Turgenev, Ivan

confessing that he does not deserve his high praise, although noting that he is gratified, quoting Cicero, to be praised by a man himself deserving of praise, enclosing two photographs of himself [not included here], commenting that the larger of the two would be the better one if his posture had not been somewhat unnatural or forced, suggesting where he can find some biographical details about himself in the journal Salon, correcting some of the information there, including his date of birth, DISCUSSING HIS NOVEL FATHERS AND SONS, stating that it is not going to be published in the Beobachter, as it already has been - in an unsatisfactory way - in the feuilleton section of that journal, offering him, if he wishes it, a copy of the error-free translation published by Behre in Riga, commenting on their mutual interest in hunting, and asking him to bring his gun with him should he visit in the autumn, since he has a small shoot 

..."Väter und Söhne" soll nicht in "Beobachter" erscheinen - ist schon - vor zwei Jahren im Feuilleton jenes Journals - allerdings in ungenügender Form - abgedruckt worden. Die vom Buchhändler Behre in Riga herausgegebene Uebersetzung ist fehlerfrei...



3 pages, 8vo, later pencil annotation to fourth page, Baden-Baden, Thiergartenstrasse 3, Tuesday, 25 May 1869, some slight splitting along folds

Condition is described in the main body of the cataloguing, where appropriate
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

A characteristically modest letter by the great nineteenth-century novelist, who famously deprecated his writing gifts. Fathers and Sons (1862) is today regarded as one of the central works of nineteenth-century fiction.