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From Asa Gray   25 February [1868]1

Feb, 25,

Dear D,

Yours of 9th this moment in. How could I have written “New York” meaning “Philadelphia,” as Rothrock’s address, But I am becoming stupid.2

I do not wonder at your book being taken up at once3—by the great numbers of people who read & understand it, and the 1000s who jump at any thing written by so notorious a writer as you are. The Origin will sell anything,—and I believe people will get more for their money in this book than in even that, if they care for facts—which generally they do not.4

In new ed,—correct 2, p. 227, Florida instead of “Virginia” for those pigs of Wyman’s. I think you have it Florida in Origin.

You have repeated the mistake elsewhere—later—in the volume, but have not referred to it in your wonderful Index—so I cant turn to it now.5

2, p, 30 from bottom, “in formed for “informed.”6

2, p, 135, “panicles” should be “spikes”7

Vol, 1, p, 310, foot

What of Persimmon, Hickory & Pecan nuts, Bimina (Papaw) the best sorts of strawberries,—etc,—Pumpkin—but that probably not N. of Mexico or its borders.8

A.G.

Please send me a copy of the reprint.

My sheets are much soiled & marked.

Footnotes

1
The year is established by the reference to Variation (see n. 3, below).
2
CD’s letter to Gray has not been found. Joseph Trimble Rothrock was a former student of Gray’s who had supplied CD with answers to his queries on the expression of emotions (see Correspondence vol. 15).
3
The reference is to Variation, all copies of which had sold within a week of publication (see letter from John Murray, 6 February [1868]).
4
Gray refers to Origin. He had helped to arrange the publication of the American edition (Origin US ed., see Correspondence vol. 8, Appendix IV), and had contacted a publisher regarding an American edition of Variation (see letter from Asa Gray, 24 February 1868).
5
The information from Jeffreys Wyman about pigs in Florida had been added to Origin 3d ed., p. 12. The same example was given in Variation 2: 227 and 336, but with ‘Virginia’ in place of Florida. Gray’s corrections would have arrived too late for incorporation in the second printing of Variation. This correction was not made to the second edition of Variation.
6
This mistake was corrected in the second printing of Variation.
7
‘Panicles’ appears in Variation 2: 105. It is not changed in the second printing, but in the second edition it is replaced by ‘heads’ (Variation 2d ed., 2: 82–3.
8
CD had written ‘It has often been remarked that we do not owe a single useful plant to Australia, or the Cape of Good Hope … or to New Zealand, or to America south of the Plata; and according to some authors, not to America northward of Mexico’ (Variation 1: 310). This passage was unchanged in the second printing and second edition.

Bibliography

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

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 US ed.: On the origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. A new edition, revised and augmented by the author. By Charles Darwin. New York: D. Appleton. 1860.

Variation 2d ed.: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875.

Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.

Summary

AG is not surprised at popularity of CD’s Variation. Gives some corrections for next edition.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-5928
From
Asa Gray
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
unstated
Source of text
DAR 165: 162
Physical description
ALS 4pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 5928,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-5928.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16

letter

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