To M. P. Chekhova, 29 April 1887. en route to Ragozinu Balk.

1 A short, practical note written by Chekhov on 29 April 1887 while traveling toward Ragozina Balka, addressed to his sister Maria Pavlovna Chekhova ("Masha") back in Moscow, who was about to leave the family apartment for the family’s summer dacha.

2 The letter is almost entirely logistical – Chekhov is anxious about travel gear (a lockable basket to replace his cramped, failing trunks), fishing tackle (hooks he already has, line still needed, and a request for fish-traps), and a question about the travel plans of his friend Alexander Ivanenko, on whom his own onward journey depends. The full formal postal address is written out on the reverse, as epistolary custom required. It is a small window onto the domestic mechanics of the Chekhov household and Anton’s own fondness for fishing.