IN HOTTINGEN-ZURICH 

London, 1 January 1885 

Dear Mr Schliter, 

I have received your esteemed note of the 10th as well as Mrs Kel- 
ley- Wischnewetzky’s ms. °*°: I have advised her of its receipt and told 
her I hope to be able to revise it next week. 

The Condition of the Working-Class has not as yet been en- 
tirely prised out of Wigand’s hands. From what Freytag the lawyer 
said, the old contract, which envisaged a second edition, was still in 
force about 10 years ago. *° Since then I have on several occasions 
tried to find out from Freytag how I stood with Wigand under Sax- 
on law but have never received an answer. So long as I remain in 

a 

the Longuets’ children 

doubt on this point I shan’t know what steps I can take. I have also 
told Dietz as much*% but heard nothing further after that; he 
spoke of bringing out a new edition but I was not told anything 
definite. 

However a new edition would not be possible without various notes 
by me, which in turn would involve consulting sundry works of refer- 
ence and, in places, call for study and this I cannot take on at the mo- 
ment as I have more than enough to do. I might consider it towards 
the middle of the year. So I think the best thing would be simply to let 
the matter rest till then. 

Now, however, Ede tells me that my Anti-Dihring ought to be 
reprinted. ?°8 After considerable thought I have decided that it 
should be brought out unaltered. I owe this to my opponent and 
shall simply provide a new preface,* also appendices to some 
of the chapters, which can go together at the end. Then a new 
preface. This, too, I shall find time for. So if you want work for 
the press, I would suggest you start with that. Besides, the thing is 
not particularly urgent and can therefore be printed at your con- 
venience. 

I hope to finish Marx’s Capital, Book II, in January and then pro- 
ceed at once to rewrite the Peasant War.?'* That will take a good 
6 weeks. But I must be quit of it so as to get on with Capital, Book III. 
To begin with, this will be a purely daytime occupation, leaving 
my evenings to some extent free, when I can attend to the Condition of 
the Working-Class — if, that is, the revision of sundry translations, at- 
tending to proofs, etc., leaves me time for it. 

So think the matter over and let me know what you have decided. 
I shall gladly do all I can to help you. 

Kindest regards and a Happy New Year to the colony at 
large. 

Yours, 
F. Engels