From William Preyer 25 November 1880
Jena
November 25, 1880
Dear Sir—
The beautiful leading article in the Times of Nov. 20, 1880 on your new book awakens in me so vivid a desire to read it that I take the liberty of addressing myself directly to the author. Would you kindly instruct the publisher (is it Mr. Murray?) to send me a copy by book-post?1 It would take several weeks to get one through a bookseller here and I am rather impatient wishing particularly to know what methods you employed in studying the movements of plants. They may be applicable to animal embryos which I am investigating and the earliest movements of which have never been experimented on.
At the same time I beg to be informed about your papers in “Nature” VIII. p. 417. 1873 (Origin of certain instincts) and in “Zoologist” VIII. 3488. 1873 (Perception in the lower animals).2 I would return the copies within one week, if you will kindly send them. But I do not wish to trouble you, if you have none left.
Please accept my newest book not as merely “popular lectures”. It contains many special researches some of which may perhaps have some little interest for you.3
With my best compliments to Mrs. & Miss Darwin4
I remain Your’s | faithfully | Wm. Preyer | in Jena
To Mr. Ch. Darwin | in Down
Footnotes
Bibliography
Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.
Preyer, William. 1880. Naturwissenschaftliche Thatsachen und Probleme. Populäre Vorträge. Berlin: Verlag von Gebrüder Pætel.
Summary
Sends his book [Naturwissenschaftliche Thatsachen und Probleme. Populäre Vorträge (1880)].
Anxious to receive Movement in plants because CD’s methods may be applicable to his experiments on the earliest movements of animal embryos.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-12857
- From
- William Thierry (William) Preyer
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- Jena
- Source of text
- DAR 174: 71
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12857,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12857.xml