Glukhov 9 [n. s. 20] February 1761]

[My dear sir, Ivan Ivanovich,

I had the honour to receive with great pleasure Your excellency's most agreeable letter of 21 January and the thereto annexed history of Russia at the time of the sovereign Peter the great in the French language, together with an engraved portrait of his imperial majesty above named.
For a long time past I have heard what efforts you are making towards the publication of this history. To speak the strictest truth, the honour of our fatherland demanded that the previous stories about this monarch should be amended by some new composition, so it is to your excellency's great honour that you took upon yourself this responsibility, and that you chose so eminent a writer in Europe as is monsieur Voltaire.

Concerning the production of this book, I am exceedingly surprised that the printing is so bad. It is evident that monsieur Voltaire has small capacity in the realm of the fine arts, or perhaps circumstances obliged him to print it in his home town and not in Amsterdam. The addition of the medal of her imperial majesty at the beginning, and likewise further on the historical and allegorical appropriateness of the vignettes in each chapter, all this is in my opinion outstandingly good, even to the small cartouches at the ends. Only it is a shame that all this is reproduced by the hand of an extremely bad craftsman, and the book itself is printed with bad characters and on poor paper.

For this reason, if you will permit me to reveal to you my personal opinion, I would not advise adding to this edition the portrait of his imperial majesty which has been communicated to me, and which to my no small surprise is so finely engraved on copper. And if the hand of Schmidt is not to be perceived here, then your excellency may boldly vaunt yourself that the progress of the Russian academy of arts is extremely remarkable and swift.

In this newly printed book the names of the town and the printer are omitted, but on the Russian portrait, the St Petersburg engraver has signed his name. Because of this all readers will imagine that the actual production of the book was also carried out in St Petersburg, and moreover will start be amazed at the inequality in workmanship between the portrait of his imperial majesty, and the medallions of our most gracious empress and all the other historical vignettes. Would it not be better to leave the continuation of this edition just as it is, up to the final volume, and meanwhile make another in St Petersburg on the model of the French Louvre publications, in which the entire engraving work throughout the book would be by the same master who cut the portrait, the whole being executed under your supervision? Let everything be Russian, after all! And will not the substance of the book itself demand this? At any rate, it is essential to correct several Russian names, and to specify more accurately the locality of some places. For instance, in the 17th chapter it is stated that Baturin stands right on the Desna river, but actually it is on the famous Ukrainian river Seim and at 25 versts distance from the Desna. Starodub is alleged to be 7 or 8 miles from the Desna, where it flows through forests; however, the Desna has hills and fields on one bank, and on the other bogs. Wood occur only in places, and it flows 12 miles from Starodub.

Although these are minor details, even these should so far as possible be corrected in the Russian edition. I fancy that many other such blemishes will be found. I received this book only yesterday, and have not yet read it through, I have only glanced through it. Furthermore, the importance of the theme does not concord with the format of the book. It would be more fitting to print such a history of Russia, composed from Russian original sources, and written by the best author, in our own land and in quarto size sheets on better quality paper, in large characters, and not in such a style of printing as is used for publishing all sorts of insignificant books, together with such poor quality engraving work as it has come out with. If you receive the continuation, I request you to lay it aside for me and despatch it to me.

Finally, recommending myself to your favour and friendship,

I am with sincerity and respect,

my gracious sir,

your excellency's obedient servant

Count K. Razumovsky