Philosophical Review

Special Supplement: The Wittgenstein Papers

Author(s): Georg Henrik von Wright
Source: The Philosophical Review, Vol. 78, No. 4 (Oct., 1969), pp. 483-503
Published by: Duke University Press on behalf of Philosophical Review
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/2184200
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 SPECIAL SUPPLEMENT:
THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

PAPERS
THE WITTGENSTEIN
T HE PURPOSE ofthisessayis to givean accountofthescope
and characterof Wittgenstein's This account,
literaryiNachlass.
some will perhapsthink,is long overdue.For some yearsI have been
planningto writeit, urged partlybyrequestswhichhave been put to
me. The difficultiesin arrivingat a completeand definitesurveyof
thematerialhave, however,been considerable.Even now any account
is bound to be incompleteand subjectto futurerevisions.Unknown
material,or materialwhichis knownto have existedbut is temporarily
lost,may stillcome to light.Furtherresearchon the existingpapers
may change the presentviews of theirchronologyand stratification.
But the basic conditionsfora completesurveyseem, at last, to be
fulfilled.
In the summerof i967 the part of the Nachlasswhichwas known
to existin England was temporarily collectedat Oxfordand micro-
filmedforCornellUniversity. The processwas supervisedby Professor
NormanMalcolm and myself.Later in thesame yearcopiesofpapers
in the Austrianpart of the Nachlasswere filmedat Cornell.The total
material,thusfilmed,is now available to studentsand scholars.*
In May I969 the literaryexecutorsof Wittgenstein gave all their
originalsof the Wittgenstein papers to TrinityCollege, Cambridge,
England.The originalswill be keptin theWrenLibrary.Wittgenstein
himselfhad depositedhis papers thereduringtheSecond WorldWar;
and laterhe indicatedto one of us thathe regardedthe Libraryas a
suitable place fortheirpermanentcustody.

HISTORICAL NoTEs ON THE PAPERS

Early in February,1951, Wittgenstein

moved to the house of Dr.
Edward Bevan at Cambridge,wherehe died on April29. Duringthe

* The Wittgenstein papersare availableon microfilm fromthe Cornell

University Library.Thereis availablealso,to accompany microfilmcopies,
a detailedlistofcorrespondences betweenthefilmrollsand thecatalogueof
thepaperspresented in thisessay.
THE EDITORS.

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 GEORGHENRIK VON WRIGHT

last six weeks of his lifehe was workingcontinuously.He had with

him a numberof manuscriptnotebookscontaininghis last writings.
Other manuscriptsand typescripts he had leftin the house of Miss
Anscombeat Oxford,where he had been living,with minorinter-
ruptions,since April, 1950.
At the time of Wittgenstein's death his literaryexecutorsdid not
know forcertainwhetherthereexistedpapers otherthan thosejust
referredto. We knew,however,that Wittgenstein on his last visitto
Vienna, fromChristmas,1949, to March, 1950, had ordereda great
manypapers,belongingto all his periodsofwork,to be burned.' We
also knew that,when livingin Ireland aftergivingup his chair at
Cambridge,Wittgenstein destroyedold materialwhichhe considered
useless forhis work. It was thereforenot withoutsurprisethat we
graduallycame to know that our initialestimateof the scope of the
Nachlasswas much mistaken.
In December, I951, the executorof Wittgenstein's will, Mr. Rush
Rhees,receiveda box whichhad been leftby Wittgenstein in Trinity
College. It was thoughtto containsome of his books,but turnedout
to contain a huge number of manuscripts.ProfessorG. E. Moore
returnedto us a typescriptwhich Wittgenstein had leftwith him,
probablyin 1930, and showedus verbatimnotesofdictationsmade in
Norwayin 1914. FromBertrandRussellwe receivedcopiesofWittgen-
stein'slettersto himand ofthe 1913 Noteson Logic. An earlyinquiry
addressedto Dr. FriedrichWaismannproducedno answer,but after
Dr. Waismann'sdeath in 1959 much materialconsistingof noteson
conversations and also ofsome verbatimdictationscame to light.2
In the summerof I952 the literaryexecutorsvisitedAustria.At
Gmundenin thehouseofWittgenstein's sister,Mrs. M. Stonborough,
we were shownsome manuscriptsand typescripts, among them the
threenotebooks(1914-i9i6) fromthe timeof the germinationof the
Tractatus.Later the same year seven big manuscriptvolumes were
discoveredat the familyestate,Hochreit.The literaryexecutorshad
photographiccopies made forthemin England of the pre-Tractatus
notebooksand of the Hochreitmanuscripts.
ThirteenyearslaterI revisitedVienna withthepurposeofchecking
theAustrianmaterialand obtainingcopiesofsomeofthethingswhich,
in addition to the 1914-19i6 notebooks,had been at Gmunden in
1 See Editors'Prefaceto Notebooks
1914-1916 (Oxford,I96i).
2For a detailedaccountofthismaterialsee thePrefacebyB. F. McGuinness
undderWiener
to Wittgenstein Kreis(Oxford,I 967). Cf. also commenton items
302-306 of the catalogue, below.

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 THE WITTGENSTEIAN
PAPERS

1952. Of thislast materialI found,alas, no trace. But in additionto

themanuscriptvolumesnumberedI to 7, I foundalso volumes8 and
9. This filledthe gap which had up to then existedbetween the
Austrianmaterialand themanuscript volumesin England,theearliest
ofwhichwas numberedio. An entirely unexpecteddiscoverywas that
of a manuscriptbook containinga complete early versionof the
A typescript
Tractatus. of the Tractatus was also discovered.
Furthersearchforthe missingitemsin the Gmundenmaterialhas
so farled to no result.But in the courseof thissearch a numberof
hithertounknowntypescripts werefoundin I967.
An examinationof the papersshowssome gaps in theperiodsfrom
whichmanuscriptwritingsby Wittgenstein stillexist.(I am not now
countingthe tenyearsbetweenhis returnfromcaptivityin Italy after
the firstgreatwar and his returnto Cambridgein i929.) One such
gap encompassesthe year 1917 and the firsthalf of i9i8. Another
takes in the year 1945 and the firsthalf of 1946. It is a reasonable
conjecturethatthemissingmanuscript materialfromthosetwoperiods
was destroyed byWittgenstein himself in Austriaand in Irelandtoward
the end of his life.It is also a plausibleconjecturethatmostof what
he wrotein thesecondof the two periodsmentionedexists,in a more
finishedform,in the typescripts called "Bemerkungen" (items228-230
in the catalogue). There is furthera conspicuousgap of possiblya
whole year in 1932-1933. In that year Wittgenstein was evidently
workingon the compositionand revisionoftypescripts extractedfrom
his manuscriptsof the veryprolificperiodof writingfromFebruary,
1929, to June, 1932. Finally, there are few manuscriptsfromthe
academic year 1935-1936, fromthefirsthalfof 1937, and nottoomany
fromthesecondhalfof 1938. These gaps can presumablybe correlated
withthedictationoftheso-calledBrownBookand withthepreparation
of the typescripts for the first(prewar) versionof the Philosophical
Investigations.
On a visitto Israel in I964, I met the late Mr. Paul Engelmann.
He showed me a typescript, fromwhich apparentlyWittgenstein's
Logisch-philosophischeAbhandlung had firstbeen printed(in Germanyin
i92i). This typescript, whichis of considerablevalue to scholarship,
is now in the Bodleian Library,Oxford.

CLASSIFICATION AND DESCRIPTION OF THE PAPERS

The papers of which this essay tries to give an account can be

divided into threemain groups:manuscripts, dictatedto
typescripts

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 GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT

a typistor otherwisepreparedby Wittgenstein himself,and verbatim

recordsofdictationsto colleaguesor pupils.Comprisinga fourthgroup
are the notes,more or less verbatim,of conversationsand lectures,
of which there exist a good many. Wittgenstein'scorrespondence
constitutes a fifthgroup of papers.
Nearlyall the manuscriptsare writtenin bound manuscriptbooks
and onlya fewon loose sheets.The manuscriptbooksI have classified
in the cataloguegivenbelow as either"volumes,""large notebooks,"
"notebooks,"or "pocketnotebooks."All thevolumesare solidlybound
in hard covers.They vary considerablyin size. Some of the biggest
are ledgersmeasuring2 I by 31 centimeters; a fewofthe smallerones
measure I8 by 2I. What I have called large notebooksare all of
uniformsize (22 by 29 cm.) and have softcovers.The pocketnote-
books normallymeasure IO by I6, and most of them have hard
covers.
One can, broadly speaking,distinguishtwostrataof writingsin
manuscriptform.I shallreferto themas 'firstdrafts"and "more finished
versions." But then one mustrememberthat the distinctionbetween
the stratais by no means clear-cut,and that thereis no one-to-one
correlationbetween them. Some of the more finishedwritingsare
revisionsof earliermaterialof draftlikecharacter,but othersare re-
visionsof materialitselfclassifiedhere as "more finished."Some of
the most finishedmanuscriptshave the nature of "fair copies" of
remarkswhich have been extractedfromearlier writings.Others
definitely have the characterof manuscriptsfora planned book.
All manuscripts hereclassifiedas "volumes"are ofthemorefinished
type,but to the same categoryalso belong some notebooks,pocket
notebooks,and writings on loosesheets.Particularly to classify
difficult
are some of the manuscripts fromthe last two yearsof Wittgenstein's
life.
In the morefinishedmanuscriptsthe entriesare oftendated. This
makes a chronologicalarrangementof these manuscriptsrelatively
easy. In manycases thebooksare runningdiariesin whichapparently
everyday on whichan entrywas made is recorded.In othermanu-
scriptsofthiscategorythereare onlya fewdatesand largesectionsare
undated. Some of the manuscriptvolumescontainpartsseparatedby
long intervalsof time.(A case in pointis I I 6 whichapparentlyspans
the period from1936 to 1945). Sometimestwo or more manuscript
volumeshave been writtenduringthe same, or duringlargelyover-
lapping,periodsof time (I 14 and II 5 furnishone example; another
is I I 7, the firsthalfof whichstretches over roughlythe same timeas

486

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 THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

Ii8-12I jointly).The chronologicalorderof the volumesis thusnot

entirelylinear.
The notebooksofa moredraftlike charactersometimeshave a date
at the beginningand sometimesdates in the text. But oftenthey
contain no dates at all. The chronologyof the manuscriptsof this
characterand theirrelationsto themorefinishedwritings are to some
extenta matterof conjecture.
The main bulkofthemorefinishedmanuscripts can be dividedinto
two "series." The firstseriesconsistsof eighteenvolumeswrittenin
the years 1929-1940. Wittgenstein referredto themas "Bdnde" (vol-
umes) witha number.Usuallyhe also gave thema title-forexample,
"Philosophische Bemerkungen."
The second seriesconsistsof sixteenmanuscriptbooks,somefewof
whichare pocketnotebooksand not "volumes." It is impossibleto tell
exactlywhich writingsshould count as belongingto thisseriesand
whetherit, like thefirst, is complete.It coversthe years1940 to 1949.
The booksare not numbered.The last threein theseriesWittgenstein
called "Band Q." "BandR," and "BandS." One oftheearliermembers
in theseries,a pocketnotebook,he marked"F." I have notfoundany
indicationthatWittgenstein thoughtof the unnamedmembersof the
seriesas VolumesA, B, C, and so forth.But ifone arrangestheexisting
manuscriptbooksin a chronologicalorderand assignsto each ofthem
a letter,one is struckby the followingfact.The notebookcalled "F"
thenbecomescorrelatedwiththe letterE and the volumecalled " Q"
with the letterN. If we assume that oneof the firstfivemanuscript
booksof the series,3and twobooks afterthe one called "F",4 are lost
or have been destroyed, thenwe have a perfectalphabeticalorderfor
the manuscripts in the second series. This observationis of some
interestin connectionwiththe conjectureof the existenceof,and the
searchfor,missingmanuscripts.
Not all ofthemorefinished manuscriptshave a place in eitherseries.
From the manuscriptsof a more finishedcharacterWittgenstein
dictatedto typists.In the courseofdictationhe evidentlyoftenaltered
the sentences,added new ones,and changedthe orderof theremarks
in themanuscripts. Usuallyhe continuedto workwiththetypescripts.
A methodwhich he oftenused was to cut up the typed text into
fragments ("Zettel") and to rearrangethe orderof the remarks.Con-
spicuousinstancesof thismethodofworkare items212, 222-224, and

3 Butsee thecomment on itemi63 ofthecatalogue.

thatthereneverwas a "BandJ" and a
4 It is alsopossible "Band0."

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 GEORG HEJNRIK VON WRIGHT

233 of the catalogue. A furtherstage was the productionof a new

typescripton the basis of a collectionof cuttings.One case of this
procedure is representedby item 213, a typescriptof 768 pages,
evidentlymade in 1933. In an outwardsense it is perhapsthe most
finishedof all Wittgenstein's writingsafterthe Tractatus. The literary
executorsused to referto it as theBig Typescript.It was in our hands
fromI95I. But it was not until I967 that the "Zettel"fromwhichit
was made and the typescriptsfromwhich these fragments are cut
were discovered.
The final typescriptof the Investigations probably had a similar
history.The beginningof the book as we have it, up to Section 189,
is a revisionof a typescriptwhich was apparentlycomposedin the
firsthalfof 1937 on the basis of a manuscriptvolumenow lost. The
historyof the origin-frommanuscriptto final typescriptstage-of
the restof Part I of the Investigations(Sectionsi89-693) remainsto a
certainextentobscure. It is known,however,that there existedin
SeptemberI944 a typescript of Part I consisting of cuttings(probably
fromthe 1937 typescript) clampedtogetherin bundles.Soon after,the
finaltypescript of Part I was made. Part II of the Investigations has a
morestraightforward history.Its firstversionwas a manuscript extracted
by Wittgenstein frommanuscripts whichwere themselvesof thekind
here called "more finished."From thismanuscripthe dictated,with
some omissions,the typescript fromwhichthe book was printed.
The papers listedas verbatimdictationsto colleaguesand pupils
can be regardedas on a level with the rest of Wittgenstein's own
writings.Eight(nine)5itemsofthischaracterare known:thedictations
to Moore in Norwayin I914; five(six) dictationsforSchlick;and the
so-called Blue and BrownBooks.It is importantto distinguishthese
verbatimdictationsfromthe more or less verbatimnotes taken by
variouspeople of conversations and lectures.Many of thesenotesare
ofgreatinterest and apparentlyveryfaithful to theirsource.Some have
been,and othersoughtsomeday to be, published.

CATALOGUE

To makereference easierI have numberedtheitemsin thecatalogue

as follows:manuscriptsbeginningat WIO,typescriptsfrom 20I, and
dictationsfrom301. In some cases severalitemsare groupedunder
thesame numberand distinguished as a, b,c, and so forth.The names

I See comment
on items302-306, below.

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 THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

in quotationmarksare Wittgenstein's own titles.Names inventedby

the editorsand executorsare not quoted and are prefixed"called" or
"so-called." The language of the writingsis German,except when
otherwiseindicated.Some commentson individualitemsfollowafter
the catalogue.

Manuscripts.
101. Notebook.9 August-30October 1914. io6 pp.
i02. Notebook. 30 October i9i4-22 June 19I5. 265 pp.
I 03. Notebook.I 5 AprilI 9 I 6- I 0 JanuaryI 9 I 7. I I 8 pp.
I04. i9i8. i2 I pp.
Notebook.The so-calledPrototractatus.
I05. Bemerkungen."
Volume I. "Philosophische Begun 2 Februaryi929.
I35 pp.
io6. Volume II. Undated, i929. 298 pp.
Last entryI5 February
Betrachtungen."
I07. Volume III. "Philosophische
I930. 300 pp.
io8. Volume IV. "Philosophische Bemerkungen."13 December I929-
9 August -I930. 300 pp.
i09. VolumeV. "Bemerkungen." ii August I930-3 FebruaryI93I.
300 pp.
Bemerkungen."
i io. Volume VI. "Philosophische io December I930-
6 JulyI93I. 300 pp.
zur Philosophie."7 July-September
i i i. Volume VII. "Bemerkungen
I93I. 200 pp.
I zurphilosophischen
i2. Volume VIII. "Bemerkungen 5 Oc-
Grammatik."
tober-28NovemberI93I. 270 pp.
Grammatik."
113. Volume IX. "Philosophische 28 November I931-
23 May I932. 286 pp.
Firstentry27 May I932.
Grammatik."
I I4. Volume X. "Philosophische
282 pp.
I I5. VolumeXI. "Philosophische FirstentryI4 December
Bemerkungen."
AugustI936. 292 pp.
Untersuchungen."
I933. "Philosophische
i i6. Bemerkungen."
VolumeXII. "Philosophische I936- ; May I945.

347 PP.
I I7. Volume XIII. "Philosophische I937; I938; ig40.
Bemerkungen."
263 pp.
i i8. Volume XIV. "Philosophische I3 August-2+Sep-
Bemerkungen."
temberI937. 238 pp.
I 19. Volume XV. 24 September-igNovemberI937. 295 pp.
i20. Volume XVI. i9 NovemberI937-26 April 1938.295 pp.

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 GEORGHENRIK VON WRIGHT

121. Volume XVII. "Philosophische 26 April I938-

Bemerkungen."
9 January I939. I39 pp.
122. Volume XVIII. "Philosophische i6 October I939-
Bemerkungen."
3 February I940. 237 pp.
123. Notebook."Philosophische 25 September-23
Bemerkungen." Novem-
ber I940; i6 May-6 June I94I. I38 pp.
124. Volume.6June-3 July I94 I; 5 March-i 9 April 1944; 3 JulyI944-
292 pp.
I25. Pocket notebook. 28 December I94i-i6 October I942. I54 pp.
126. Pocket notebook. 20 October I942-6January I943. I55 pp.
(Missing.)
undLogik."6 January-4April
127. Pocketnotebook."F. Mathematik
I943; 27 February-4 March I944; undated part. I75 pp.
(Missing.)
I128. Volume. Circa I944. 5I PP.
I129. Volume. First entry I7 August I944. 2!2I pp.
I30. Volume. Undated part; 26 May-9 August I946. 293 pp.
I3I. Volume. io August-9 September I946. 224 pp.
I32. Volume. 9 September-2i October i946. 2i2 pp.
I33. Volume. 22 October I946-28 February I947. I90 PP.
I 34. Volume. 28 February I 947- . I 84 pp.
I35. Volume. I12July-i8 December I947. I92 pp.
I36. Volume. "Band Q." i8 December I947-25 January I948. 288 pp.
I37. Volume. "Band R." 2 February I948-9 January I949. 286 pp.
138. Volume. "Band S." i5 January-2o May I949. 65 pp.
I39a. The so-calledLectureon Ethics. I929. Writtenon loose sheets.
38 pp.
b. The same. (Missing.)
140. "GrossesFormat." I932 or I933. Large sheets. 40 pp.
14I. The beginningof an early versionin German of the so-called
BrownBook. Large sheets. I935 or I936. 7 pp.
I42. Volume. "Philosophische Untersuchungen." November-December
I936. (Missing.)
143. Notes on Frazer's The Golden Bough.Loose sheetsof varyingsize.
I936 or later.
I44. Volume. Fair manuscriptcopy containingPart II of the Investi-
gations.I948. i i8 pp.
I45. Large notebook. Called Ci. I933. 96 pp.
I46. Large notebook. Called C2. I933-I934. 96 pp.
I47. Large notebook. Called C3. I934. 96 pp. Partly in English.
I48. Large notebook. Called C4. I934-I935. 96 pp. Mainly in English.

490

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 THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

I49. Large notebook. Called C5. I935-I936. 94 pp. Mainly in English.

I50. Large notebook.Called C6. I935-I936. 96 pp. Mainlyin English.
I5I. Large notebook.Called C7. I936. 47 pp. Mainly in English.
I52. Large notebook. Called C8. I936. 96 pp.
I53a. Pocketnotebook."Anmerkungen."
193I. 227 pp.
b. Pocketnotebook,immediatelycontinuingI53a. i22 pp.
I54. Pocketnotebook.I931. I90 pp.
I55. Pocket notebook. I93I. 189 pp.
I56a. Pocketnotebook.Circa 1932-1934. 120 pp.
b. Pocketnotebook,immediatecontinuationof I56a. II 5 pp.
157a. Pocket notebook. 1934; I937. I42 pp.
b. Pocketnotebook,immediatecontinuationof I57a. 8o pp.
i58. Pocketnotebook.1938.89 pp. Partlyin English.
I 59. Pocketnotebook.1938. 80 pp. Partlyin English.
i6o. Pocketnotebook.1938.62 pp. Partlyin English.
i6i. Pocketnotebook.1939- . 140 pp. Partlyin English.
I 62a. Pocketnotebook.BeguninJanuaryI939. 100 pp.
b. Pocket notebook,immediate continuationof I62a. Ends in
AugustI940. I40 pp.
I 63. Pocketnotebook.22 June-2 9 September1941I I 56 pp.

i64. Pocket notebook. Circa I94I-1944. 172 pp.

i65. Pocket notebook. Circa I941-I944. pp. 230
i66. Pocketnotebook."Notesforthe'PhilosophicalLecture.'" Written
in English.Date unknown.65 pp.
i67. Pocketnotebook.Date unknown.64 pp.
168. Notebook.Fair manuscriptcopy ofsome remarksfromthe years
I947-I949 on generalsubjects.I 2 pp.
I 69. Pocketnotebook.Probablyfirst halfof I 949. I 64 pp.
I70. Pocketnotebook.Probably1949. IO pp.
I7I. Pocketnotebook.1949 or 1950. 14 pp.
I72. Manuscript on loose sheets. Probably 1950. 24 pp.
I73. Notebook. 24 March-12 April I950; undated part. 200 pp.
I 74. Notebook. I950. 79 pp.
I75. Pocket notebook. i95o; Io-2 I March I951. I57 pp.
176. Notebook. 1950; 21 March-24 April 1951. I6I pp.
I77. Notebook.25-27 April I95I. 22 pp.
I78. Undated fragments:
a. "Man kinntedie (ganze) Sache .. ." 9 pp.
es . . ." 9 pp.
b. "Ich verstehe
c. "Das Bild derCantorschen Uberlegung
." 6 pp.
d. " UnterLogik versteht
man ... ." 6 pp.

49'

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 GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT

e. "darfstDu Dichnicht. . ." 4 pp.

sagen. . ."
f. "Ichmochte 2 pp.
isteineempirische
g. "Diese Sicherheit . . . " 2 pp.
h. "folgt?istdas Verstehen? ... " I p.

Typescripts.

2oIa. "Notes on Logic." September 1913. The so-called Russell

Version.English.
b. The same. The so-calledCostelloVersion.English.
202. The so-calledEngelmannTS ofthe Tractatus. 1918. 53 pp.
203. The so-called 1918. 56 pp.
ViennaTS oftheTractatus.
204. Gmunden
The so-called TS oftheTractatus.
I9I8. (Missing.)
205. "Geleitwort Volksschulen."
zumWorterbuchfur 1925. 6 pp.
206. An essayon identity.English.1927. 3 pp.
207. The so-calledLectureon Ethics. 1929.I 3 pp.
208. Typescriptbased on 105, io6, 107, and the firsthalfof Io8 (MS
VolumesI, II, III, and IV). 1930. IO1 pp.
209. "Philosophische basedon 208.
Typescript
Bemerkungen." 1930. 139
pp. (Missing.)
2IO. Typescriptbased on thesecondhalf(fromp. 133 onward)of io8.
86 pp.
2II. basedon I09,
Typescript 110,I II, 112, I13, and thebeginning
of II4. Probably1932. 771 pp.
2i2. Typescriptconsistingofcuttingsfrom208, 2IO, and 2II. 1932 or
1933.
213. The so-calledBig Typescript.Probably1933. viii + 768 pp.
214. Three essays.Probably1933. 15 pp.
a. "KomplexundTatsache."
undGegenstand."
b. "Begriff
c. "Gegenstand."
215. Two essays.Probably1933. 20 pp.
a. "Unendlichlang."
b. "UnendlicheMoglichkeit."
2i6. An essay,"Gleichungen und UngleichungensindFestsetzungenoderdie
ProbablyI933. 6 pp.
FolgenvonFestsetzungen."
2I7. An essay,"Allgemeinheiteiner
Demonstration." Probably1933. 5 pp.
2i8. An essay,"Wie kannunseinallgemeiner Beweisdenbesonderen Beweis
schenken?"ProbablyI933. 3 pp.
2i9. Typescriptbeginning"Musssichdenn nicht ...." ProbablyI932
or 1933. 24 PP.

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 THE WZITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

220. probablybased on I42, ofapproximately

Typescript, thefirsthalf
oftheprewarversionoftheInvestigations.I937 or I938. I37 pp.
22I. Typescript,based on II7-I20 (MS Volumes XIII-XVI), of the
second half of the prewar versionof the Investigations.I938.
134 pp.
222. Typescriptcomposedofcuttingsfrom22 1.
223. ...
Typescriptbeginning "Man kannsick leichteineSprachedenken
composedofcuttingsfrom22 I. (Missing.)
224. Typescript beginning "Das Uberraschende kann in der Mathe-
matik. .. " composed of cuttingsfrom 22i.
225. Typescriptof Prefaceto the prewarversionof the Investigations.
August1938. 4 pp.
226. Translation into English by R. Rhees, with correctionsby
Wittgenstein,of the beginningof the prewar versionof the
Investigations.
1939. 72 pp.
227. Typescriptof Part I of the final versionof the Investigations.
Probablyautumn I944. 324 pp.
228. "Bemerkungen I." ProbablyI945 or I946. i85 pp.
229. Typescript,being a continuationof 228. Probablycomposedin
I945 or 1946. 272 pp.
230. "Bemerkungen II." ProbablyI945 or 1946. 153 pp.
23i. List of correspondingremarksin "Bemerkungen I" and "Be-
merkungenII." ProbablyI945 or I946. 8 pp.
232. Typescriptbased on MS Volumes I35-I37. I947-I948. I74 pp.
233. "Zettel." Cuttings fromvarious typescriptsfromthe period 1929-
1948, but mostlyfromI945-I948 (items228-230 and 232).
234. Typescript of Part II of the final version of the Investigations.
Probablydictatedin 1949. (Missing.)

Dictations.
30I. Notes dictatedto G. E. Moore in Norway,April 1914. English.
3I pp.
302. The so-calledDiktatfurSchlick.Approximately I93I-1933. 32 pp.
303. Dictation to Schlick beginning "Die normaleAusdrucksweise.. .
Date uncertain.I I pp.
304. Dictation to Schlick beginning "Hat es Sinn zu sagen...." Date
uncertain.4 pp.
305. Dictation to Schlick beginning "Fragen wie diese ...." Date un-
certain.I p.
306. Dictation to Schlick beginning "Was bedeutet es denn...." Date
uncertain.i p.

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 GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT

307. The so-calledBlue Book.English.Dictated to the class at Cam-

bridgein theacademic year I933-I934. I24 PP.
308. The so-calledBrownBook. English. Dictated to Alice Ambrose
and FrancisSkinnerat Cambridgein the academic year I934-
I935. i68 pp.

COMMENTS ON INDIVIDUAL ITEMS IN THE CATALOGUE

i05 andio6. Only the first

fewentriesin I05 are dated; theyare from
2-6 Februaryi929. In io6 thereare no dates. It is, however,apparent
that the left-handpages number8, IO, and so forth,up to I32, and
fromthereto the end (p. I35) of I05 are a continuationofthe textin
io6. The textin io6 again firstrunsthroughthe right-hand pages up
to 296 and thencontinueson theleft-handpages up to and including
right-hand page 298.
io7. The firstdateoccurson page 87. The dateis I I SeptemberI929.
The nextdate, 6 October i929, is on page I53. From thereon dating
is regular.Afterthe entrymade on 4 December ig929,whichends on
page 229, the writingcontinuesin io8 (Volume IV), pages I-64.
Wittgenstein was in Vienna duringthe Christmasvacation and did
not bringwithhim fromCambridgeI07 (Volume III). The writing
in I07 (p. 229) was resumedon IO January I930 and continuedto
I5 February,whichis the date of the last entryin I07. On the next
day the writingcontinuesin io8 on page 64.
io9 andiio. The samesortof"jump" fromonemanuscript volumeto
the next,and back, occursin I09 and I IO. The reasonis probablythe
same as in the case of IO7 and Io8. Pages I-3I of I IO werewrittenin
the period IO December I930-28 January I93I. These pages follow
chronologically afterpage 27I of io9. The writingin io9 frompage
272 to theend are from29 January-3FebruaryI93I. Then thewriting
continues on page 3I in I IO.
iii. The last date in thisvolumeis I3 September.It is on page i66.
II4 andII5. These bothfallintotwoparts.The first
partof I I4
consistsof 6o pages, not paginatedby the author,and writtenin the
periodfrom27 May to 5 June I932. The second part of I I4 is pagi-
nated by the author I-228. There are no datesat all in it. It may be
regardedas ofone piece withthefirstpart (pp. I-I I 7) of I I5 and with
the manuscriptI40 on large sheets("GrossesFormat").I I5 was com-
menced on 14 December I933, but thereare no furtherdates in the
firstpartof I I5, either.I40 again is essentially
a revisionofpages I-56
ofthesecondpartof I I4. There are numerousinsertions fromthefirst

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 THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

part of II5 into the second part of II4. The revisionsand "jumps"
back and forthbetweenthe manuscriptsmakes the readingof them
not easy. Fromthe pointofview of theircontent,however,theyform
a close unity.It is clear thatWittgenstein is here attemptingto write
a book,to givea consecutiveand coherentstatement ofhisphilosophical
positionat thetime.It is a plausibleconjecturethatthispieceofwriting
dates fromthe academic year I933-I934 and thatit is at least partly
contemporary with the dictationof the so-calledBlue Book.
The second part of II5 (pp. ii8-292) is dated as of the end of
August I936 and called "Philosophische Untersuchungen.Versuch einer
Umarbeitung." It is an attemptat a revision,in German,oftheso-called
BrownBook. It ends with the words "Dieserganze 'Versuch einerUm-
arbeitung' vonSeiteii8 bis hierher ist nichtswert."Shortlylater in the
same year (I936) Wittgenstein wrotea firstversionof what are now
Sectionsi-i89 of the Investigations (catalogueitem I42).
ii6. In i i6-the largestvolume in theseries-threepartscan be
distinguished. The first(pp. I-265) is best describedas anothereffort
ofWittgenstein's to composea book,statinghis position.(Withinthis
firstpart of ii6 one can distinguishtwo subpartsof roughlyequal
length,the second beginningon page I35.) It beginsas a revisionof
materialin theearlyportionsof2I3 (theBig Typescript),but becomes
moreand moreunlike2I3, moving,so to speak,in thedirectionofthe
Investigations.The secondpart of ii6 (pp. 265-3I5) has the character
of revisionsof writingsin earliervolumesand containsmuch that is
includedin the Investigations. The thirdpart (pp. 3i6-347) is to some
extenta revisionof the contentofthe secondpart and likewiseclosely
relatedto the Investigations.
The manuscriptvolume i i6 was boughtin Bergen,Norway.This
is a strongindicationthat the earliestentriesin the volume cannot
have been made beforesome time in the summerof 1936. It is a
plausibleconjecturethatthewhole ofthe firstpart ofthevolumewas
writtenin 1936, and beforethe end of August,when Wittgenstein
began writing(in II5) the revisionof the BrownBookwhichhe called
"Philosophische Untersuchungen."There are no dates, however,in the
firstpart of i i6. Nor are thereany datesin thesecondpart.The only
date in theentirevolumestandsat the beginningofthethirdpartand
reads (in English) "May 1945." There is everyreason forthinking
thatthewhole ofthe thirdpart datesfrom1945. This is, incidentally,
the onlypreservedwritingin manuscriptformwhichis knownto be
fromthisyear.The place of the secondpart of I i6 betweenthe time
limits1936 and 1945 is uncertain.

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 GEORGHENRIK VON WRIGHT

117. Several parts can be distinguished. Pages 1-97 is manuscript

materialfor222 and 223-that is,PartI oftheRemarks ontheFoundations
ofMathematics. The firstentryis dated II September1937; thereare
no furtherdates in thispart of the volume. Pages 97-I 0 are headed
"Ansdtze." A selectionis printedin AppendixI ofPart I oftheRemarks.
There are no dates. Pages 110-126 containthreedraftsofa Prefaceto
the Investigations.The thirdis dated Cambridge,August 1938. Pages
I27-148 are undated but were probablywrittenin the secondhalfof
1938. In thissectionthereare references to a typescript whichis evi-
dentlyitem22 I -that is, thetypescript ofthesecondhalfoftheprewar
versionof the Investigations.My conjectureis that thistypescript was
made in theautumnof 1938. Pages 148-273, finally, are an immediate
continuationofthematerialin 122. The entriesare dated 3 February-
i8 April 1940. There is a gap in thepaginationbetweenpages 209 and
220, evidentlydue to a mistake.
*118-121. Thisis manuscript materialfromthesameperiod,and dealing
withmuchthesame topics,as pages I-148 of I I 7. Roughlythesecond
half of 121 was writtenin the period 25 December 1938-9January 1939.
122. This is the last in theserieswhichWittgenstein called "Bdnde"
(volumes)with a number.But it is continuedin II7 (pp. I48-273).
It is thusthere,on i8 April I940, thatthe writingsin the numbered
"Bdnde"whichhad begun on 2 FebruaryI929 come to an end (not
countingthe sectionfromI 945 in I I6). There are no manuscripts
preservedfromtheperiod i8 April-25September1940, whenWittgen-
steinbegan I23. This is the firstvolumein the seriesof manuscripts,
some ofwhichwere called by Wittgenstein "Bdnde"witha letterfrom
the alphabet.
125-127. These are pocketnotebookswrittenduringthewar when
Wittgenstein was workingfirstat Guy's Hospital in London, from
November 1941 to April 1943, and later in a medical laboratoryin
Newcastle.In the autumn of i944 he resumedhis teachingat Cam-
bridge.The generalcharacterofthe notebooksmakesit reasonableto
classifythemwiththe secondseriesof manuscriptvolumesof a more
finishedcharacter.(Cf. commenton i63 below.) Of 126 and 127 there
existphotocopies;the originalsare missing.
128. Thisvolumecontains isproblematic.
no datesand itsclassification
Near the end thereis a draftof what eventuallybecame the Preface
of the finalversionof the Investigations.This links 128 withthe next
in
volume the catalogue.
129. This begins with several undated draftsof the Prefaceto the
In these drafts,as also in the draftat the end of 128,
Investigations.

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Wittgenstein speaksof the resultsofhis philosophicalinvestigationsin

thelastI6years. The same phraseoccursin the printedPrefaceto the
Investigationswhich is dated Cambridge,January 1945. The drafts
thereforeseemto be fromthesame periodas the finalversion(in 227)
ofthe Preface-thatis, late I944 or early 1945. Since the draftsin 129
are writtenon sheetsof a special characterat the beginningof the
volume,it is quite possiblethattheywere writtenafterthe restof the
materialin thevolume,forthefirstentry(afterthe draftsofa preface)
is dated 17 August 1944. There are no otherdates in the volume.6
I30. The first dated entry,of 26 May 1946, is halfwaythroughthe
book. The entriesafterthat are dated. The undated firsthalfof the
book could have been written,or at least begun, one or two years
earlier.
i34. The last dated entryin thisvolumeis of27JuneI947. Thereare
a fewentriesat the end whichare presumablylater.
I38. The consecutivewritings in thisvolumeend on 22 March I949,
but thereis an additionalentrydated 20 May.
I39. Two manuscripts of thislectureare knownto existor to have
existed.The one listedas I39a differs in someinteresting
respectsfrom
the typescript (207) fromwhichthe lecturewas printedin the Philo-
sophicalReview, LXXIV (i965). The manuscriptlistedas I39b is tem-
porarilymissing.It was in Gmundenin 1952.
i40. See comments on II 4 above.
i42. This manuscriptvolume, dedicated to Wittgenstein's sister,
Mrs. M. Stonborough,was in Gmundenin I952. It is now missing.
143. This was published,togetherwithsome othercommentson
Frazer in I Io, under the title"Bemerkungen FrazersThe Golden
uiber
Bough" in Syntbdse, I7 (i967), 233-253, withan Introductory Note by
R. Rhees. The editor'scommenton the date is "not earlierthan 1936
and probablyafter1948."
145 and 146. These containmaterialin draftformfor114 and I I5
(VolumesX and XI).
147. Commencedin February1934. The latterpartofthisnotebook
consistsof draftsforthe so-calledBlueBook.
148. Mainlynotesforlecturesin the academic year 1934-1935.

6 In theprintedPrefaceoftheInvestigations it is said: "Four yearsago I had

occasion to re-readmy firstbook (the Tractatus and to
Logico-Philosophicus)
explainits ideas to someone."This sentencemakesreference to conversations
which Wittgenstein had been havingin 1943 withNicholasBachtin (linguist
and classicalscholar,d. 1950). The text,as printed,is here in errorand the
words"fouryears" oughtto be correctedto "two years."

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 GEORGHENRIK VON WRIGHT

149. Mainly notesforlectures,I935-I936.

I50. Mainly notesforPart II of the so-calledBrownBook.
i5I. Largelynotesforlectures,I936.
152. Draftsforthebeginning oftheInvestigations.
Probablywrittenin
Norwayin thesecondhalfof I 936.
i53a and b. Drafts for i i i (Volume VII). Notebooks have been
grouped,a and b, under the same item,when the second book is an
immediatecontinuationof the materialin the first.
154 and I55. These containno dates.Theycontaindraft materialfor
i i i and I I 2 (VolumesVII and VIII), and probablydate fromI 93 I
I56a andb. These likewisecontainno dates.
i.7a. This beginswithan entrydated 4 JuneI934 and has (p. go) an
entrydated 9 February I937. The firstentryin 157b is dated 27
FebruaryI937.
i,59. This ends withwhat is evidentlythefirst draftofthePrefaceto
the (prewarversionof the) Investigations. Cf. commenton I I 7.
I6i. Thisfallsin twodistinctparts.Pages 1-32 are writtenin English,
the restin German.The firstpart containsdraftsforWittgenstein's
lectureson the philosophyof mathematicsin the winterand spring
of 1939. The secondhalfseemsto consistof draftswrittenin I94I for
the firstpart of manuscriptvolume I24.
i63. The entriesin thispocketnotebookare dated throughout.It is
arguable that it should perhaps be placed after I24 in the second
series of more finishedmanuscripts.The draftlikecharacterof the
contents, however,speaksagainstthisclassification. (Cf.above,p. 487.)
I68. The remarks, enteredin thereverseorder(I949-I947), are from
I36-I38 (MS volumesQ-S).
172. These manuscriptpages-dealing withthetopicsofcolorand of
certainty-wereprobablywrittenby Wittgenstein duringhis last visit
to Vienna in the earlymonthsof I950.
201. The history ofthesenotesis obscure.There existtwoversionsof
them, both in English.7 Both are dated September I913.8 From
Wittgenstein's lettersto Russell one gets the impressionthat Russell
got themfromWittgenstein in October.There are severalindications
that theyoriginallyexistedin manuscriptformand that Russellhad
the manuscripttypedand sent it to Wittgenstein, who was then in
Norway.9PerhapsWittgenstein then revisedthis typescriptand re-
7See the editorialnotein Notebooks
1914-i9i6, p. 93.
8 See Mr. Costello'sintroductory remarksto the publicationof 201b in the
Journal 54 (I957), 230 f.
ofPhilosophy,
9 See Notebooks
1914-19i6, p. 123.

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 THE WITTGENSTEIN PAPERS

turnedit to Russellor perhapshe sentRussella new manuscript.In

any case, 20Ib appears to be a revisedversionof 20Ia, the revisions
beingmade by Wittgenstein himself
thisis thetypescript
202. In all probability, fromwhichWittgenstein's
"Logisch-philosophischeAbhandlung" was printedby Ostwaldin Germany
in I92 I. (The printingofthebookin Englandseemsto have been from
an offprint ofthepublicationwithOstwald.) The manuscript was later
givenbyWittgenstein to hisfriend,thearchitectPaul Engelmann.(See
above, p. 485.)
203. This is not a second copy of 202, but a different typescript.
The last page is lost.
204. This was in Gmundenin I952. Withitwas also a typescript of
Russell'sIntroduction.They are now missing.(Cf. above, p. 485.) It
is not possibleto tellat presentwhether204 is a secondcopy ofeither
202 or 203.
206. This "essay" is an extract froma communication fromWittgen-
steinto Ramseyin June 1927. The extractexistsin a carbon copy of
a typescript, foundamong Waismann'spapers. The copy is headed
"Wittgenstein an Ramsey, Juni1927. Durchschlag." The communication
evidentlywas a letterwhichis now lost. There is some evidencethat
the letterhad, in fact, been writtenby Schlick. The extract,and
probablythe restof the communication, is in English.It is possible
that the communicationwas dictatedby Wittgenstein to Schlick (in
German) and that Schlicktranslatedthe dictationinto English.One
can thereforehesitateover whetherthis item should be classified
amongthetypescripts or amongthedictations.There can be no doubt,
however,thatthe thoughtsstemdirectlyfromWittgenstein.
2o8. The typescript originallyhad 144 pages. The missingones
were used by Wittgenstein himself, chieflyforthe compositionof2 1.
2og. The original,whichis now lostbut of whichthereexistphoto-
copies,was put togetherof cuttings from a carboncopyof 208 pasted
intoa black ledgerbook.
210. A fewpagesfromtheend ofthistypescript seemtobe missing.
2II. A fewpagesare missing, but can be in 213. Photocopies
identified
of the missingpages have been inserted.
2I2. The cuttings fromthe"underlying"typescripts are arrangedand
clippedtogetherin chapters. The chapters are grouped in "parts" and
enclosedin folders.
2I3-218. These representthe contentof2 I 2 typedout,following the
arrangement intochapters and parts. The reason forseparating, in the
catalogue,2i4-2 i8 (whatI have called the Essays) from2I3 (the Big

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Typescript)is thattheessaysare placed apart alreadyin 212 and that

theirpaginationis notconsecutive on thepaginationof2 I3. The reason
again forseparatingtheessaysfromeach otherin themannerdone in
the catalogueis thatthe paginationof the threeessaysin 214 and of
the two in 215 is consecutive,whereasthe threeessays2i6, 217, and
2i8 are threedistinct typescripts.
220 and22I. The paginationofthetwotypescripts is consecutivefrom
I to 2 71. It is possiblebut not certainthattheyweretypedat thesame
time. The manuscriptmaterialfor220 mustalreadyhave existedin
the firsthalfof I937; that for221 was not ready untilsome timein
1938. The existingcopy of 221 is a second copy. The firstcopy was
evidentlyused forcomposing222.
222-224. The reasonfordistinguishing theseas threedifferent items,
althoughtheyall stemfrom221, is thatWittgenstein himselfseparated
223 and 224 fromthe main body of cuttings 222.
228 and 229. The paginationis consecutivefromI to 457, and the
remarksare numberedconsecutively fromi to i804. The typescript
nevertheless clearlyfallsintotwo parts.On theremarks(I-698) ofthe
firstpartWittgenstein made somecorrections and revisions;thesecond
part is unrevised.At the beginningof the secondpart thereseemsto
be some confusionin the numberingof the remarks.The firstremark
has the number699. Then follows670, whichprobablyis a mistake
and oughtto be 700. Thus the total numberof remarksin 228 and
229 together is not I804 but I834.
230. This is a collectionof542 numberedremarks,practicallyall of
whichare in 228 ("Bemerkungen I"). There is a completelistof corre-
spondencebetweentheremarksin thetwocollectionsin 23I.
232. Thisis a collection of736numberedremarkswritten in theperiod
9 November 1947-23 August 1948. The pages ofthe typescript are
numbered600-773. The explanationforthispaginationis not known.
233. Concerningthe arrangement of the cuttings,see the Editors'
Prefaceto Zettel(Oxford,I967).
302-306. Six typescripts are knownof dictationsby Wittgenstein to
Schlick. One of them,however,is essentiallya typescript versionof
140 (the manuscript,to which Wittgenstein referredby the name
"GrossesFormat").This typescript I have not listedin the catalogue.
(Cf. also commenton 206.) The dictationscannot be dated with
accuracy.None, however,can be earlierthan I926. It is improbable
that any is laterthan 1933.
307-308.The Blue Bookwas dictatedin theperiodfrom8 November
I933 to the first weekin June 1934, theBrownBookin the periodfrom

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PAPERS

mid-October1935 to late Aprilor May 1936. Of thefirsta numberof

copiesweretakenand circulatedto friendsand pupilsby Wittgenstein
himself.The second was not meant for circulationand originally
existedin only threecopies. Of both dictationsclandestinelymade
copies came into circulationagainstWittgenstein'swishes.In some of
the originalcopies of the Blue Book,which Wittgenstein gave away,
he insertedminorcorrections. In futurescholarlyeditionsof the text,
it may be worthwhile to pay attentionto variationsbetween the
copies.I am indebtedto Professor Ambrose-Lazerowitz forinformation
concerningthe originand historyof 307 and 308.

NOTES ON THE POSTHUMOUS PUBLICATIONS

In his will, dated 29 January 1951, Wittgenstein gave to Mr. R.

Rhees, Miss G. E. M. Anscombe,and Professor G. H. von Wrightthe
copyrightin all his unpublishedwritingswith the intentionthat we
shouldpublishfromthe papersas manyof themas we consideredfit.
Wittgenstein did not give us specificinstructions concerningthe
publicationand preservationof his unpublishedwritings.(It was, in
fact,not untilafterhis death thatI learnedthathe had named me in
his will as one of his literaryexecutors.)We knew,of course,that he
had formanyyearsbeen writinga majorworkto whichhe had never
been able to give an absolutelyfinishedformbut whichhe certainly
wantedto be publishedand read. Of thiswork,theInvestigations, there
had, moreover,existedan earlierversionfromthe late 1930's, the
second halfof whichdealt withthe philosophyof mathematics.This
secondhalfWittgenstein had later "laid aside" and it formedno part
of the book in the finalformhe gave it.'O Yet it somehowbelonged
there,perhapsafterthe discussionof the philosophyof psychologyin
Part II oftheInvestigations." To have publishedthemostmaturefruits
of Wittgenstein's labors afterhis returnto philosophyin x929, but
none of his writingson the philosophyof mathematics,would have
been to give to the world a seriouslytruncatedpictureof his life's
work.When Anscombeand Rhees had finishedtheirworkas editors
in I951, the literaryexecutorstherefore
of the textof the Investigations
immediatelyproceeded to supplementit witha volumeof Wittgen-

10 See Editors'Prefaceto Remarks

on theFoundations (Oxford,
of Mathematics
I956).
11 Cf. theconcludingremarkin Pt. II, sec. xiv oftheInvestigations.

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stein's writingson the philosophyof mathematicsfromthe period

I937-I944.12
In theirPrefaceto theRemarks (1956), theeditorssaid thattheydid
not regardit as theirbusinessto anticipatethe demand forthe publi-
cation of more extensivematerial.The public's growinginterestin
Wittgenstein's workand the literaryexecutors'graduallydeepening
insightintothe natureof the immenseNachlasssoon,however,made
furtherpublicationimperative.
Fromthemiddleofthe 1950's a revivalofinterestin Wittgenstein's
earlywork,the Tractatus, was noticeable.This factalone constituted
a strongcase forpublishing(i96i) therediscovered pre-Tractatus
note-
books fromthe years 1914-19i6. Since the so-calledBlue and Brown
Bookswere stillin circulationand widelyread as introductions and
prelimnarystudiesto Wittgenstein's later chefd'aeuvre,
we decided to
publishthemtoo (1958).
The 1930 typescriptcalled Philosophische Bemerkungen,which had
been in the custodyof G. E. Moore, was a nearlycompletedwork.It
could be published(I965) witha minimumof editorialinterference.
A much more complicatedcase was presentedby the so-calledBig
Typescriptof 1933. (Cf. above, p. 487.) The last thirdof it, on the
philosophyof mathematics,was evidentlyrelativelyfinishedeven in
the author's opinion. But on the firsttwo-thirdsWittgenstein had
startedto make extensiverevisions.The revisionswere firstmade in
the typescript, but the workwas continuedin new manuscriptsfrom
the years 1933 and 1934. Eventuallythereexistedsomethingwhich
can be called a new manuscriptversionofthesepartsoftheBig Type-
script,and it seemedbestto publishthismanuscript withtheconcluding
thirdpartofthe typescript.The workwillappear in twovolumesunder
the titlePhilosophische
Grammatik.
The twoworksjust mentionedbelongto what has been called, with
somejustification, "the periodoftransition"in Wittgenstein'sdevelop-
ment-that is, the period fromhis returnto philosophyin the late
i920's to thefirstembodimentofhis laterphilosophyin theBlueBook.
From the timeof the finalcompositionof the Investigations therelike-
wise existseveraltypescripts.Their contentto a large extentoverlaps

12 Amongtheposthumous publicationsso far,theRemarks occupya unique,

and perhaps not altogetherhappy, position. In addition to the relatively
to typescripts
finishedPart I, corresponding 222 and 223 of the catalogue,it
fromvariousmanuscripts( I 7, I 2 I, I 22, I 24, I 25, I 26, and
containsselections
I27). A publicationof the manuscriptsin totoseemed to us excluded at the
timewhen we were editingthe Remarks.

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but the arrangementof the materialis

with that of the Investigations,
oftenquite different. These manuscripts-together with additional
materialof an earlierdate-were the sourcesof the cuttingsmade by
Wittgensteinhimselfand published by us in I967 under the title
Zettel.
Wittgenstein'swritingsin the last two yearsof his life (afterMay
1949) neveradvanced to the typescript stage. It has, however,long
been clear to us that much of this materialis of great interestand
represents further developments in Wittgenstein's thought.Some of it
was in relativelyfinishedform.The main concentration was on knowl-
edge and certainty.These writingshave a thematicunitywhich dis-
tinguishesthemfrommostof Wittgenstein's otherwork.A volumeof
last writings,called by the editorsOn Certainty, is due to appear in
printin I969.
With the publicationof theseposthumousworks-and some minor
itemswhichhave appearedinjournals-the fullbodyofWittgenstein's
philosophyhas been made accessibleto thepublic. The availabilityof
copies of the manuscriptsand typescripts in librariesopens the door
for researchinto the details of the developmentof Wittgenstein's
thoughtsand into the relationbetweenthe various "layers of com-
position"of his works.The studentwill also be able to judge, by
confronting the publishedtextswiththe originals,the editors'choices
betweenvariantsin the formulations and the editors'selectionswhen,
as in theRemarks, thepublicationhas not been ofthe completemanu-
scripts.
As timepassesa demandwillariseforsomeformofCompleteWorks
including-in additionto the thingsalreadyprinted-mostor perhaps
all the manuscripts withscholarlycommentson variantsand so forth.
The forthcoming publicationof the so-called Prototractatuswith in-
dicationof deviations from the later Tractatustexts will give an idea
ofthe complexities involvedin such editorialwork.'3
and difficulties
GEORG HENRIK VON WRIGHT
ofFinland,Helsinki
Academy

13 Draftsoftheaboveessaywerereadbyseveralpersons. I am particularly
gratefulto Mr. RushRheesand Mr. BrianMcGuinness fortheirinvaluable
helpin myefforts to makeaccurateboththecatalogueand thecomments on
individual notwithstanding,
itemsin it. All myefforts mistakesmayoccur.
I shall be grateful to the essaywhichstudents
forany corrections of the
Wittgenstein Papersmightwantto suggest, and also fornew information
relatingto theNachiassitself.

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