Feb 17, 2022 - Sale 2595

Sale 2595 - Lot 84

Price Realized: $ 1,500
?Final Price Realized includes Buyer’s Premium added to Hammer Price
Estimate: $ 1,000 - $ 2,000
TROTSKY, LEON. Typed Letter Signed, "L. Trotsky," to publisher Charles Boni ("Dear esteemed Mr. Boni"), in German, complaining that the German edition of his History of the Russian Revolution is delayed [because Boni failed to send the manuscript to the German publisher], enclosing a copy of Trotsky's letter to the German publisher [not present], pointing out that the letter shows that the deadline for delivery of the second volume [of German edition] is fixed, and requesting that he send responses to Trotsky and the German publisher as soon as possible. 1 page, 4to; slight even toning overall, folds. Büyükada, 25 December 1930
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"My friend Max Eastman writes me about the postponement of the German edition of the first volume of the History of the Revolution. There is hardly anything to be done. I must politely remind you, that it was your publishing house which energetically insisted that I send the original text of my book to New York, despite the consequent inconveniences, chapter by chapter, so that, as stated in your letter, the house has the opportunity to translate the book chapter at a time and to place it in the American press. At the very last moment, I learned that nothing of the sort has happened. I can only regret this. Although my interests are thereby obviously encroached upon, to my regret, I cannot demand that Mr. Fischer sacrifice his interests for my sake. In any case, I have written to him about your proposition, and have enclosed a copy of my letter to the Fischer publishing house with this letter.
"From the copy you will gather than it contains an important question on fixing the deadline for delivery of the second volume. I request that you inform me and Mr. Fischer as soon as possible."
In 1931, Trotsky's History of the Russian Revolution was published in German by Samuel von Fischer. The English version was published the same year--through a deal brokered by Charles Boni--as a series of six articles entitled The Russian Revolution in The Saturday Evening Post between April 25th and May 30th.