To K. M. Lyell 20 November 1881
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)
Nov. 20— 1881
My dear Mrs Lyell
Your most kind present arrived last night & I am greatly obliged for it.1 But as it never occurred to me that you would give me so large & valuable a work, I have ordered a copy, as I was very anxious to begin reading the memoirs of my old master, to whom I am so deeply indebted under a scientific point of view.2 The ordered copy has not yet arrived, but no doubt soon will, probably tomorrow, & it will be a sin to keep two copies in the house.
You must know many persons to whom you would like to send a copy; & shall I not send you the one ordered, for you to transmit to whom you may think fit? Or if you like to send me a slip of paper to paste in, & give me any address, I will despatch the parcel by rail, as this may save you a little trouble.—
The work appears very handsome, & again thanking you I remain | Dear Mrs. Lyell | Yours sincerely | Charles Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Lyell, Katharine Murray, ed. 1881. Life, letters and journals of Sir Charles Lyell, Bart. 2 vols. London: John Murray.
‘Recollections’: Recollections of the development of my mind and character. By Charles Darwin. In Evolutionary writings, edited by James A. Secord. Oxford: Oxford University Press. 2008.
Sponsel, Alistair William. 2018. Darwin’s evolving identity: adventure, ambition, and the sin of speculation. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.
Summary
Thanks for Life, letters and journals of Sir Charles Lyell, Bart. (K. M. Lyell ed. 1881), but he has already ordered a copy. Can he send the ordered copy to her to give to another, or can he send it on her behalf?
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13492F
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Katharine Murray Horner/Katharine Murray Lyell
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- Kinnordy MS (private collection) (Sold at Sotheby’s (dealers), 9–10 July 2018, lot 375)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13492F,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13492F.xml