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Title: Engels to Edward Aveling, [London, first half of February 1892]
Description: Draft: faced with Swan Sonnenschein's decision to set up and page Aveling's translation of Socialism: Utopian and Scientific without consulting him, Engels sets out the only two courses open to him.
Author: Friedrich Engels
Date: 1892-02-01
URL: https://marxismo.school/archivo/marx-engels/cartas/originales/1892-02-01%20Engels%20to%20Edward%20Aveling
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*Letter from Friedrich Engels to Edward Aveling, London, [London, first half of February 1892]; undated draft; the date is that of the editors of the MEW (vol. 38, p. 275). Manuscript preserved at the IISG (Karl Marx / Friedrich Engels Papers, inv. K 39), transcribed from the digital facsimile by the Escuela de marxismo, 2026 (double reading and collation with the image). Written in English. Diplomatic transcription: spelling, capitals and punctuation as in the manuscript; underlining rendered as italics; deletions as ~~text~~ (~~[ilegible]~~ where they cannot be read); interlinear and marginal additions inserted where marked; [?] after an uncertain reading. [Traducción al español](https://marxismo.school/archivo/marx-engels/cartas/1892-02-01%20Engels%20a%20Edward%20Aveling)*

My dear Edward

It was a perfectly understood thing that I was to revise your translation in the MS. & that, having done so, I should give it the character of an authorized translation by writing a new[?] preface to it.

After the ~~independent~~ action taken by Messrs S. S. & Co ~~indirect &~~ without consultation with either of us, & in direct contravention to the above understanding, I am bound to reconsider my position.

~~A revision of proofsheets – volume in~~ ~~[ilegible] in pages – is quite a different thing from [ilegible]~~; a ~~MS.~~ Your translation being made with the knowledge that I would revise it, is necessarily but a rough draft; moreover, you, as translator, would feel bound to stick to the letter of the original, where I, as the author, might deviate more or less from it, & thus make the ~~[ilegible]~~ book read not as a translation but as an original work. To revise not the MS but paged ~~the~~ proofs in this spirit, would ~~require~~ imply, more or less, the upsetting of the paging ~~which has been carried to the end of the book~~.

Now, as far as I can see at present, there are but two courses open to me:

Either I revise the proofs in full liberty, exactly as I would have revised your MS, regardless of the expense this may ~~cause[?]~~ occasion ~~of which expense is to be borne of~~ ~~course, by Messrs S. S. & Co~~ — In that case our original understanding holds good, the translation is authorized by me, & I write a preface. In that case we must have ~~[ilegible]~~ four more copies of proofs at least, & ~~read~~ revise afterwards.

Or, I am to respect the proofsheets as far as the paging is concerned, & merely to make verbal changes within the limits of each page. In that case I will do my best to make the translation as good as I can, but I ~~[ilegible]~~ must decline being in any way connected with it before the public, & reserve to me the right of publicly declining any responsibility for it if such should be imputed to me.

As a matter of course, the expense caused in either case would have to be borne by Messrs S. S. & Co who alone have brought it about.

And on all these points I must ask for their decision in writing before I stir in the matter.