1 4 D O C U M E N T 1 4 J A N U A R Y 1 9 2 1
14. From Otto Neurath[1]
Vienna I, 23 Herrengasse, 12 January 1921
Esteemed Professor,
Allow me to summarize for you briefly the outcome of our conversation of 11
January
1921[2]
and to request that you send me your approval of this version in as
much detail as possible, so that I can use it as a basis to start negotiations with
other collaborators and publishers. You declared your willingness to sign on as
editor of a collection of popular books on science which is intended to transmit
knowledge of all sorts to larger segments of the population, especially to workers.
The goal to be pursued is linking together series of individual volumes graded
according to level of education and systematically laying out the entire collection.
Besides brief serialized essays, discussions in the style of worker communities are
also envisioned as well as catechismal-type publications. A comprehensive subject
index ought to turn the complete collection into a surrogate encyclopedia.
You agreed that mainly Professor Frank (Prague) and Professor Löwy (Vienna)
would cooperate on the editing of the physics
section.[3]
You stated your willing-
ness to subject to your scrutiny the plans drawn up by us, to review more important
individual articles, and to support us through your work in the effort to create a col-
lection of a modern bent; in particular you expressed your readiness to discuss the
organizational tasks personally in Berlin with Professor Frank or one of our other
collaborators.
You also stated your willingness, in the event you hold popular lectures and dis-
cussions on physical topics
again,[4]
to have them stenographically recorded and
after they have been modified for publication, perhaps by Professor Frank, to pub-
lish them upon your approval of the draft.
We would be very grateful if you would do us the favor now of informing us
which staff members you would recommend as collaborators, for which fields and
kinds of exposition.
We hope that if you sign on as editor of such a collection, not just physicists but
men in other fields of knowledge can be more easily recruited. If a part of this col-
lection is modifiable to purposes of educating work councils or laborers, one could
anticipate from it an important stimulus in the future.
With great respect,
Neurath.
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