From R. F. Cooke   20 July 1880

My dear Sir

With the additional information which you have given regarding your new work, the prospect is rather more gloomy.¹

I have put down the cost of Illustrations as £150—& have also added a little more to the cost of corrections & the result is that the whole expense of 1000 Copies comes to £450.

If 1000 copies are printed & sold, the retail price being fixed at 14^s/- the produce will be £456.

Where is the profit for Author or publisher?

What is to be done? Can we venture to print 250 more, or can we raise the price to 16/-²

We are fairly puzzled

Yours faithfully | Rob^t. Cooke

Cha^s. Darwin Esq