Letter to Anna Ulyanova, April 8, 1909

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Author(s) Lenin
Written 8 April 1909


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First published in 1930 in the journal Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya No. 1. Sent from Paris to Moscow. Printed from the original.
Source: Lenin Collected Works, Progress Publishers, 1977, Moscow, Volume 37, pages 426-427
Collection(s): Proletarskaya Revolyutsiya
Keywords : Anna Ulyanova, Letter

April 8, 1909

Dear Anyuta,

Today I received the page proofs of signature 22 (pp. 337- 352). There are very few misprints in it. I am sending a list of them.[1]

In connection with the publication of the book I have two important requests to make of you.

(1) The experience of the previous month shows that the publisher and printer are capable of delaying the remaining four of five signatures for a long, long time, but it is hellishly important to me for the book to appear sooner. I have not only literary but also serious political commitments that are linked up with the publication of the book.[2] I therefore beg you to engage an assistant for yourself (or for the “writer”, if you hand it over to him) to pay special visits to the printers and keep urging them along. It is not difficult, of course, to find a student for about fifteen rubles a week—there will be crowds of candidates for such a post. Offer him a bonus[3] of some twenty rubles if the book comes out by April 10.[4] He will visit the printer, take the proofs from there, bring them back corrected without delay, will follow up the work day by day, etc. I do not grudge 100 rubles for this. You must do this or tell the “writer” to do it, for it will be the end of me if the book is delayed until the second half of April.

(2) I have now sent you the misprints in all the 22 signatures. Let them set a list of those misprints immediately and send me a proof; there will be time enough and it is very important to me because the book must be well produced.

All the best,

Yours,

V. U.

Many kisses for Mother!

  1. ↑ The list has been lost.—Ed.
  2. ↑ Lenin hurried the publication of Materialism and Empirio-criticism because of the enlarged conference of the Proletary editorial board (this was actually the Bolshevik centre) at which a decisive battle against Bogdanov and his followers was to be fought.
  3. ↑ Obviously you cannot handle the Russian blockhead without a bribe. Give the make-up man 10 rubles if the book comes out by April 10—you must bring pressure to bear on the printer in addition to, the publisher.—Lenin
  4. ↑ Lenin gave this date in the Old Style; the letter itself is dated in the New Style.—Ed.
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