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From A. R. Wallace   30 September 1862

5, Westbourne Grove Terrace, W.

Septr. 30th. 1862

My dear Mr. Darwin

Many thanks for the third Ed. of the “Origin” which I found here on my return from Devonshire on Saturday.1

I have not had time yet to read more than the “Historical Sketch” which is very interesting & shews that the time had quite come for your book.2

I am now reading Herbert Spencer’s First Principles, which seems to me a truly great work, which goes to the root of everything.3

I hope you will be well enough to come to Cambridge.4

I remain | My dear Mr. Darwin | Yours very faithfully | Alfred R. Wallace

Footnotes

2
The third English edition of Origin, published in 1861, was the first to include the historical preface that CD had appended to the first American and German editions; the preface was entitled ‘An historical sketch of the recent progress of opinion on the origin of species’ (Origin 3d ed., pp. xiii–xix).
3
Spencer 1860–2. There is a partly uncut copy of this work in the Darwin Library–CUL (Marginalia 1: 769).
4
In 1862, the British Association for the Advancement of Science held its annual meeting in Cambridge during the first week of October. See also letter to W. D. Fox, 20 [September 1862], and letter to J. D. Hooker, 21 [September 1862].

Bibliography

Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.

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.

Spencer, Herbert. 1860–2. First principles. London: George Manwaring; Williams & Norgate.

Summary

Acknowledges 3d edition of Origin.

Praise of Herbert Spencer’s First Principles [1862].

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-3742
From
Alfred Russel Wallace
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Westbourne Grove Terrace, 5
Source of text
DAR 106/7 (ser. 2): 6
Physical description
ALS 2pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 3742,” accessed on 11 May 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-3742.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 10

letter

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