Letter to O. A. Ellissen, October 22, 1889

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 22 October 1889


First published in: Marx and Engels, Works, First Russian Edition, Vol. XXVIII, Moscow, 1940
Printed from a typewritten copy
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 48

MECW Note : Ellissen, O. Adolph - gymnasium teacher at Einbeck.

TO O. A. ELLISSEN IN EINBECK

London, 22 October 1889
122 Regent's Park Road, N. W.

Dear Sir,

In reply to your circular[1] I regret to inform you that as the papers in my possession have not been sorted for the past 20 years, I cannot possibly search out F. A. Lange's letters—there are only a few—from the pile until I have 3 or 4 weeks' spare time in which to put the whole lot in order. As soon as I have finished the final editing of Volume III of Marx's Capital—some time early next year—I must address myself to this task, for it admits of no further delay, whereupon I shall be glad to place the aforementioned letters at your disposal.

You may, of course, publish my letters to Lange in full or in part depending on the circumstances, but in the latter case I would ask you to be good enough to ensure that the passages concerned appear in their full context.

Yours faithfully,

Fr. Engels

  1. ↑ O.A. Ellissen, who intended to write a book about Friedrich Lange, had found Engels' letters in his personal archives. He therefore asked Engels to give him Lange's letters (addressed to Engels) and allow him to use their correspondence in his book. Engels made the following marginal notes on Ellissen's letter, 'The letters are out of order and cannot be made available before the completion, next spring, of Vol. Ill; then they will be at your disposal. They may be reproduced in full or in part - in the latter case I beg you to give the respective excerpts in their total context'. Einbeck, Okt. 89. Dr O. A. Ellissen wegen Langes Briefe.