To R. F. Cooke   23 May [1875]1

May 23 Murray

I have o. an impt point— Some time ago Messrs. Appeton said (though I had told him I doubted whether the book wd be bought they wd bring out my I. Pl. if he cd get stereos from Mr Murray;2 but I do not choose that they shd. publish without knowing the cost of the plates & size of book.— Mr Murray generously allowed them to have plates of the Descent at cost price.3 but this is not fair & if Mr Murray will let Mrs A. have them, say 15 or 20 per cent extra, I wd write & tell them the size of book & the no of woodcuts & then they cd as they wd be able to estimate pretty closely cost of plates & decide. Supposing the Plates to cost 50£, you shd charge 60£ & there wd be 10£ in our favour. Does Mr Murray think this fair?— I shd be obliged for an immediate answer, as I I ought to have written sooner to Mess. Appleton.— Of course I am glad of an American Edition, to extend my 2d edn & for publicity for my work

ADraft

1
The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from R. F. Cooke, 24 May 1875.
2
D. Appleton & Co., CD’s US publisher, wanted to publish an edition of Insectivorous plants using stereotype plates provided by CD’s British publisher, John Murray (see Correspondence vol. 22, letter from D. Appleton & Co., [c. 19] November 1874]). The US edition of Insectivorous plants was published in 1875.
3
D. Appleton & Co. published a second US edition of Descent in 1875 using stereotypes provided by John Murray (Correspondence vol. 22, letter from D. Appleton & Co, [c. 19] November 1874).

Manuscript Alterations and Comments

0.1 May 23 Murray] in margin
1.1 (though … bought 1.2] interl
1.4 generously] interl
1.6 them, say] after del ‘stereoty’ interl above del ‘them at say’
1.7 as] after del ‘judge what to do’
1.8 decide] added below interl del ‘& judge whether to p’
1.8 Supposing] del then stetted
1.8 Plates to] ‘to’ above del ‘co’
1.8 50£] after del ‘cost’
1.8 you] interl after del ‘we’ above del ‘then we’
1.10 I ought] after del ‘have forgotten till now that’
1.11 to extend] after del ‘for’

Please cite as “DCP-LETT-9989,” in Ɛpsilon: The Charles Darwin Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/dcp-data/letters/DCP-LETT-9989