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The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection
Alfred Russel Wallace (1823 - 1913) was one of the world's most important scientists. His seminal contributions to biology rival those of his friend and colleague Charles Darwin, though he is far less well known. Together Wallace and Darwin proposed the theory of evolution by natural selection in 1858, and their prolific subsequent work laid the foundations of modern evolutionary biology, and much more besides.
Wallace made enduring scholarly contributions to subjects as diverse as glaciology, land reform, anthropology, ethnography, epidemiology, and astrobiology. His pioneering work on evolutionary biogeography (the science that seeks to explain the geographical distribution of organisms) led to him becoming recognised as that subject’s ‘father’. Beyond this Wallace is regarded as the pre-eminent collector and field biologist of tropical regions of the 19th century, and his book The Malay Archipelago (which was Joseph Conrad’s favourite bedside reading) is one of the most celebrated travel writings of that century and has never been out of print. Wallace was a man with an extraordinary breadth of interests who was actively engaged with many of the big questions and important issues of his day. He was anti-slavery, anti-eugenics, anti-vivisection, anti-militarism, anti-Imperialism, a conservationist and an advocate of woman's rights. He strongly believed in the rights of the ordinary person, was a socialist, an anti-vaccinationist (for rational reasons), and a believer in naturalistic, evolutionary spiritualism. He did not come from a privileged background and was largely self-taught. For a brief biography see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/mini-biography
The Wallace Correspondence Project (WCP) was founded by George Beccaloni in 2010. Its aims are to locate, digitise, catalogue, transcribe, interpret and publish Wallace's surviving correspondence and other manuscripts. About 5,700 letters to and from Wallace are currently known to survive, and they are held by c. 240 institutions and individuals worldwide. Wallace's letters are a biographical treasure trove, which provides a far better picture of the 'real' Wallace than his heavily edited and censored published writings (e.g. his autobiography My Life (1905) and his letters in Marchant's Letters and Reminiscences (1916)). For example, Wallace never even mentions his wife's name (Annie) in any of his published writings, including his autobiography. The letters are also key to gaining a deeper understanding of his scientific and other work: how and why his ideas arose, and how they evolved over time.
The WCP is unlocking this valuable resource by gathering all the letters together for the first time, and transcribing them so that they can be more easily read and information within them discovered using electronic searches for words and phrases. The vast amount of unpublished information which is coming to light will surely form the basis for numerous articles, scholarly papers, PhD theses and perhaps the first definitive biography.
Epsilon is being used by the WCP's as its online archive of Wallace's correspondence. It replaces our previous archive, Wallace Letters Online, which was last updated in 2015. The process of editing the transcripts and associated metadata is a work in progress which will take many years to complete. Our project’s policy is, however, to make the information we have available to users at the earliest possible opportunity, even if it is incomplete and/or imperfect. For a guide to our data, including the protocols we use for metadata and transcriptions, please see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon
Sending revisions of chapter on mimicry.
Is going to Newcastle next Saturday, and also has a lecture at Sale, near Manchester on Tuesday. Has started on his work on popular Darwinism.
Encloses postage for umbrella Meldola returned. Has had a breakthrough with his hybridity chapter ... "in some cases nat. select. will accumulate variations in infertility between incipient species." Thinks he has made the issue a good deal clearer than Darwin left it.
ARW has been in Penzance, Land's End, Chepstow and Coleford with Annie. Details of holiday. Spent a week with Marianne North at Alderley.
The Meldola's are welcome to stay. Wants set of examination papers for the college entrance exam for Willie's mathematical master. ARW wants Willie to enter college in the mechanical engineering department in a year's time.
Can one of Meldola's pupils or assistants weigh some seeds for him in decimals? Has finished MS of his book.
Thanks for weighing seeds. About butterflies, and trip to Manchester on the 20th.
Thanks for notes and references on "colour" chapters. Discusses his theory of "recognition colours." Going to Hastings for week or two, to restore his wife's health (address c/o Mrs Pearson, 13 High Wycombe, Hastings).
Has been too busy to write. Descriptions of countryside. Is coaching Willie in mathematics -wants past examination papers. Willie is going into Professor S. Thompson's department (at Gresham College?).
About coaching Willie in mathematics for entrance examination - particular questions about geometry.
Plants found on his way back from Dundee last week. Specimen of Carabus enclosed in brown paper [Carabus nitens]. Asks advice about Willie, whose reports are not good. Owing to ill health and delicacy of constitution he is really 2-3 years younger than other lads his age. Could Meldola ask Professor Thompson whether Willie would be permitted to repeat the year, if he fails the exam?.
Thanks for informing him that Willie will be admitted to the intermediate course. "I fear he has not much "go" in him, but I was much the same at his age, and it took me a long time to understand many things." More about Willie's reports and lectures. Is preparing new edition of Natural Selection and Tropical Nature plus changes to Malay Archipelago. Visit to Portland with Dorset Natural History and Archaeological Society. Mentions a Mr. Holmes.
Reasons why he hasn't seen so much of Meldola lately. Usually stays with his sister in West Brompton.
About Romanes. The only point of importance he makes is that "all simple variations are absolutely useless and that variations can only be useful when many kinds that are coordinated in action arise together." Should point out the extreme improbability of this assumption. Discusses his view of variation. Has been busy with builders. Mentions a Mr. and Mrs. Cohen.
Tells Meldola that he has put his foot in it -due to content of his letter Romanes sees Meldola as a "disciple converted to his arguments!!" Discusses his view of variations, and criticises Romanes. Tells Meldola "I hope you have another slap at him.".
Wishes to stay in London for a second meeting - will arrive at Meldola's house after visiting the NHM with Violet.
About Jesuit writers. Advice about U.S. for prospective fruit grower.
Seeking information about telescopes. "I have all my life been longing for a decent telescope but could never afford one." Violet is interested in the stars - following a visit to Mrs Fisher (Miss Buckley). About Will's accident - has damaged his eye.
About medals just presented. Will is returning from college - future work plans. Discusses Fisher's Physics of the Earth's Crust. About his article on the Permanence of the Oceanic Basins for Natural Science.
About diamond beetles for an old correspondent in Melbourne (Charles French, Exhibition buildings, Melbourne). Comments on mimicry.