My dear Mr Sidoroff,

Here are the prices of the English books:

Lecky, History of the Spirit of Rationalism — 16s.
Do., do. of European Morals — £1 8s.
Tylor, Primitive Culture — £1 4s.
Lubbock, Origin of Civilisation — 16s.
Maine, Ancient Law — 12s.
Do., Rural Communities — 9s.

These are the bookseller’s prices, and there would be about 15% discount on them. But if you authorise me to try to get them for you second-hand, perhaps we would only pay half, and my little bookseller is willing to undertake it. I would have got you this information much sooner, but my bookseller was away.

You will have received a letter from Williams yesterday. We have no more recent news of the sick traveller, but we have found an opportunity to forward a letter, by safe hand, to Petersburg, and we hope soon to have more detailed news, for which we have urgently called.

As to the Tauchnitz edition of Buckle, I know nothing of it, but it would be very astonishing if it did not exist – that it does not exist – for the rest, any German bookseller in Paris will be able to tell you.

I am sending you the last two numbers of the *Eastern Post*.

We have had various new arrivals here; Williams will probably have written to you on the subject, among others Vaillant, Theisz, Longuet.

Could you get me a subscription to the *Gazette des Tribunaux*, starting from 7 August or even from 1 August? We must have the most authentic text of the Versailles trials for our historical studies, and I know of no other paper that would give as complete a report as this one. At the same time, I do not know how to obtain it here, and there is no time to lose because later the most interesting numbers might be missing. If you could arrange this matter for me, you would greatly oblige us; we would settle your outlays afterwards.

Another thing. In order to study the military events of the two sieges of Paris, I need a plan of Paris and environs, the best there is, giving, if possible, also the street names of Neuilly and of the other small places where the fighting took place. I have tried in vain to obtain one here. Perhaps you could give me the title and the publisher of such a detailed map, after which it would be easy for me to obtain it.

You see, my dear friend, that one is not in Paris with impunity and that I shall probably have more commissions for you than you will for me. Meanwhile, let me know what I am to do with regard to the English books, and accept my most cordial greetings.

F. Engels