INDIANA UNIVERSITY
BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA

DEPARTMENT OF ZOOLOGY

October 14, 1952

Dr. Joshua Lederberg
Department of Genetics
University of Wisconsin
Madison 6, Wisconsin

Dear Joshua:

I don't know whether I warned you that I also would not be able
to work on the book until my other writing commitments were disposed of.
If I didn't, I should have. What is worse I must say that I have by
no means disposed of them and so am not ready to start writing on the
book. My sadgess at being unready to start is lightened by the fact
that you are. TIf the book is to appear anytime in the near future,
you will hate to take the lead and get it going, for I am far from
being able to get started and I do not want to hold it up any longer.
Why don't you then go ahead and write the book yourgelf. If I can be
of help with parts of it, I will be glad to do so, In other words,
let's just rearrange the relative positions that you and I had at the
outset. Let this be your book and let me help in any way that I can.
You write much faster, you're ready to write and you are more familiar
with the whole field anyway. So go to it. If you can do it alone
yourself, so much the better. This is the only realistic way to 160k
at the whole affair. I am tied down with so much work and so many
demands on me here that it will be a very long time, if ever, before I
could get to work and produce a considerable part of the volume.

In view of this radical change in the situation, I am not going
to answer the questions you raised in your letter. It will now be
your job to decide what to include and how to go about it and I will
be acting, if at all, only as a consultant and one who may help in
the rounding off of the volume,--a job which I would willingly forego
if you do not need or want it. Best of luck to you and I hope you get
the job done in a reasonable time. With best greetings to you and
Esther,

Cordially yours,

T. M. somboorn

TMS: jb