To E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung   [19 March 1867]1

Dear Sir

I have received the press proof of my new book, which will probably be entitled The V. of A. & P. under D. It will be in 2 Vols 8vo. with 43 wood-blocks.—2 Whether so large a work will be worth translating into German I cannot judge. I have had two applications from G. publishers for clean sheets for translation, & one offer on payment.3 But I would give up any claim for payment if I could get a good translator. Do you continue to wish to bring out a translation, & could you persuade Prof. V. C. to translate the work?4 If you inform me that he will translate it, subject to your resolving to have a Translation, I would send you clean sheets as soon as half-a dozen have been printed off. But please to observe on Prof V. Carus being the translator   You would have to negotiate with Mr Murray for stereotypes of the wood-blocks. I shd wish for an answer before much of the work is printed so that if you decline I might offer early sheets to the other applicants.—

Hoping that my offer may interest you, I remain, Dear Sir | Yours faithfully | C. D.—

ADraftS

1
The date is established by the reference to this letter in the letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 22 March 1867.
2
CD refers to Variation.
3
CD had received an offer to translate Variation from Rudolf Oldenburg, the business manager for the Munich branch of the firm J. G. Cotta’schen Buchhandlung (Bosl ed. 1983; see Correspondence vol. 14, letter from Rudolf Oldenbourg, 28 October 1866). More recently, CD’s publisher, John Murray, had received an offer from a publisher in Jena (see letter from John Murray, 19 March [1867] and n. 5).
4
Julius Victor Carus had recently completed the German translation of the fourth edition of Origin (Bronn and Carus trans. 1867; see letter to J. V. Carus, 17 February [1867]).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

1.1 have … my new] above del ‘I am beginning to print my’
1.2 under] before omitted point
1.4 G.] interl
1.8 I] after del ‘and’
1.9 been] after del ‘appeared.’
1.9 on] after del ‘I make my offer contingent’
1.10 You] after del ‘& I wd wish for an an answer after, say 10 she’
1.10 negotiate with] above del ‘negotiate first’
1.11 before … so that 1.12] above del ‘after, say if you have received some the 10 first [‘after ten’ interl and del] sheets, because’
1.12 might] above del ‘would’
1.12 early] above del ‘the’
1.12 the] above del ‘my’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-5425,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-5425