Letter to Karl Kautsky, before July 6, 1888

Author(s) Friedrich Engels
Written 6 July 1888


First published in: Aus der Frühzeit des Marxismus. Engels Briefwechsel mit Kautsky, Prag, 1935
Printed according to the original
Published in English for the first time in Marx-Engels Collected Works, Volume 48


ENGELS TO KARL KAUTSKY

IN ST GILGEN

London, before 6 July 1888

Dear Baron,

Now that I've smelt you out Stieber-fashion,[1] and having noted from its longitude and latitude that it must be a very lovely district, let me reply briefly re Shelley.[2] I will gladly do the thing but ought, for the sake of the context, to have a copy of Shelley which, however, I have not got, nor do I know where to obtain one in a hurry. E. Aveling, when he was here yesterday, said he would go and fetch his for me, but has left London without keeping his word. If I had the passages, I should be able to get hold of a Shelley all right.

I trust that the taenia mediocanellata[3] will by now have been happily reduced ad absurdum. Pumps' son has got the measles which so far has taken an altogether favourable course; Lili[4] is therefore staying with us. Mrs Schlüter and Mrs Ede[5] are here and we are still expecting the Aunt[6] —when, we don't know. On Sunday they were all of them here. The muddle has not yet been [...]* out. E. Aveling has been extraordinarily lucky with his [...][7] —unanimously [...]

f Louise[8] if, as I hope, she is there.

[• • -]

f

General [.. .f all right again, I hope.

  1. ↑ Engels uses the verb herausstiebern, a play on the verb stöbern - to hunt or rout out - and Stieber, name of the chief of the Prussian political police (1852-60)
  2. ↑ Engels, at the request or Karl Kautsky, and Eleanor and Edward Aveling, was translating poems by Shelley into German for the Avelings's article 'Shelley als Sozialist', published in the December issue of Neue Zeit in 1888.
  3. ↑ tape worm
  4. ↑ Lilian Rosher
  5. ↑ Regina Bernstein
  6. ↑ Emilie Motteier
  7. ↑ Ms. damaged
  8. ↑ Louise Kautsky