Ɛpsilon

To John Murray   24 September [1873]1

Down | Beckenham, Kent.

Sept. 24th

My dear Mr Murray

I enclose a cheque & will you be so kind as to return the enclosed receipted.2

If there ever is a new Edit. of Expression or Descent of Man I shall have to make heavy corrections in both Therefore I shd. like to know roughly how many you have on hand of both. After your Sale in November, I shd. also like to know about the state of all my books.—3

I cannot tell, without looking to my accounts, but I think the last 2000 of Expression have not been accounted for, & I cannot tell without looking how we stand about the last reprint of old Origin of Species.—4 I shall soon begin & prepare another small book, but it will be one which will sell very sparingly & so will a second small one, I am sorry to say.—5

In Haste | yours very sincerely | Ch Darwin

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from John Murray, 23 September [1873].
2
CD was settling a debt for presentation copies of books with Murray (see letter from John Murray, 23 September [1873] and n. 2).
3
Murray customarily held a ‘sale dinner’ in November, at which he sold books to the book trade (Murray 1908–9, p. 540).
4
CD probably refers to the thirteenth thousand of Origin 6th ed. (see Freeman 1977, p. 86).
5
CD refers to Insectivorous plants and Climbing plants 2d ed.

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

2.1 of Man] interl
2.2 in both] interl
2.4 of both.] interl
3.2 for,] interl
3.3 last reprint of] interl
3.3 of Species.] interl
3.4 small] interl
3.5 small] above del ‘small’
3.5 one,] after del ‘subsequent’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9066,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9066