To John Murray 21 January [1861]
Down Bromley Kent
Jan 21.
My dear Mr Murray
Please return enclosed & tell me whether you approve.
As 4250 have been sold & 2000 will be printed, if number is to be retained, it will stand “Seventh Thousand”.—1
I think it would be worth while to insert in any advertisement or notice “Third Edition with additions & Corrections”, for the additions are important & I shall give list of them.—2 I am sorry to say that they have already added 20 pages to Book & will I suppose add 30 altogether.3 There will be moreover a short Historical Sketch.4
Please observe that I have corrected only to p. 216 & unless Messrs Clowes get on much quicker the Book (with Index &c) will not be out till end of March at soonest, which is a pity.—5
I hope you will be again generous & give me some copies, for I shall have anyhow to order a good many for my staunchest supporters.—6
Whenever you write please gratify my curiosity by telling me whether you have sold any fair number of my Journal.—7 The scheme seemed to me rash.—
Yours very sincerely | C. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
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.
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.
Origin 3d ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 3d edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1861.
Origin: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859.
Summary
Thinks third edition of Origin should advertise "additions and corrections", for the additions are important. They will add 30 pages to the book; there will also be a short historical sketch. Asks for some copies for friends.
Also curious to know how Journal of researches has sold. The new issue seemed a rash venture to him.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-3048
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Murray
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms.42152 ff.98–99)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3048,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3048.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 9