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Darwin Correspondence Project

From D. Appleton & Co.   23 February 1872

New York

Feb 23/72

Dear Sir

We have the pleasure to hand you the a/c of sales of yr books, showing a balance of £427.13.81   The difference charged being the cost of casts if Mr Murray had furnished them & the sum we were obliged to pay him makes some difference in the a/c. As we are unable to pay the percentage of 10% on the gross price unless you can secure the casts through yr London publisher we urge you to insist upon this with all future books— We have printed & sold abt. 2000 of yr old Journal.2

Very faithfully & truly | D. Appleton Co.

We have instructed Mr Layton3 our agent to send you a cheque for above amount

Sales by D Appleton & Co to Feby 1/71 of “Darwin’s Origin of the Species” for a/c of Charles Darwin

On hand last a/c 521
Printed since 500
Feby 1. 1871
On hand 502
Sold to date 519 @ $2 5% $51.90
Sales to Feby 1/72
On hand Feby 1/71 502
Printed since 4000
Feby 1/72
On hand 645
Sold to date 3857 $2 @ 5% 385.70

“Descent of Man” to Feby 1/72

Printed vol 1. 12.000
   "       "  2. 11.000
Feby 1/72
On hand 2335
given away 225
sold to date 20.440 @ $2 10% 4.088.–
Forward $4.525.60
Forward $4.525.60
On June 1/71 Paid in London by C. Layton £200 value
in Currency $1.109.91
Cost of Composition & Stereotyping here over the cost of Casts of
the English plates 1.100 2.209.91
$2.315.69
Value in Sterling Exch 11014 Gold 11012
£427.13.8

CD annotations

Verso of first page: ‘Origin 80£ or 78 | (80 Origin)’ pencil;
‘428
22
350 ’
ink

Footnotes

The payment is recorded in CD’s Account books–banking account (Down House MS) for 22 March 1872, broken down as £350 for Descent and £78 for the last edition of Origin (Origin 2d US ed.).
John Murray was CD’s English publisher. The reference is to Journal of researches US ed. (1871). CD had declined to have Descent US ed. and Origin 2d US ed. printed from stereotypes (see Correspondence vol. 17, letter from Charles Layton, 23 December 1869). Stereotyping was a process in which movable type was set up and used to make a mould, which could then be used to cast a metal plate for printing.

Bibliography

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

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Descent US ed.: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. New York: D. Appleton. 1871.

Journal of researches US ed. (1871): Journal of researches into the natural history and geology of the countries visited during the voyage of H.M.S. Beagle round the world, under the command of Capt. Fitz Roy, R.N. By Charles Darwin. New edition. New York: D. Appleton and Company. 1871.

Origin 2d US ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. By Charles Darwin. From the fifth London edition, with additions and corrections. New York: D. Appleton. 1870.

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

Enclosed account has had charged against it difference in costs between type composition in the U. S. and securing stereotype plates from Murray. CD should insist on securing plates from the London publisher of all future books, otherwise Appleton unable to pay 10% of gross price.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8222
From
D. Appleton & Co
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
New York
Source of text
DAR 159: 89
Physical description
ALS 3pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8222,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8222.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20

letter