William Wallace an Vaihinger, Oxford, 1.6.1882, 4 S., hs., Staats- und Universitätsbibliothek Bremen, Aut. XXIII, 9 d

Merton College

Oxford.

June 1.st 1882

Dear Sir,

I should have answered your question[1] sooner: but fear I forgot amid other engagements.

What I referred to was Dr. J.[a] H. Stirling[2]’s “Textbook to Kant”[3]: which is a translation of the ‘Einleitung’: ‘Aesthetik; and Analytik’ of the ‘Kritik’ from the second edition[b] as given in R. & S.’s edition of Kant’s works[4]. This is preceded by a ‘Reproduction’ or exposition of the Kantian theory, and | followed by a rough “commentary” or remarks on Kant’s method & meaning.

His address is

Dr. J. H. Stirling

4 Laverock Bank

Edinburgh.

From[c] a letter I recently had from him he seems to look forward to carrying out his translation etc. through the Kritik.

I do not think Caird has written anything else on Kant, except an article[5] in the Amer[ican] Journal of Spec[ulative] Phil[osophy] in reply to some fierce criticism by Stirling on his “Phil|osophy of Kant”. Watson has written in “Mind” & the ‘Journal of Sp[eculative] Phil[osophy]’ but I think nothing more than what is included in his book. Adamson[d][6] wrote the article on “Kant”[7] in the 13th vol[ume] of the Encycl[opædia] Britannica, published last year. Probably he could let you have the sheets of the article (Owen’s College, Manchester, would find him).

I have nothing of my own to add. A very slight review[8] in the Academy of Max Müller’s translation[9] seems hardly worth sending You. Several other books on Kant wait for notice: – including Your own first part of the Commentar[10] | – which, by the way, I got at Königsberg when I was there for a few days[e] last July.

I have to thank You for Your kind expressions about my little book[11]. Had I fully realised the difficulties of my task from the conditions of space & style of treatment, I do not think I should ever have begun it.

I look forward with interest to the appearance of the second half of Your first volume.

Yours sincerely

W. Wallace

Kommentar zum Textbefund

a↑J. ] verbessert aus unleserlichem Buchstaben
b↑edition ] edn
c↑From ] Lesung unsicher
d↑Adamson ] Unterstreichung in hellerer (grauer) Tinte (der Brief ist in schwarzer Tinte geschrieben)
e↑days ] verbessert aus: day

Kommentar der Herausgeber

1↑your question ] etwaiges Schreiben Vaihingers nicht ermittelt
2↑J. H. Stirling ] James Hutchinson Stirling (1820–1909), Philosoph und Mediziner, 1871 Mitglied der Philosophischen Gesellschaft Berlin, 1888–1890 Gifford Lecturer in Edinburgh (WBIS).
3↑“Textbook to Kant” ] vgl. Stirling, James Hutchinson: Text-book to Kant. The critique of pure reason: aesthetic, categories, schematism. Translation, reproduction, commentary, index. With biographical sketch. Edinburgh: Oliver & Boyd 1881. (Andere Ausgabe: New York: G. P. Putnam’s sons 1882). Digitalisat: https://archive.org/details/textbooktokantcr00kantuoft/ (18.3.2024).
4↑R. & S.’s edition of Kant’s works ] meint die 2. Aufl. der Ausgabe von Karl Rosenkranz und Friedrich Wilhelm Schubert, vgl. Stirling, Text-book to Kant, S. X.
5↑an article ] vgl. Caird, Edward: Professor Caird replies to Dr. Stirling. In: Journal of Speculative Philosophy 13 (1879), S. 215–220; Caird antwortet hier auf die Kritik in Stirling, James Hutchinson: Schopenhauer in relation to Kant. In: Journal of Speculative Philosophy 13 (1879), S. 1–50, hier S. 40–48, an Caird: A critical account of the philosophy of Kant, with an historical introduction. Glasgow: James Maclehose 1877. Die Diskussion setzte sich fort, vgl. Stirling: Professor Caird on Kant. In: Journal of Speculative Philosophy 14 (1880), S. 49–109; sowie Caird: Kant’s deduction of the categories, with special relation to the views of Dr. Stirling. In: Journal of Speculative Philosophy 14 (1880), S. 110–134.
6↑Adamson ] Robert Adamson (1852–1902), Philosoph, 1876 Professor of Logic and Mental Philosophy in Manchester, 1895 Professor of Logic and Rhetoric in Glasgow (WBIS).
7↑article on “Kant” ] vgl. Adamson, Robert: Kant, Immanuel. In: Encyclopædia Britannica, 9. Aufl., Bd. 13, S. 844–854. Digitalisat: https://digital.nls.uk/193819049 (18.3.2024).
8↑very slight review ] vgl. Wallace: Rezension: Immanuel Kant’s Critique of Pure Reason. In Commemoration of the Century of its First Publication. Translated into English by F. Max Müller; with an Historical Introduction by Ludwig Noiré. In 2 vols. (Macmillan.) In: The Academy 21 (1882), Nr. 518 vom 8.4.1882, S. 241–242.
9↑Max Müller’s translation ] Friedrich Max Müller (1823–1900), Indologe, Sprach- und Religionswissenschaftler, hielt 1850 erste Vorlesungen, 1854 Taylorian Professor, 1858 Fellow am All Souls’ College, 1868–1876 Professor für Comparative Philology in Oxford, 1881 Übersetzung (der 1. Aufl.) von Kants Kritik der reinen Vernunft (NDB).
10↑first part of the Commentar ] meint die 1. Lieferung von Vaihinger: Commentar zu Kants Kritik der reinen Vernunft. Zum hundertjährigen Jubiläum derselben. Bd. 1. Stuttgart: W. Spemann 1881 [2 Lieferungen 1881/1882].
11↑Your kind … little book ]  nicht ermittelt; es geht womöglich um Wallace: Kant (= Philosophical Classics for English Readers, hg. v. William Knight, Bd. 5). Edinburg/London: William Blackwood and Sons 1882.