BR TO W.W. NORTON & COMPANY, INC. / WARDER NORTON, 3 MAR. 1930
BRACERS 46989. TLS. Norton papers, Columbia U.
Proofread by A. Duncan

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Beacon Hill School
Harting,
Petersfield,1
3rd March 1930.

Dear Norton,

Your letter of February 20th has just reached me. I am much ashamed at the sudden realization that I forgot to sign the contract for the book about Science. I had been under the mistaken impression that I had signed it in New York, and put it away in my drawer; I never had a moment’s hesitation in regard to signing it, and I return it herewith.

I think it likely that I shall wish to do the book on Science sooner than the book on America, the more so as this will enable me to pay a further visit to America before doing the latter, and it would be more lifelike if done very shortly after a visit to your country. Various circumstances, however, will, I am afraid, somewhat postpone the delivery of the manuscript. My wife is pregnant and is therefore not able to take her full share of the work of the school: this means that it is more difficult than usual for me to get time off for writing. It also means that my summer will be rather cut up. Furthermore, the book that I undertook to do for Liveright first puzzles me, and I have no clear feeling of how to do it. I do not suppose that all these causes combined will delay me much beyond the first of January next year, but the odds are that I shall begin writing the book on about the 5th January, which would mean finishing it about the end of March. I suppose, however, that that would mean postponing publication until the Autumn. Perhaps you would let me know what you feel about this. I must, however, take some time off during the summer as I have had no holiday since last summer and begin to be in need of one.

Best wishes to you all,

Yours sincerely,
Bertrand Russell.

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