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The Charles Darwin Collection
The Darwin Correspondence Project is publishing letters written by and to the naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882). Complete transcripts of letters are being made available through the Project’s website (www.darwinproject.ac.uk) after publication in the ongoing print edition of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin (Cambridge University Press 1985–). Metadata and summaries of all known letters (c. 15,000) appear in Ɛpsilon, and the full texts of available letters can also be searched, with links to the full texts.
Asks JM for four copies of his Journal of researches [2d ed.] at wholesale price. Also asks for total number of copies sold.
Greatly pleased at sale [of Climbing plants].
Points out a discrepancy in their records of copies of Origin printed.
500 more copies of Insectivorous plants should last forever.
Asks to be informed whenever more copies of his books are printed, as there may be errors to correct.
Asks how many copies of Origin have been printed "from the first". The number will be "a good puff" when listed in the new edition of Variation.
Thanks for gift [of books requested in 1026]. Sale is a good deal more than he had anticipated.
Asks JM for information on sales of his Journal of researches and to procure for him a copy of the American edition. He is curious to see if the part on slavery has been altered.
Is satisfied with sales of his books.
Did not expect Orchids to sell more than 600 or 700 copies.
Only bad item is Expression, which astonishes him, since it sells well in Germany.
Asks size of printing of Cross and self-fertilisation; thinks 1500 would be ample.
On publishing details for various CD books.
Has no corrections for new issue of Descent [2d ed.].
Questions amount of cheque for profits.
Thanks for accounts which make everything intelligible to him. Since he was glad to have Orchids published at one-half of profits for himself, he believes it would be very shabby to accept JM’s new offer of two-thirds profits. Thinks it would be fairer to both to change to JM’s usual practice with authors [i.e., annual statements of sales, payments based on them, and final accounting when all copies have been sold].
Encloses a cheque for £11.19.9. Will transmit £7.9.4 to Fritz Müller. Thanks for account of the sale of his books, which appears to be in a "lamentable state".
Intends to publish a translation of Ernst Krause’s essay on Dr Erasmus Darwin, with a prefatory notice by himself. Asks JM to decide whether to publish it on commission or on usual two-thirds profit terms. CD incapable of judging chance of its selling.
Though not sanguine about sale [of Erasmus Darwin] it seems fair that if over 1500 copies are sold he should receive two-thirds profit. If JM does not agree, he would prefer publishing on commission or asking Macmillan if they will give him larger profits.
CD’s vexation at the serious printer’s error in his "Geology" [Collected papers 1: 227–50].
Appreciates what Murray and the printer are doing to rectify the error [transposition of pages of text in "Geology"]. But if the responsible person will be fined heavily, CD would want to "make some present".
Asks JM to provide Quarterly Journal of Science with five woodcuts from Climbing plants to illustrate an article, based on that work, by Francis Darwin [see 12462].
Asks John Murray to allow R. F. Charles to quote Journal of researches passages in a school text-book [Relfe Brothers model reading-books … in prose and verse (1880–3)].
Asks advice on size of printing for Movement in plants. Expects it to sell a few copies for some years. Asks price of paper and of printing of 250 copies. Sends instructions for the index.
Thanks JM for copy of Quarterly Review, with article on his worm book [Henry Wace, "Darwin on earthworms", Q. Rev. 153 (1882): 179–202].
Writer will change his mind on evolution. CD cannot think of any young worker in biology who is not convinced of the truth of evolution, though many believe that natural selection has not done much.
Asks JM to forward letter [1525] to Francis Galton "the author of the very interesting volume" Murray recently published.
CD has heard from Lyell that JM is inclined to publish his work on the origin of species. Will send some chapters as soon as copyist has finished. Sends list of 12 chapters. It will be a popular abstract of more than 20 years’ work. It ought to be popular with scientific and semi-scientific readers.
Accepts JM’s terms for publication of Origin. If, on reading the MS, JM thinks it will not sell, CD frees him from the offer. Will send chapters soon so he can judge. Though some parts are dry and abstruse, CD thinks it will be interesting to "those who care for the curious problem of the origin of all animate forms".