Rare ALS in English and French, signed "Yours most sincerely, Karl Marx," one page, 4.5 x 7, October 14, 1871. Handwritten letter to Edward Spencer Beesly, a British champion of organized labor and cofounder of the International Workingmen's Association. In part: "Enclosed the photograph for Mrs. Beesly. The Christian name of the illustrious Greenwood is Frederick. C'est n'est pas Frederic le Grand [He's no Frederick the Great']." He goes on to make a comment about Voltaire's association, in his "Swiss retirement," with a Jesuit named Father Adam. In very good to fine condition, with slightly irregular toning, and two tiny holes along the right edge.
This interesting bilingual letter reflects Karl Marx's peripatetic life: born in Germany, exiled from Paris, with stops in Brussels and Cologne along the way, Marx had been living in London for over 20 years when he penned this letter. With it, he enclosed a photograph inscribed (in German!) to Beesly's wife Emily [not present in the lot], and humorously provided the first name of the editor of the Pall Mall Gazette—Frederick Greenwood—who was hostile towards Marx and Beesly's political views. Though they did have some significant disagreements, Marx and Beesly were close friends and colleagues who shared similar ideals. In an 1871 letter from Beesly to Marx, he emphasized their common values: 'We both believe that the working class suffer terrible wrongs at the hands of the middle class, and that the social question is more important than the political.' A fantastic autograph letter by the massively influential philosopher, whose pamphlet The Communist Manifesto and the three-volume Das Kapital take a place amongst the most important sociopolitical texts of the 19th century.
This letter was featured in the 'Magic of Handwriting' exhibition at The Morgan Library in 2018, and is illustrated in the Taschen book published to accompany the exhibit.
This item is Pre-Certified by PSA/DNA
Buy a third-party letter of authenticity for
(inquire for price)
*This item has been pre-certified by a trusted third-party authentication service, and by placing a bid on this item, you agree to accept the opinion of this authentication service. If you wish to have an opinion rendered by a different authenticator of your choosing, you must do so prior to your placing of any bid. RR Auction is not responsible for differing opinions submitted 30 days after the date of the sale.
