Ɛpsilon

To William Clowes & Sons   7 October [1876]1

Bassett | Southampton

Oct 7th

Dear Sir

The type &c. will do very well for my book on Orchids.2 I cannot remember at all how many pages the first Edit. contained & I have no copy here.—3 Therefore before you actually begin to set up, it would be adviseable to inform Mr. Murray that the new Edit will be about 300 pages, & whether he approves of this.4 I shall not be up for correcting until my present book is finished & I have had 3 or 4 days rest.5

The proofs in hand shall be proceeded with tomorrow

Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by the reference to Orchids 2d ed. (see n. 2, below).
2
CD had begun work on Orchids 2d ed. on 5 May 1876 (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)). The book was set in smaller type than that of the first edition; it was published in January 1877 (Publishers’ circular, 1 February 1877, p. 93).
3
Orchids was 365 pages long.
4
As published by John Murray, Orchids 2d ed. was 300 pages long.
5
CD was correcting proof-sheets of Cross and self fertilisation (CD’s ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Southampton] before del ‘Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-10634,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-10634