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From E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung1   26 October 1866

Stuttgart

den 26 October 1866.

Verehrtester Herr!

Seit ich das letztemal an Sie geschrieben habe, ist eine geraume Zeit vergangen, während welcher Sie so gütig waren mir nach und nach die Bogen der neuen Auflage Ihres Origin zu senden.2

Sie wissen dass die traurige Zeit des deutschen Krieges nicht geeignet war zu literarischen Unternehmungen;3 dem ungeachtet habe ich die neue Auflage nicht ausser Acht gelassen, sondern mich, nachdem Herr Prof. Geinitz und Herr Prof Leonhard der Aufgabe nicht sich zu unterziehen meinten, auf Empfehlung des Ersteren an Herrn Prof. Dr Victor Carus in Leipzig gewendet.4

Ich habe die grosse Befriedigung Ihnen anzeigen zu können daß derselbe aufs Bereitwilligste meinen Antrag angenomen hat und sich wegen der Sache sich mit Ihnen in brieflichen Verkehr setzen wird;5 einstweilen sandte ich ihm das Exemplar Ihres Werkes welches ich von Ihnen erhalten habe, dazu 1 Ex der deutschen Ausgabe.6 Nach allem was mir Herr Carus schreibt ist er ganz der rechte Mann für das Buch; er behält sich ganze Freiheit vor von den Anmerkungen des Herrn Bronn wegzulassen was er selbst nicht wissenschaftlich vertreten könne;7 Hr Carus ist ein erklärter Anhänger Ihrer Theorie und will seinerseits solche durch allgemein physikälisch-physiologische Gründe zu stützen und zu bekräftigen versuchen. Hr Carus wird sich selbst brieflich an Sie wenden; ich dachte aber Ihnen diese Mittheilung gleich machen zu müssen, damit Sie wissen wie es damit steht.

Indem ich Ihnen nochmals meinen Dank sage für all die Freundlichkeit der ich mich von Ihnen zu erfreuen hatte bin ich mit größter Hochachtung und Verehrung | Ihr ergebenster | E Schweizerbart

CD annotations

2.5 Herrn … Leipzig] double scored pencil
Top of letter: ‘Note on Hybrid Chapter’8 pencil

Footnotes

1
For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol.14, Appendix I. It was written by Christian Friedrich Schweizerbart, the head of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, who used the signature E. Schweizerbart in business communications.
2
See letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866. Page proofs of the fourth edition of Origin were available by mid-July 1866 (see letter to John Murray, 15 July [1866]).
3
The reference is to the Austro-Prussian War. Stuttgart, where the Schweizerbart firm was located, was the capital of Württemberg, one of the German states that sided with Austria (see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866 and n. 5).
4
Schweizerbart had orginally approached Gustav von Leonhard to supervise the third German edition of Origin, but he declined, recommending Hans Bruno Geinitz as his replacement. Geinitz also declined but suggested that Julius Victor Carus would be well qualified for the job (see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866).
6
Schweizerbart refers to Origin 4th ed. and Bronn trans. 1863.
7
For more on Heinrich Georg Bronn’s annotations to the German translation of Origin, see the letter from J. V. Carus, 7 November 1866.
8
CD’s annotation refers to a note added to the chapter on hybridism in the second German edition of Origin (Bronn trans. 1863, p. 274 n.; see letter to J. V. Carus, 10 November 1866).

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Origin 4th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 4th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1866.

Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.

Translation

From E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung1   26 October 1866

Stuttgart

26 October 1866

Most respected Sir,

Since I last wrote to you, a long time has passed, during which you kindly sent me the proofs of the new edition of your Origin.2

You know that the sad time of the German war was not appropriate for literary undertakings;3 this notwithstanding, I have not left the new edition unattended, but, after Prof. Geinitz and Prof. Leonhard said they would not undertake the task, on the recommendation of the former I have approached Prof. Victor Carus in Leipzig.4

I take great pleasure in reporting to you that he has accepted my proposal most readily, and will be writing to you in this regard;5 meanwhile I have sent him the copy of your work that I received from you, along with one copy of the German edition.6 From all Mr Carus has written to me, he is exactly the right man for the book; he requests complete freedom to delete from Mr Bronn’s annotations anything that he cannot himself support from a scientific standpoint.7 Mr Carus is an acknowledged proponent of your theory and will try on his part to support and strengthen it through general physical-physiological grounds. Mr Carus will write to you himself about this; I thought however I had better give you this information at once, so that you would know how things stand.

Thanking you once again for all the kindness I have enjoyed from you, I am with great esteem and admiration | Yours truly | E. Schweizerbart

Footnotes

1
For a transcription of this letter in its original German, see pp. 362–3. It was written by Christian Friedrich Schweizerbart, the head of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, who used the signature E. Schweizerbart in business communications.
2
See letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866. Page proofs of the fourth edition of Origin were available by mid-July 1866 (see letter to John Murray, 15 July [1866]).
3
The reference is to the Austro-Prussian War. Stuttgart, where the Schweizerbart firm was located, was the capital of Württemberg, one of the German states that sided with Austria (see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866 and n. 5).
4
Schweizerbart had orginally approached Gustav von Leonhard to supervise the third German edition of Origin, but he declined, recommending Hans Bruno Geinitz as his replacement. Geinitz also declined but suggested that Julius Victor Carus would be well qualified for the job (see letter from E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, 10 May 1866).
6
Schweizerbart refers to Origin 4th ed. and Bronn trans. 1863.
7
For more on Heinrich Georg Bronn’s annotations to the German translation of Origin, see the letter from J. V. Carus, 7 November 1866.

Bibliography

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Origin 4th ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 4th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1866.

Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.

Summary

Plans to have J. V. Carus handle translation of new edition of Origin. Describes Carus’ views on the edition.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5256
From
E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Stuttgart
Source of text
DAR 177: 73
Physical description
ALS 2pp (German) †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5256,” accessed on 13 November 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5256.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 14

letter

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