thank you for your kind letters of April 25 and May 10.
1. I have received the 6 copies of “Unity of Science“B1934@The Unity of Science. Übersetzung und Einleitung von Max Black, London, 1934. I thank you very much. I think the little book looks very well. Let us hope that it will have a good sale.
2. “Logical Syntax“B1937@The Logical Syntax of Language, London, 1937. The matter with SpringerPSpringer, Julius der Jüngere, 1880–1968, dt. Verleger is now almost quite clear. First he really made some difficulties, but now he concedes that I am in possession of the translation rights of my bookB1934@Logische Syntax der Sprache, Wien, 1934 and that I am therefore entitled to make the agreement with you. But he has two “urgent wishes“: 1. that the English edition should not be cheaper than the German original, and 2. that the English edition should not appear earlier than one year after the German original. The reasons for these wishes are, that the selling of the German bookB1934@Logische Syntax der Sprache, Wien, 1934 would be too much injured by a cheaper and too early English edition. I promised SpringerPSpringer, Julius der Jüngere, 1880–1968, dt. Verleger to write you these wishes. But concerning the first I must confess that I am in doubt whether you would do well to fix the price of the English edition as high as the price of the German will be. The latter is not yet fixed; but SpringerPSpringer, Julius der Jüngere, 1880–1968, dt. Verleger has usually rather high prices; and he wrote me, that the price will probably be about RM 20‚– . I hope you will make the bookB1937@The Logical Syntax of Language, London, 1937 cheaper, in spite of the additions. Concerning the second wish I am still in correspondence with SpringerPSpringer, Julius der Jüngere, 1880–1968, dt. Verleger. Perhaps I shall make the agreement with you in such a way, that the English edition shall not appear earlier than a certain date to be fixed later. Now I proposed to SpringerPSpringer, Julius der Jüngere, 1880–1968, dt. Verleger to fix April 1, 1935, as this date. As soon as I come to an understanding with him about this last item also I will write you. I suppose you will not be against fixing the date of appearance in this manner.
The printing of the bookB1934@Logische Syntax der Sprache, Wien, 1934 is now finished with exception of the indices at the end. I hope it will appear already this month.
I would like to make you a new proposal concerning the fee. You proposed £ 15. In the meantime I have learned that the usual payments for translation rights are about RM 30‚– per sheet (16 pages); that would be about RM 600‚– for the whole. That is nearly three times the amount you proposed. But I understand very well that the Orthological InstituteIOrthological Institute, C.K. Ogden is not able to give a higher fee, because of the general risk. Now I would agree to not receiving payment in the moment of the appearance of the bookB1937@The Logical Syntax of Language, London, 1937 and to take part in the risk, provided that I shall take part also in the profit if there should be any. Therefore I would like to propose that I should get nothing at the time of publication but later every year a payment in proportion to the number 🕮 of books sold, i. e. a percentage to be fixed on every copy sold (perhaps 8 % of the selling price?). What would you think about this proposal?
3. London LecturesB1934@Philosophy and Logical Syntax, London, 1935. I have not yet made any decision about the details. I think the titles will be: Philosophy and Logical Syntax. – 1. Metaphysics and Logical Analysis. – 2. Logical Syntax. – 3. Philosophy is Logical Syntax. – If further details are needed, please let me know.