917 - KROPOTKIN P.A. (1842-1921), AUTOGRAPH

KROPOTKIN P.A. (1842-1921), AUTOGRAPH Autograph letter signed ‘Pierre Kropotkin’ addressed to his ‘Cher confrère’. Viola, Bromley, Kent, May 14, 1896 4 pp. on a double leaf, in-8. 18 x 11.5 cm. In French. Letter about the works he wishes to have published. He promises to send a few manuscripts for the exhibition. (…) ‘There is one that my wife is particularly fond of: the Russian manuscript of my work on the glacial formations of Finland (…), which I wrote in its entirety while confined to a cell in the Peter and Paul Fortress in St Petersburg in 1874-5. It is a fine manuscript of about 450 folios. Can we be absolutely sure that it will not go astray?’ He asks whether he should send the manuscript to his correspondent or to Mr Paul Gallimard, and encloses a list of the manuscripts he proposes to send. ‘One of them is a first draft, partly illegible, of the lecture on Anarchy that I was prevented from delivering in Paris. But it seems that it is drafts of this sort that enthusiasts value most’ (…). In a postscript he also notes that he has two manuscripts by Bakunin which are very dear to him: the programme of the Society for the International Revolution and a section of ‘God and the State’. P.A. Kropotkin (1842-1921) was a Russian revolutionary anarchist, geographer and geomorphologist, a researcher of the tectonic structure of Siberia and Central Asia and of the Ice Age. A well-known historian, philosopher and publicist, he was the creator of the ideology of anarcho-communism and one of the most influential theorists of anarchism. Upon the buyer’s request, we are pleased to provide a general condition report for the Lot described above. However, as we are not professional conservators or restorers, we strongly advise prospective buyers to conduct their own inspection or consult a specialist or restorer of their choice for a comprehensive professional assessment. Any condition descriptions provided in the catalogue or through any correspondence are for guidance only and should not be considered a substitute for a firsthand evaluation. NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD ‘AS IS’ IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF SALE PUBLISHED IN THE CATALOGUE.