Monday | 30th April
Dear Mr. Murray.
Huxley has “urged me”2 and in consequence I can now state to you that the whole of the work is now in the hands of Mr. Clowes,3 and I undertake to have it ready for printing off in two days after I receive the revises. It has been very strongly represented to me by my friend Prof. Wiedemann4 that a German translation5 of the book ought to appear as closely after its appearance in England as possible—He says an arrangement ought to be made with Vieweg6, with whom he (Wiedemann) is in communication; and from whose staff he would select some excellent translators. Wiedemann says that it is certain to be translated, and if not guarded in the way he recommends runs the chance of being spoiled – I told him that I would mention the matter to you.
The index is the only thing remaining, but this cannot be completed until the book is finally [bound]. I write this morning to Mr. Clowes7 “urging” him to send me the Revises.
Very sincerely yours | John Tyndall
National Library of Scotland, John Murray Archive, Ms. 41214
30 April [1860]: Verso gave the date ‘April 30 1860 | Tyndall John’. Letter also included a note, ‘Huxley has urged him to complete his work’. Both additions were presumably written by the John Murray publishers.
Huxley has “urged me”: not identified where and when this took place.
I can now state to you that the whole of the work is now in the hands of Mr. Clowes: Glaciers of the Alps was printed by William Clowes and Sons (Stamford Street and Charing Cross) (see also letter 1675, n. 4 and 5).
Prof. Wiedemann: Gustav Heinrich Wiedemann (1826–99) was a German physicist and a founder of the Berlin Physical Society. Together with his wife, the translator Clara Wiedemann, he published German translations of Tyndall’s later work. (Rudolf Reiger, ‘Wiedemann, Gustav Heinrich’, Allgemeine Deutsche Biographie, 55 (1910), pp. 67–70.
a German translation: the plans for a German translation did not come to fruition.
Vieweg: the publishing house Vieweg and Son.
I write this morning to Mr. Clowes: letter missing.
Please cite as “Tyndall1695,” in Ɛpsilon: The John Tyndall Collection accessed on