From Asa Gray   18 May 1868

Cambridge Mass.

May 18, 1868.

Dear Darwin

Shortly after I got nicely bound the sheets I received of the reprint of your book, I received from Murray a copy in boards & cloth.1 This I passed over to American Academy, which herewith sends thanks, & is much pleased.

I think you have full set of Academy’s Proceedings. If not & you c⁠⟨⁠a⁠⟩⁠re for them, let me know.2

Send Academy some day your Orchid-book.3 Then they will have all.

The American reprint of your book is not very nicely printed.4 I hope it will sell well. Various notices have appeared—but the more important ones yet to come. I have seen none yet worth sending to you.

I hope that Thurber5 has sent back to you safely the marked sheets. In worst haste | Ever Yours | A. G⁠⟨⁠ray⁠⟩⁠

1
CD had been sending Gray proof-sheets of Variation (see Correspondence vol. 15, letter from Asa Gray, 18 November 1867 and n. 1). Gray’s name appears on CD’s presentation list for Variation (see Correspondence vol.16, Appendix IV). His copy was evidently sent to him by John Murray, CD’s publisher.
2
CD’s copies of the Proceedings of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, dating from 1848 onwards, are in the unbound journal collection in the Darwin Archive–CUL.
3
Orchids.
4
The US edition of Variation was printed by Orange Judd & Co. See letter from George Thurber, 18–20 April 1868.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-6179,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-6179