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Darwin Correspondence Project

To J. V. Carus   20 November [1874]1

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

Nov. 20th

My dear Sir

Many thanks. I copied reference from a Plate to H. Müllers paper & did not know what it meant.2 I cannot conceive why I did not write to him; & it was a sad mistake.

If you find, as you probably will, more errata will you kindly keep a list for any future edit. & give me true reference for “Ver. d. V.”.—3 The book is now finished & I will send you a copy, as soon as I receive one.

I sent off yesterday to you the last sheets.— On the day of Murray’s sale 1350 copies were sold, with which I am well contented.—4

My dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

The year is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from J. V Carus, 18 November 1874.
In Descent 2d ed., CD had given an incomplete reference to Hermann Müller’s paper on the application of Darwinian theory to bees (H. Müller 1872; see letter from J. V Carus, 18 November 1874 and n. 2).
John Murray’s sale dinner, at which copies of Descent 2d ed. were sold, took place on 13 November (see letter from R. F. Cooke, 17 November 1874 and n. 2). CD was sending Carus proof-sheets of this new edition so that he could prepare a German translation (Carus trans. 1875a).

Bibliography

Descent 2d ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. London: John Murray. 1874.

Summary

Thanks JVC for a correction to 2d English edition of Descent, which is now finished. 1350 copies were sold at Murray’s sale.

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 9725,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-9725.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 22

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