Ɛpsilon

From Ellen Frances Lubbock to H. E. Darwin   [28 July? 1866]1

Dear Miss Darwin

I am so sorry you were prevented from coming on Friday, & also that we shall not have the pleasure of seeing Mr. Darwin today—2 Do you think, when he feels pretty well, he would be so kind as to write some thing like this on a piece of paper for me—

Please deliver to the bearer a copy of the new edition of the Origin of Species—, & sign it— The fact is, John has promised a copy to Philip Norman, & as he is going to India, directly, he wishes to take it with him—& he went the other day to Murray’s, but was refused a copy, as Mr. Murray did not know him personally, & thought Mr. Darwin would not like them to give him one before the work is published—3 But I do not think Mr. Darwin would mind, & if he will kindly scratch down the order, I will send it to Phil—

I am so sorry to trouble him—

With Kindest regards to you all, believe me yours affectly | El Lubbock

1
The year is established by the reference to the fourth edition of Origin (see n. 3, below). The day and month are conjectured by the entries in Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242), and by the reference to presentation copies of Origin (see nn. 2 and 3, below).
2
Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242) records that CD had a headache on Friday 27 July 1866; Emma also noted that she attended a ‘fete at High Elms’ (the Lubbock family home) on 28 July.
3
The fourth edition of Origin was printed by mid-July 1866 (see letter to John Murray, 15 July [1866]), but CD’s publisher, John Murray, had recently informed CD that he wished to delay publication until November (letter from John Murray, 18 July [1866]). Norman’s father, George Warde Norman, was a good friend of the Darwin family and had received a presentation copy of the first edition of Origin (see Correspondence vol. 8, Appendix III).

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5204,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5204