To John Murray   15 November [1870]1

Down. | Beckenham | Kent. S.E.

Nov. 15th

My dear Sir

When at leisure I shd much like to hear about your book-sale, as far as I am concerned.—2

In the enclosed letter I cannot read the signature— is it Rotterdam sufficient address? I will send him clean sheets as I shd like a translation & he will no doubt buy stereotypes.3

I cannot conceive what the reason is, but I have as yet received clean sets of only 3 first sheets from Messrs Clowes.—4

yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

1
The year is established by CD’s reference to the Dutch translation of Descent (see n. 3, below).
2
On Murray’s November ‘sale dinners’ for the principal booksellers, see J. Murray 1908–9, p. 540.
3
CD refers to a letter from Hendrik Adrianus Kramers, a bookseller and agent for translation rights in Rotterdam; the letter has not been found. It concerned a Dutch translation of Descent. See letter from Hermanus Hartogh Heijs van Zouteveen, 27 November 1870. There is a letter from Kramers to Murray requesting proof-sheets of Descent for a Dutch translation in the National Library of Scotland, John Murray Archive (42153 f. 53).
4
CD was waiting for clean proof-sheets of Descent from the printers, William Clowes & Sons.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 Beckenham] before del ‘Bromley.’
3.1 as yet] interl above del illeg
3.1 clean] interl
3.2 first] interl

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-7371,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-7371