BR TO LESTER DENONN, 18 NOV. 1950
BRACERS 60440. ALS(X). Lester Denonn
Edited by A.G. Bone. Reviewed by S. Turcon

Washington.
Nov. 18, 19501

Dear Mr. Denonn2

I am very sorry I could not see you in New York — my few days there were very hectic. I return to England on Monday.

I am quite willing to consent to the Dictionary you mention, provided I won’t have to do any work about it.3

Thank you for your kind congratulations.

Yours sincerely
Bertrand Russell

• 1

  [document] The letter was edited from a photocopy of the signed original written in BR’s hand on a single leaf.

• 2

  [recipient] Lester E. Denonn (1901–1985) was a successful Wall St. attorney and an expert in commercial law with a love of philosophy (especially BR’s), which he pursued even after deciding upon a legal career in the late 1920s. Prior to that he had obtained a Bachelor’s degree in philosophy at New York University and a Master’s at Cornell. A dedicated anthologist and bibliographer of BR, Denonn assembled an extensive collection of his writings which he bequeathed to the Russell Archives. He also compiled and edited the following collections: The Wit and Wisdom of Bertrand Russell (1951), Bertrand Russell’ s Dictionary of Mind, Matter, and Morals (1952) and (with Robert E. Egner) The Basic Writings of Bertrand Russell (1961).

• 3

  consent to the Dictionary ... provided I won’t have to do any work about it Despite authorizing Denonn to proceed with this anthology of his writings on the condition that he contribute nothing towards it, BR ultimately supplied a short preface to Bertrand Russell’s Dictionary of Mind, Matter and Morals (New York: Philosophical Library, 1952).