[Draft] 
[London, after 21 March 1873] 

Citizen, 

In your letter of 16 March you appear to be under the 
impression that I am ‘presenting you with a book on the 
communist party’, whereas it was you who, by requesting me to 
write a serious biography of Karl Marx,* asked for a history of that 
party. Marx has led an essentially active life and thus to recount 
his life would be to write the history of the philosophic and 
revolutionary movement, both German and international, since 
’*42, in order to trace therein his personal participation and the 
influence of his writings. If you merely want a reporter’s biography, 
that has already been done. L’Illustration has published one” and 
if you care to send me a copy I shall make the necessary 
corrections.™ 

Since the study I had in mind was intended to be a serious 
work, I should have thought I would be doing you an injury by 
supposing that you who, in this business matter, have assumed the 
role of capitalist, would have wished to evade the prime social 
rule, operative even in our bourgeois society, that the capitalist 
pays the workman in proportion to his labour. However, since you 
say you are increasing your Capital for the sole purpose of placing 
it at the service of the Community, I shall consent to donate my 
labour on condition that you set aside a sum for the foundation of 
a weekly international organ, of which the socialist party has a 
pressing need, and of which Marx would be editor.