To John Murray 10 January [1867]
Down. | Bromley. | Kent. S.E.
Jan. 10th
My dear Sir
Your note has been a great relief to me; & I am very glad that you agree about type.— I will insert Wood-cuts.1
I am rather alarmed about the verdict of your friend, as he is not a man of science.— I think if you had sent the Origin to an unscientific man, he wd. have utterly condemned it. I am,, however, very glad that you have consulted anyone, on whom you can rely.—2
I must add that my Journal of Researches was seen in M.S by an eminent semi-scientific man, & was pronounced unfit for publication.3 Let me hear at once as soon as I may send to your house (ie Albemarle St) for the M.S.; as I much wish to begin printing, & I will return to Mess Clowes the few first chapters in a day or two.—4
Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Look at Athenæum at my letter about “Cut Books” & “Eminent publisher”.—5
Footnotes
Bibliography
Browne, Janet. 1995. Charles Darwin. Voyaging. Volume I of a biography. New York: Alfred A. Knopf.
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Journal and remarks: Journal and remarks. 1832–1836. By Charles Darwin. Vol. 3 of Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty’s ships Adventure and Beagle between the years 1826 and 1836, describing their examination of the southern shores of South America, and the Beagle’s circumnavigation of the globe. London: Henry Colburn. 1839. [Separately published as Journal of researches.]
Journal of researches: Journal of researches into the geology and natural history of the various countries visited by HMS Beagle, under the command of Captain FitzRoy, RN, from 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Henry Colburn. 1839.
Narrative: Narrative of the surveying voyages of His Majesty’s ships Adventure and Beagle, between the years 1826 and 1836. [Edited by Robert FitzRoy.] 3 vols. and appendix. London: Henry Colburn. 1839.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Relieved by JM’s note and by his agreement on type size. Is alarmed by what the verdict [on Variation] of JM’s friend will be. He is not a man of science. An unscientific reader would have condemned the Origin. An eminent semi-scientific man thought the Journal of researches not worth publishing.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-5356
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Murray
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 f. 166)
- Physical description
- ALS 2pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5356,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5356.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 15