From John Murray   1 July 1870

50, Albemarle St. | W.

July 1./70

With John Murrays Comps & thanks to Mr Darwin receipt for £60"9"4 enclosed.1

Chas. Darwin Esq | &c &c &c

Dear Sir

Mr Cooke forgot to point to you yesterday that in arranging the sum paid to you for the last Edition of your “Origin” we had to consider the reduction of its price by one shilling below that of the former Edn.2

Of the Titles you have preferred The Descent of Man—& Selection according to Sex— This need not bind you permanently as to your Title. At all events I am glad we have got rid of an objectionable adjective—3

My dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | John Murray

Ch Darwin Esq

1
An entry in CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS) for 30 June records a payment of £60 9s. 4d. The payment is further broken down into £30 9s. 4d. for expenses for the translation of Fritz Müller’s book (F. Müller 1864; Dallas trans. 1869) and £30 for presents of CD’s books (CD’s Account books–cash account and Classed account books (Down House MS)).
2
CD evidently visited his publisher, John Murray, the previous day. Murray refers to Robert Cooke and to the fourth and fifth editions of Origin. CD was in London from 24 June to 1 July 1870 (see ‘Journal’ (Appendix II)).
3
The reference is to Descent; the ‘objectionable adjective’ is not specified, but was presumably ‘sexual’. ‘According to’ was later changed to ‘in relation to’.

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7259,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7259