
books into a warehouse. I must get in touch with the carrier’s office that sent the box. Let me have their exact
address. Perhaps the owner of the books will soon be asking
for them. Did they issue a receipt for the books? If so, how
could they have surrendered them (here) without it? Try
and go to them to get an explanation, or— better —write
to them, register the letter and send a stamp for a reply.

( I think the owner of the books should refund my expenses
since she is at fault for sending the books to a strange
address without any notification.)

I have received a letter from Lirochka, who sends you and Mother thousands of the warmest greetings. I do not
suppose I shall have an opportunity to see her.

I have received my books in good order— merci for them.

I am repeating my address—just in case.

Herrn Franz Modrá\v cek, Sm\v ecky, 27 Prag. Oesterreich
(Austria). [3]

The weather here has been bad, but today is wonderful, warm and sunny. We shall see what winter is like here.

I am still living as usual, I study languages a little,
exchange German and Russian lessons with a Czech (conversations rather than lessons) and visit the library.

Please give Mother many kisses from me. Is she now quite well? How is Mark? Do not forget to obtain for me
the address of the China traveller. [2]

All the best, Yours,

V. U.

November 7

Excuse me for having delayed sending the letter.
Yesterday I received your books ( merci for them—the selection
is excellent) and your letter of October 10. Why did it take
so long?

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Notes:
[1]
The first part of the letter, written to Lenin’s mother, has been
lost.— Ed .

[2]

A. P. Sklyarenko.— Ed .

[3]
Lenin used F. Modrá\v cek’s address in Prague for the despatch
of letters to and from Russia.