Ɛpsilon

WCP3895

Letter (WCP3895.3815)

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Decr. 2nd. 1890

Sir Joseph Hooker1 K.t &c.

My dear Hooker

I have to prepare a new edition of my "Island Life"2 and shall be glad if you will inform me who is the best botanist to apply to for the actual facts as to species, sub-species or recognised varieties of British plants which are, up to the present time, unknown on the continent of Europe. In the first edition3 I had very imperfect information [2] partly through not knowing who to apply to & partly I think because the subject had not received special attention. I presume that now the facts are pretty well agreed upon by those specialists who attend to such questions.

Hoping that yourself & Lady Hooker4 are in good health,

Believe me | yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace [signature]

[3] P.S. I should also like to know if any good recent catalogue of New Zealand plants has been published as I presume there are many additions since your Handbook.

A.R.W.

Arthur Bennett5 F. L.S.

107 High Street

Croydon6

1
Hooker, Joseph Dalton (1817-1911). British botanist and explorer. Director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew 1865-85. President of the Royal Society 1873-78.
2
Wallace, A. R. 1892. Island life: or, the phenomena and causes of insular faunas and floras, including a revision and attempted solution of the problem of geological climates. Second and revised edition. London and New York: Macmillan and Co.
3

Wallace, A. R. 1880. Island life: or, the phenomena and causes of insular

faunas and floras, including a revision and attempted solution of the problem of

geological climates. London: Macmillan & Co.

4
Hooker (née Symonds then Jardine) Hyacinth (1842-1921). Second wife of J. D. Hooker. Also known as Lady Jardine from her first marriage to Sir William Jardine.
5
Bennett, Alfred William (1833-1902). British botanist and publisher.
6
In unknown handwriting.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Letter (WCP3895.3815)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Watkins Sophia [2012-08-16] Transcription checked by Catchpole, Caroline [2013-01-15] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Transcription (WCP3895.4265)

[1]

Parkstone, Dorset.

Dec. 2nd, 1890.

Sir Joseph Hooker, Kt. &c.

My dear Hooker

I have to prepare a new edition of my "Island Life" and shall be glad if you will inform me who is the best botanist to apply to for the actual facts as to species, sub-species or recognised varieties of British plants which are, up to the present time, unknown on the Continent of Europe. In the first edition I had very imperfect information partly through not knowing who to apply to and partly I think because the subject had not received special attention. I presume that now the facts are pretty well agreed upon by those specialists who attend to such questions. Hoping that yourself and Lady Hooker are in good health,

Believe me, Yours very faithfully, | ALFRED R. WALLACE.

P.S. I should also like to know if any good recent catalogue of New Zealand plants has been published, as I presume there are many additions since your Handbook.

A.R.W.

Editorial information

Status: Draft transcription [Transcription (WCP3895.4265)]

For more information about the transcriptions and metadata, see https://wallaceletters.myspecies.info/content/epsilon

Revision history

Transcribed by Congerton, John [2019-12-17] Transcription checked by Chua, Christine [2026-04-18]

Please cite as “WCP3895,” in Beccaloni, G. W. (ed.), Ɛpsilon: The Alfred Russel Wallace Collection accessed on 5 June 2025, https://epsilon.ac.uk/view/wallace/letters/WCP3895