May 20, 1954

Mr. W. H, Preeman
549 Market Street
San Francisco 5, Calif.

Dear Mr. Freeman:

Thank you for your cordial message of the 18th. The price is
certainly an obstacle to any translation of Buchner, and I wouldn't
want to urge you to lose money. I just couldn't say whether you would
make a mfficient saje or not: the translation certainly would eut into
the German edition, and Birkhauser might not be too happy about tht.
On the other hand, this is the kind of item that should find a long
continued demand at som level, though I realize this is the least
economical and attractive publishing prospect.

You wouldA't want to rely on any uninformed guess as to the market
in any event. I think this 1s om of the great monographs in biology,
but how many biologists could and would afford it is something you will
need a market analyst to guess at. The field 1s far enough from my own
that I can't esttrapolate from the reactions of ay more iamediate colleagues.
Someone else you might find worthwhile fonferring whith is Fraenkel at
U of Dlinois, but Steinhaus can surely advise you best on such natteret

As far as a book from Tracy and myself, I hope you have never unier-—
stand m to make any promises and commitments. We ought tp be getting dom
to work if we're to do it at all, and I hope we will. We are planning to
spem a month "vacationing" together at the Marine Biological Lab. library
this August, so we should have a clear idea after that just what, if anything,
we hope to sit down ani do. I must admit that the prospects elivit an occasional
groan from my wife Esther as well as myself.

Yours,

Joshua Lederberg