To John Lubbock 11 June [1865]1
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
June 11
My dear Lubbock
The latter half of your book has been read aloud to me, & the style is so clear & easy (we both think it perfection) that I am now beginning at the beginning.2 I cannot resist telling you how excellently well in my opinion you have done the very interesting chapters on savage life.3 Though you have necessarily only compiled the materials the general result is most original. But I ought to keep the term original for your last chapter which has struck me as an admirable & profound discussion.4 It has quite delighted me for now the public will see what kind of man you are, which I am proud to think I discovered a dozen years ago.5
I do sincerely wish you all success in your election & in politics;6 but after reading this last chapter you must let me say Oh dear Oh dear Oh dear7
yours affectionately | Ch. Darwin
P.S. You pay me a superb compliment but I fear you will be quizzed for it by some of yr friends as too exaggerated.8
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.
Summary
JL’s book [Prehistoric times (1865)] is "most original".
Wishes him success in politics.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-4858
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Lubbock, 4th baronet and 1st Baron Avebury
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- DAR 263: 7 (EH 88206456)
- Physical description
- LS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 4858,” accessed on 1 September 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-4858.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 13