From C.-F. Reinwald1   17 April 1879

C. Reinwald & Cie | Libraires-Éditeurs | Commissionnaires pour L’Étranger | 15, Rue des Saint-Pères | Paris

17 Avril 1879.

Cher Monsieur

Depuis notre lettre du 8 Octobre de l’année dernière, nous avons eu l’honneur de recevoir la vôtre du 11 Octobre et de nous conformer aux désirs que vous y avez exprimés.2 La vente des traductions de vos ouvrages, sans être extrêmement rapide, nous donne cependant de la satisfaction. Nous sommes près d’épuiser la Seconde édition de l’Origine des Espèces, revue par M Barbier, et de mettre sous presse la troisiême édition de ce livre.3 Nous ne savons pas encore si nous pouvons faire cette édition dans un format plus petit, à cause de la collection de vos autres ouvrages que nous avons tous publiés en 8o.

Une nouvelle édition des Variations, revue et presqu’entièrement retraduite par M. Barbier est actuellement sous presse. Si vous avez quelques observations nouvelles à ajouter à cette traduction, qui a été revue d’après la dernière édition anglaise de M. Murray, Mr Barbier serait heureux d’en tenir compte, car l’impression n’est guère plus avancée qu’au tiers du premier Volume.4

Nous sommes également sur le point d’épuiser la 2e édition de la “Descendance de l’Homme” et nous chargeons M. Barbier d’en revoir encore une fois la traduction d’après la dernière édition anglaise.5 Nous sommes entièrement à vos ordres, si vous croyez devoir introduire quelques changements dans cet ouvrage. L’impression de ces divers ouvrages sera menée avec rapidité et nous vous serions bien reconnaissant de nous faire savoir de suite s’il en est ainsi.

Vous voyez, cher Monsieur, que nous ne pouvons pas nous plaindre par rapport à la vente de vos ouvrages, et afin de tenir notre compte au courant de nos diverses réimpressions nous avons l’honneur de vous remettre avec la presente un chèque de £20./–/– que nous vous prions d’appliquer au Percentage de la 2e. édition des Emotions trad. par M Pozzi, car quoique nous n’ayons pas encore vendu le nombre de 700 ex de cette nouvelle édition, nous croyons cependant être certains d’atteindre bientot ce chiffre.6

Vos deux derniers ouvrages de Botanique: Fertilization croisée et directe et Différentes formes de Fleurs n’ont pas encore produit une vente assez importante pour pouvoir vous faire payer le Percentage proportionel. Nous vous demandons donc de vouloir bien nous permettre d’en différer encore le règlement jusqu’à l’achèvement de nos diverses reimpressions.7

Dans l’espoir d’être bientot favorisés de votre réponse nous avons l’honneur d’être, Monsieur, vos très humbles et trés dévoués serviteurs | C Reinwald & Cie

To Charles Darwin Esq. | Down Beckenham | Kent

1
For a translation of this letter, see Appendix I.
2
See Correspondence vol. 26, letter from C.-F. Reinwald, 8 October 1878. CD’s letter of 11 October 1878 has not been found.
3
The third edition of the French translation of Origin by Edmond Barbier was published in 1880 (Barbier trans. 1880).
4
The first volume of Barbier’s French translation of Variation was published in 1879, the second in 1880 (Barbier trans. 1879–80). Barbier translated Variation 2d ed., published by John Murray in 1875.
5
A third French edition of Descent, translated by Barbier from Murray’s 1879 issue of the augmented second English edition, was published in 1881 (Barbier trans. 1881).
6
Expression had been translated into French by Samuel Pozzi and René Benoît, and published in 1877 (Pozzi and Benoît trans. 1877).
7
Cross and self fertilisation and Forms of flowers had been translated into French by Édouard Heckel and published in 1877 and 1878 respectively (Heckel trans. 1877, Heckel trans. 1878).

From C.-F. Reinwald1   17 April 1879

C. Reinwald & Cie | Publishers | International Agents | 15, Rue des Saint-Pères | Paris

17 April 1879.

Dear Sir

Since our letter of the 8th of October of last year, we have had the honour of receiving yours of 11 October and of acting on the requests that you made.2 The sale of the translations of your works, without being very fast, nevertheless gives us some satisfaction. We have nearly exhausted the Second edition of the Origin of Species, edited by M Barbier, and we are printing the third edition of this book.3 We do not yet know if we can make this edition in a smaller size, since we have published the collection of your other works all in octavo.

A new edition of Variations, edited and almost entirely retranslated by M. Barbier is currently at the press. If you have any new observations to add to this translation, which has been edited following M. Murray’s latest English edition, Mr. Barbier would be happy to take them into account, for the typesetting is scarcely advanced beyond a third of the first Volume.4

We are similarly on the point of exhausting the 2d edition of the “Descent of Man” and we are commissioning M. Barbier to edit the translation one more time following the latest English edition.5 We are completely at your command, if you think you ought to introduce some corrections in this work. The printing of these various works will be carried out with speed and we will be very grateful to you for informing us by return if this is the case.

You see, my dear Sir, that we cannot complain with regard to the sale of your works, and in order to keep our account up to date with our various reissues we have the honour to hereby remit a cheque for £20./–/–, which we beg you to apply to part-payment of the 2d edition of the Emotions translated by M. Pozzi, for although we have not yet sold 700 copies of this new edition, we believe however that we are sure to reach this figure soon.6

Your two latest Botanical works: Cross and self fertilisation and Different forms of flowers have not yet produced a large enough sale for us to be able to make a proportionate part-payment. We ask you therefore to be kindly willing to allow us again to defer settlement until the completion of our various reprintings.7

In the hope of being soon favoured by your reply we have the honour to be, Sir, your very humble and very devoted servants | C Reinwald & Cie

To Charles Darwin Esq. | Down Beckenham | Kent

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original French, see Transcript.
2
See Correspondence vol. 26, letter from C.-F. Reinwald, 8 October 1878. CD’s letter of 11 October 1878 has not been found.
3
The third edition of the French translation of Origin by Edmond Barbier was published in 1880 (Barbier trans. 1880).
4
The first volume of Barbier’s French translation of Variation was published in 1879, the second in 1880 (Barbier trans. 1879–80). Barbier translated Variation 2d ed., published by John Murray in 1875.
5
A third French edition of Descent, translated by Barbier from Murray’s 1879 issue of the augmented second English edition, was published in 1881 (Barbier trans. 1881).
6
Expression had been translated into French by Samuel Pozzi and René Benoît, and published in 1877 (Pozzi and Benoît trans. 1877).
7
Cross and self fertilisation and Forms of flowers had been translated into French by Édouard Heckel and published in 1877 and 1878 respectively (Heckel trans. 1877, Heckel trans. 1878).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-11998,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-11998