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Darwin Correspondence Project

From R. F. Cooke   31 July 1875

50A, Albemarle St. | W.

July 31. 187V

My dear Sir

I will confer with Mr Clowes about the Type &c for the reprint of Variations &c & let you know as early as possible.1

We have only 250 copies remaining of the new edition of “Descent” & I think it will be desirable to print off 1000 more copies to be ready for our Annual Trade Sale.2

Have you any corrections to make in the plates?

The “Expressions” dont move in the least.3

Your’s faithfully | Robt. Cooke

Chas. Darwin Esq

CD annotations

Top of letter: ‘(Appleton)’4 pencil

Footnotes

William Clowes & Sons was the printing firm used by CD’s publisher, John Murray. Cooke refers to Variation 2d ed.
A thousand copies of Descent 2d ed. were printed in 1875 (the eleventh thousand; Freeman 1977). On John Murray’s annual sale dinner, at which major booksellers bought stock at a discount, see J. Murray 1908–9, p. 540.
Expression had been reprinted in 1873 (the tenth thousand; Freeman 1977). In his letter of 17 November 1874 (Correspondence vol. 22), Cooke reported that only seven copies had been sold at the annual sale dinner.
The New York publishing firm D. Appleton & Co. reprinted Descent 2d ed. in 1875 and 1876 (Freeman 1977).

Bibliography

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

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

Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.

Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.

Murray, John. 1908–9. Darwin and his publisher. Science Progress in the Twentieth Century 3: 537–42.

Variation 2d ed.: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875.

Summary

RC will confer with printer about type, etc., for reprint of Variation.

Only 250 copies remain of [2d ed. of] Descent – will print 1000 more for annual sale.

Expression does not move.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-10105
From
Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Albemarle St, 50a
Source of text
DAR 171: 460
Physical description
ALS 2pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10105,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10105.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 23

letter