12 Items
Page: 1
To Athenæum 24 January 1880
Summary
[Draft letter that was never sent, headed "First letter disapproved by everybody" in CD’s hand.] Explains that he had, in fact, mentioned in the MS of his part of Erasmus Darwin that Krause had added to his essay as it appeared in Kosmos. During subsequent revision, this mention was accidentally omitted. [Apropos of S. Butler’s charges against CD.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 24 Jan 1880 |
| Classmark: | DAR 92: B98–B101 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12439 |
From Samuel Butler to the Athenæum [before 31 January 1880]
Summary
Darwin’s ‘Life or Erasmus Darwin’ came out in November 1879, after the March 1879 publication of Samuel Butler’s ‘Evolution Old and New’. CD guarantees accuracy of a translation in the book of an article from Kosmos. CD said article appeared before ‘Evolution Old and New,’ but Butler thinks it takes material from it. Otherwise, CD published another article entirely. Butler strongly criticizes the translation published by CD. Describes correspondence with CD about the matter, and involvement of Pall Mall Gazette.
| Author: | Samuel Butler |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | [before 31 Jan 1880] |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 31 January 1880, p. 155 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12442F |
To Athenæum 1 February 1880
Summary
[A revised version (but also not sent) of the draft letter 12439.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 1 Feb 1880 |
| Classmark: | DAR 92: B102 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-12449 |
To Athenæum 18 April [1863]
Summary
Attacks the doctrine of "heterogeny" (spontaneous generation during each geological period) as completely lacking in evidence.
Defends natural selection as connecting large classes of facts in natural history. That certain forms have not changed since remote epochs is not an objection of any force.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 18 Apr [1863] |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 25 April 1863, pp. 554–5 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4108 |
To Athenæum 5 May [1863]
Summary
Replies to a reviewer’s statement, that any theory of descent will connect large classes of facts, by pointing out that no other explanation has been as satisfactory as natural selection. But whatever view is adopted "signifies extremely little in comparison with the admission that species have descended from other species and have not been created immutable".
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 5 May [1863] |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 9 May 1863, p. 617 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-4142 |
DCP-LETT-5308
Summary
Inquires whether readers of books and periodicals may not reasonably ask that they be delivered from publishers "ready cut". [See also Athenæum 22 Dec 1866, p. 848, for a letter in reply.]
| Author: | Unidentified |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | |
| Classmark: | Athenæum 1866.12.15: 803 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5308 |
To Athenæum 1 January 1867
Summary
Expresses his support for new books being sold with the pages cut.
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 1 Jan 1867 |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 5 January 1867, pp. 18–19 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-5343F |
From Ponderer to the Athenæum [before 5 June 1869]
Summary
Inquires how CD arrived at the conclusion that fifteen million elephants could be produced from a single pair in five centuries [Origin, 5th ed., p. 74].
| Author: | Ponderer |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | [before 5 June 1869] |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 5 June 1869, p. 772 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6775F |
To the Athenæum 19 June 1869
Summary
Thanks correspondent, "Ponderer", for pointing out his erroneous calculation of the rate of increase of elephants in Origin [p. 64]. [!?or p. 74!? (see 6775f), or 75, (see 6790)]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 19 June 1869 |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 26 June 1869, p. 861 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6787 |
From Edward Lacy Garbett to the Athenæum 29 June 1869
Summary
Calculations relating to the problem of the increase of elephants (see 6787).
| Author: | Edward Lacy Garbett |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 29 June 1869 |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 3 July 1869, pp. 18–19 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6806F |
To the Athenæum 7 [July] 1869
Summary
Because readers have arrived at different answers to the problem of the rate of increase of elephants, CD offers a rule, used by his son George, for calculating the product for any number of generations.
[Letter erroneously dated June.]
| Author: | Charles Robert Darwin |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 7 [July] 1869 |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 17 July 1869, p. 82 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6820 |
From E. L. Garbett to the Athenæum 19 July 1869
Summary
More on the problem of the increase of elephants (see 6806f and 6820).
| Author: | Edward Lacy Garbett |
| Addressee: | Athenæum |
| Date: | 19 July 1869 |
| Classmark: | Athenæum, 24 July 1869, p. 115 |
| Letter no: | DCP-LETT-6836F |
Author
| Darwin, C. R. | (7) |
| Garbett, E. L. | (2) |
| Butler, Samuel (b) | (1) |
| Ponderer | (1) |
| Unidentified | (1) |
Correspondent
| Athenæum | (12) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (7) |
| Garbett, E. L. | (2) |
| Butler, Samuel (b) | (1) |
| Ponderer | (1) |
Search:
in keywords
16 Items
British Association meeting 1860
Summary
Several letters refer to events at the British Association for the Advancement of Science held in Oxford, 26 June – 3 July 1860. Darwin had planned to attend the meeting but in the end was unable to. The most famous incident of the meeting was the verbal…
Matches: 5 hits
- … treatment for a stomach that had “utterly broken down” (letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [June 1860] ) …
- … the British Association in Oxford has been drawn from the Athenæum , which provided the most …
- … here, preceded by their precise attribution. Athenæum , 7 July 1860, p. 19: Introduction …
- … made Oxford uncommonly lively during the week. Athenæum , 7 July 1860, pp. 25–6: Thursday …
- … man from the monkey was the gift of speech. Athenæum , 14 July 1860, pp. 64–5: Saturday …
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 22 hits
- … species such as the mammoth ( Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 4 May [1860] and n. …
- … Galton. In February 1863, Lubbock received a letter from Lyell, evidently in response …
- … controversy arose when Richard Owen, writing in the Athenæum , accused Lyell of misrepresenting …
- … about Lyell’s failure to support him. In April 1863, in a letter to the Athenæum , he discussed a …
- … transmutation; he also wrote to Lyell telling him about the letter to the Athenæum . 9 …
- … to Falconer’s accusation, which had just appeared in the Athenæum . Darwin had not advised …
- … 1863b, p. 213). In May 1864, Lubbock received a letter from Falconer, who reiterated his …
- … and went on to say that he intended to make a copy of his letter to show to friends. 18 In …
- … wrote to Darwin to ask what he thought of the affair ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [2 June 1865] ). …
- … he reiterated his admiration for Lubbock’s book ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [4 June 1865] ). A week …
- … in the dispute. When Hooker pressed him for an opinion ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 July 1865 ), …
- … with Huxley in June and July and had seen Huxley’s letter to Hooker about the affair, 24 he …
- … reluctantly agreed to delete his own note. In his last letter to Huxley dealing with the affair, he …
- … 30 However, two weeks later, in his last letter to Hooker on the matter, Lubbock’s tone was …
- … the disputants had quarrelled openly on the pages of the Athenæum , this controversy was debated …
- … analysis of the situation was succinct. In his letter to Hooker of [4 June 1865] he warned that …
- … third edition of Antiquity of man (C. Lyell 1863c; see letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 June 1865 …
- … written in Swedish, he gave me an abstract for my use, in a letter dated December 1859. He referred …
- … 1983, Stocking 1987, and Van Riper 1993. 2. Letter from Charles Lyell to John Lubbock, 20 …
- … pp. 154–9. 7. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
- … 1973. 8. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] and …
- … Richard. 1863. Ape-origin of man as tested by the brain. Athenæum , 21 February 1863, pp. 262-3. …
Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad
Summary
At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of animals and plants under domestication, anticipating with excitement the construction of a hothouse to accommodate his increasingly varied botanical experiments…
Matches: 23 hits
- … that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
- … persevered with his work on Variation until 20 July, his letter-writing dwindled considerably. The …
- … from ‘some Quadrumanum animal’, as he put it in a letter to J. D. Hooker of 24[–5] February [1863] …
- … ‘I declare I never in my life read anything grander’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 26 [February 1863] …
- … than Origin had (see Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] ). …
- … from animals like the woolly mammoth and cave bear ( see letter from Jacques Boucher de Perthes, 23 …
- … leap from that of inferior animals made him ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
- … out that species were not separately created’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 17 March [1863] ). Public …
- … book he wished his one-time mentor had not said a word ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February …
- … I respect you, as my old honoured guide & master’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). …
- … against stronger statements regarding species change ( letter from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). …
- … thinking, while Huxley’s book would scare them off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In …
- … change of species by descent put him ‘into despair’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 11 May [1863] ). In the …
- … disaffected towards Lyell and his book. In a February letter to the Athenæum , a weekly review of …
- … find great difficulty in answering Owen unaided ’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
- … of so much of Lyell’s book being written by others’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] …
- … of species’, Darwin considered writing a letter to the Athenæum in response ( letter to J. D. …
- … Owen with the appearance of an anonymous review in the Athenæum of William Benjamin Carpenter’s …
- … of a scotched viper’, Darwin wrote a letter to the Athenæum in opposition to Owen’s review, in …
- … from J. D. Hooker, [23 February 1863] , and letter to Athenæum , 18 April [1863] ). He told …
- … Hooker implored him not to write any more letters to the Athenæum , stressing how much he …
- … Darwin agreed, and regretted that he had written to the Athenæum in response to Owen: ‘I have been …
- … April [1863] ), dismissing a reviewer in ‘that d——d Athenæum’ who accused Bates of bending his …
5935_4582
Summary
From J. D. Hooker 26[–7] February 1868KewFeby 26th/68Dear Darwin I have been bursting with impatience to hear what you would say of the Athenæum Review & who wrote it— I could not conceive who…
Matches: 10 hits
- … bursting with impatience to hear what you would say of the Athenæum Review & who wrote it— I …
- … Next morning — After rereading all this vaporous letter I shall try to answer your last page in a …
- … some] ‘(5)’ added before blue crayon Top of letter : ‘London— Athen. Lewes’ f10 blue …
- … attribtuted a critical review of Variation in the Athenæum to Richard Owen (see letter to J. …
- … of Cambridge ([Beverley] 1867) was reviewed in the Athenæum , 8 February 1868, pp. 217–18. …
- … Chronicle , 22 February 1868, p. 184, in his letter to Hooker of 23 February [1868]. f4 …
- … f10 These annotations are for CD’s reply. See letter to J. D. Hooker, 28 February [1868] and nn. …
- … Letter details From Hooker, J. D. To Darwin, C. R. …
- … Could not believe Owen to be so demoniacal as to write the Athenæum review [of Variation ]. …
- … Tries to answer question on last page of CD’s letter anent sexuality. …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 24 hits
- … and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
- … in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
- … botanist Asa Gray. Darwin and Hooker Letter 714 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
- … to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, …
- … and asks him to append the ranges of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. …
- … and relationships of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … and their approach to information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D …
- … first describer’s name to specific name. Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., …
- … in October mail, and some “puerile” letters printed in Athenæum . He requests Darwin extract …
- … perpetuity of names in species descriptions. Letter 1260 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. …
- … ends with a discussion of lamination of gneiss. Letter 1319 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, …
- … up his doubts about Darwin’s doctrines. In his second letter he talks about his visit with Falconer. …
- … was on the Beagle voyage and afterwards. Letter 152 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. …
- … is Henslow’s “bounden duty to lecture me”. Letter 196 — Henslow, J. S. to Darwin, C. R. …
- … sends home a copy of his notes on the specimens. Letter 249 — Henslow, J. S. to Darwin, …
- … sends news of Cambridge and mutual friends. Letter 251 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. S …
- … illness and specimens are sent to Henslow. Letter 272 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, J. S. …
- … collection and plans to cross the Cordilleras. Letter 1189 — Darwin, C. R. to Henslow, …
- … Hermann Müller. Darwin and Lubbock Letter 1585 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, John, …
- … and it has reawakened his passion for entomology. Letter 1720 — Darwin, C. R. to …
- … 147 (1857): 79–100]. Darwin and Müller Letter 5457 — Müller, H. L. H. to Darwin, …
- … of the floral anatomy of Lopezia miniata . Letter 5471 — Darwin, C. R. to Müller, H. …
How to manage it: To J. D. Hooker, [17 June 1865]
Summary
Sometimes, what stands out in a Darwin letter is not what is in it, but what is left out or just implied because the recipient would have known what Darwin was referring to. It is frustrating to spend hours looking but fail to identify something mentioned…
Matches: 6 hits
- … Sometimes, what stands out in a Darwin letter is not what is in it, but what is left out or just …
- … but fail to identify something mentioned or alluded to in a letter, but incredibly satisfying to …
- … work and a dash of luck is found in a relatively short letter written by Darwin in June 1865 to his …
- … Henrietta’s interest in a ‘controversy’ discussed in a letter from their mutual friend Thomas Huxley …
- … print unbearable. The first step was to look at the letter from Hooker to which this letter …
- … written in 1864, had received a favourable review in the Athenæum in January 1865. It had all …
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 24 hits
- … [Smart 1839] about connection of language & Reason— In Athenæum Library. Volneys 18 …
- … [Thacker 1834–5] p. 291 Athenæum 1839. p. 546— M r Conrad has published …
- … 1839]. with remarks on geograph distrib of Man. Mentioned by Athenæum 1839 p. 765. in Geograph. Soc? …
- … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
- … of Domestic & Foreign Bees [Jardine ed. 1840]: (Athenæum 1840 p. 195) “Boltons …
- … system Encyclop of Rural Sports [Blaine 1840] (at Athenæum?) Book II Chapt. 4 on variation by …
- … Edited by Wilson 1841 [Moorcroft and Trebeck 1841]. (Athenæum p. 147)—account of varieties of …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … des Haras, des Chasses et des Courses de Chevaux ] in Athenæum Youatt ‘Essay on the …
- … contains good account of Silkworm, wh I have extracted from Athenæum 44. p. 379.— probably worth …
- … (1844) Blofield Algeria. 1844. Newby [Blofeld 1844]. Athenæum says account of domestic …
- … M rs Fry’s Life [Fry 1847] Horace Walpoles letter to C t . of Ossory [Walpole 1848] …
- … Asiatic Society ]—contains very little Macleay’s letter to D r Fleming [Macleay 1830] …
- … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
- … Auswahl der Wichtigsten Urkunden des Ægypt [Lepsius 1842]. Athenæum 1842. (nothing) Beytrage …
- … of the material from these portfolios is in DAR 205, the letter from William Edward Shuckard to …
- … ( Notebooks , pp. 319–28). 55 The letter was addressed to Nicholas Aylward Vigors …
- … to William Jackson Hooker. See Correspondence vol. 3, letter to J. D. Hooker, [5 or 12 November …
- … 119: 21b Broughton, William Grant. 1832. A letter in vindication of the principles of …
- … by Bekhur to Garoo and the Lake Manasarowara: with a letter from … J. G. Gerard, Esq. …
- … 1830. On the dying struggle of the dichotomous sytem. In a letter to N. A. Vigors. Philosophical …
- … *119: 8v., 22v.; *128: 165 ——. 1850a. Letter to the Rev. John Bachman, on the question of …
- … art of improving the breeds of domestic animals. In a letter addressed to the Right Hon. Sir …
- … 1820. Remarks on the improvement of cattle, &c. in a letter to Sir John Saunders Sebright, …
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 4 hits
- … 17 March [1867] ). He noted another factor in a letter to Gray, remarking, ‘I am going on with my …
- … In April 1873, the publisher John Murray announced in the Athenæum that a book by Darwin with …
- … [1873] ). In September, Darwin wrote a long letter to Nature commenting on a seemingly …
- … A. R. Wallace, 13 December 1876 ). No reply to this letter has been found, but Darwin had long …
Darwin in letters, 1864: Failing health
Summary
On receiving a photograph from Charles Darwin, the American botanist Asa Gray wrote on 11 July 1864: ‘the venerable beard gives the look of your having suffered, and … of having grown older’. Because of poor health, Because of poor health, Darwin…
Matches: 29 hits
- … of the five physicians Darwin had consulted in 1863. In a letter of 26[–7] March [1864] , Darwin …
- … and he received more letters of advice from Jenner. In a letter of 15 December [1864] to the …
- … As Darwin explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the …
- … observations indoors ( Correspondence vol. 11). In a letter of [27 January 1864] , Darwin …
- … gradation by which leaves produce tendrils’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [8 February 1864] ). …
- … fearfully for it is a leaf climber & therefore sacred’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 2 June [1864] …
- … matters which routinists regard in the light of axioms’ ( letter from Daniel Oliver, [17 March 1864 …
- … long series of changes . . .’ When he told Asa Gray in a letter of 29 October [1864] that he was …
- … paper was published, Darwin remarked to Hooker in a letter of 26 November [1864] that nothing …
- … of the two species with the common oxlip. In a letter of 22 October [1864] , Darwin triumphantly …
- … the ‘splendid case of Dimorphism’ in Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. …
- … this interest. At the start of the year, he received a letter, insect specimens, and an article on …
- … that it was ‘the best medicine for my stomach’ ( letter to Daniel Oliver, 17 February [1864] ). …
- … at the Royal Botanic Garden, Edinburgh, in 1862 with a letter regarding the fertilisation of the …
- … two years, with his stipend being paid by Darwin himself ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [1 April 1864] …
- … is difficult enough to play your part over them’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [2 April 1864] ). …
- … troublesome … they do require very careful treatment’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 8 April 1864 ). …
- … the conclusion that in giving I am hastening the fall’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 20 April 1864 ) …
- … his indomitable perseverance, and his knowledge’ ( letter to John Scott, 10 June 1864 ). Hooker …
- … basis he recommended a first-class cabin for the journey ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [15 August …
- … and curators at a great distance. Gray forwarded a letter from Charles Wright, a plant collector in …
- … to the materialist philosophy of Ludwig Buchner ( letter from Hermann Kindt, 5 September 1864 ). …
- … himself. Haeckel’s scientific life, he reported in a letter of 9 [July 1864] , had been …
- … often called me her German “Darwin–Mann” ’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 10 August 1864 ). Haeckel …
- … to listen to any thing from him except á la Darwin!’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 November 186[4] …
- … chosen the previous year when he sent two letters to the Athenæum ( Correspondence vol. 11). …
- … 1864a, p. 567). In 1864, Darwin received his first letter from Benjamin Dann Walsh, a new …
- … widely throughout the eastern and mid-western states. In his letter to Darwin of 7 November 1864, …
- … manner in which you have bearded this lion in his den’ ( letter to B. D. Walsh, 4 December [1864] …
Darwin in letters, 1860: Answering critics
Summary
On 7 January 1860, John Murray published the second edition of Darwin’s Origin of species, printing off another 3000 copies to satisfy the demands of an audience that surprised both the publisher and the author. It wasn't long, however, before ‘the…
Matches: 28 hits
- … learn that the book was on sale even in railway stations ( letter to Charles Lyell, 14 January …
- … the book, thinking that it would be nice easy reading.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] ). …
- … he told Hooker, did not at all concern his main argument ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1860] …
- … his theory would have been ‘ utterly smashed’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). (A …
- … from right principles of scientific investigation.—’ ( letter to J. S. Henslow, 8 May [1860] ). …
- … a theory solely by explaining an ample lot of facts.’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 18 February [1860] ). …
- … phenomena it comes in time to be admitted as real.’ ( letter to C. J. F. Bunbury, 9 February [1860] …
- … natural selection did not necessarily lead to progression ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [and 19 …
- … considered it more a failure than a success ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 February [1860] ). …
- … naturalists because more accustomed to reasoning.’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 18 May 1860 ). …
- … two physiologists, and five botanists ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 March [1860] ). Others, like …
- … tail, whenever I gaze at it, makes me sick!’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 April [1860] ). By the …
- … favour of change of form’, namely those of embryology ( letter to Asa Gray, 10 September [1860] ). …
- … his study of the geographical distribution of species ( see letter from T. H. Huxley, 6 August 1860 …
- … ‘man is in same predicament with other animals’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 10 January [1860] )— he …
- … book had become ‘topics of the day’ at the meeting in a letter from Hooker written from Oxford. …
- … Darwin ‘master of the field after 4 hours battle’ (letter from J. D. Hooker, 2 July 1860). Other …
- … that ‘this row is best thing for subject.—’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 July [1860] ). Further …
- … if the whole were already proved) to his own views.—’ ( letter from J. S. Henslow to J. D. Hooker, …
- … ‘how differently different opposers view the subject’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 15 February [1860] …
- … studying the first published piece: 'I said in a former letter that you were a Lawyer; but I …
- … that these visits have led to changed structure.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 27 April [1860] ). …
- … several months later, ‘just as at a game of chess.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 [July 1860] ). …
- … substance from non=nitrogenised substances.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 31 [August 1860] ). Relying …
- … scarcely be believed without further supporting evidence ( letter to Edward Cresy, 12 December …
- … ‘how much better fun observing is than writing.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 12 September [1860] ) …
- … hope & think I shall improve the Book considerably.—’ ( letter to John Murray, 5 December [1860 …
- … of some good judge coming some little way with me.’ ( letter to John Innes, 28 December [1860] ). …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
Matches: 23 hits
- … he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. This …
- … has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
- … to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
- … as evidence for what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
- … throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
- … his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
- … selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell …
- … Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
- … on Charles Lyell’s endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the …
- … McKinney has suggested that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same …
- … Brooks maintains that Darwin received Wallace’s letter even earlier, perhaps as early as 14 May. …
- … of the Peninsular & Oriental Company, and assuming that the letter to Darwin was posted at the …
- … 20 May via Southampton. According to Brooks, Darwin kept the letter for a month, during which time …
- … at Down on 18 June. In the absence of Wallace’s letter or of any firm evidence for the date of its …
- … work, and he shows no sign of anxiety. He says in a letter to Syms Covington, 18 May [1858], that he …
- … ‘There is not least hurry in world about my M.S.’ In his letter to Hooker of 8 June [1858], he …
- … of someone who is distressed, as Darwin clearly was in his letter to Lyell, at the prospect of …
- … papers at the Linnean Society on 1 July 1858, including a letter from Wallace to Hooker thanking him …
- … Darwin was during the days immediately following his letter to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest …
- … of his material would require a ‘small volume’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 October [1858] ). …
- … kidney beans’, to the Gardeners’ Chronicle (see letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle, [before 13 …
- … for the work. Again, he called upon Lyell for advice ( letter to Charles Lyell, 28 March [1859] ). …
- … first reviews of Origin began to appear. One in the Athenæum disturbed Darwin, not simply …
Darwin in letters, 1868: Studying sex
Summary
The quantity of Darwin’s correspondence increased dramatically in 1868 due largely to his ever-widening research on human evolution and sexual selection.Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as applied to human descent led him to investigate aspects of the…
Matches: 30 hits
- … in satisfying female preference in the mating process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, …
- … of changing the races of man’ (Correspondence vol. 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). …
- … book would take the form of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But …
- … as well say, he would drink a little and not too much’ ( letter to Albert Günther, 15 May [1868] ) …
- … would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to …
- … of labour to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). …
- … if I try to read a few pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). …
- … reviews. On 7 August 1868 , he wrote him a lengthy letter from the Isle of Wight on the formation …
- … on 23 February , ‘did you look at the Review in the Athenæum, showing profound contempt of me. I …
- … would strike me in the face, but not behind my back’ ( letter to John Murray, 25 February [1868] ) …
- … ignorant article… . It is a disgrace to the paper’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] …
- … ‘he is a scamp & I begin to think a veritable ass’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 1 September [1868] …
- … wrote of the colour of duck claws on 17 April 1868 . The letter was addressed to ‘the Rev d C. …
- … proved very fruitful. On 1 May , Darwin received a letter from George Cupples, who was encouraged …
- … with the enthusiastic breeder, who apologised in a letter of 11–13 May 1868 for his ‘voluminuous …
- … of science On 27 February , Darwin sent a letter of thanks to the naturalist and …
- … he later added, ‘for it is clear that I have none’ ( letter to J. J. Weir, 30 May [1868] ). …
- … to various classes, a dim ray of light may be gained’ ( letter to H. T. Stainton, 21 February [1868 …
- … as well as of ‘victorious males getting wives’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 25 February [1868] ). …
- … of females was remarked upon by other entomologists ( letter from Roland Trimen, 20 February 1868 …
- … and Coleoptera on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday …
- … for as sure as life he wd find the odour sexual!’ ( letter to A . R. Wallace, 16 September [1868] …
- … George Robert Crotch, writing to his mother Emma in a letter dated [after 16 October 1868] : ‘I …
- … box of preparations to papa … I will write a less beetley letter soon.’ Other relations …
- … present had taken no particular interest in the dyed hen ( letter from Harrison Weir, 28 March 1868 …
- … in the great question of the “Origin of Species”’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 4 October 1868 ). …
- … weapon in the hands of the enemies of Nat. Selection’ ( letter from A. R. Wallace, 8 [April] 1868 …
- … A correspondent of Hooker’s distributed it in Japan ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 5 September 1868 ) …
- … to Aboriginal mission stations in Victoria, Australia ( letter from R. B. Smyth, 13 August 1868 ); …
- … on the weeping of her two-month old daughter Katherine ( letter from C. M. Hawkshaw to Emma Darwin, …
The writing of "Origin"
Summary
From a quiet rural existence at Down in Kent, filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on the transmutation of species, Darwin was jolted into action in 1858 by the arrival of an unexpected letter (no longer extant) from Alfred Russel Wallace outlining a…
Matches: 23 hits
- … whole has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.— (letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November …
- … to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
- … as evidence for what actually occurred in nature (see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
- … throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
- … his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
- … selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell …
- … Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ (letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
- … on Charles Lyell’s endorsement, the editors have dated the letter 18 [June 1858]. However, the …
- … McKinney has suggested that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same …
- … Brooks maintains that Darwin received Wallace’s letter even earlier, perhaps as early as 14 May. …
- … of the Peninsular & Oriental Company, and assuming that the letter to Darwin was posted at the …
- … 20 May via Southampton. Accordingto Brooks, Darwin kept the letter for a month, during which time he …
- … at Down on 18 June. In the absence of Wallace’s letter or of any firm evidence for the date of its …
- … work, and he shows no sign of anxiety. He says in a letter to Syms Covington, 18 May [1858] , …
- … ‘There is not least hurry in world about my M.S.’ In his letter to Hooker of 8 June [1858] , he …
- … of someone who is distressed, as Darwin clearly was in his letter to Lyell, at the prospect of …
- … Society on 1 July 1858. It also includes an unpublished letter from Wallace to Hooker thanking him …
- … Darwin was during the days immediately following his letter to Lyell. On 18 June 1858, his eldest …
- … abstract of his material would require a ‘small volume’ (letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 October [1858] …
- … for the work. Again, he called upon Lyell for advice (letter to Charles Lyell, 28 March [1859] ). …
- … Darwin held firm to the original plan of his book (see letter from Elwin to Murray, 3 May 1859 , …
- … ‘an abstract’ from the title of the forthcoming book (letter to Charles Lyell, 30 March [1859] ). …
- … first reviews of Origin began to appear. One in the Athenæum disturbed Darwin, not simply …
Darwin in letters, 1869: Forward on all fronts
Summary
At the start of 1869, Darwin was hard at work making changes and additions for a fifth edition of Origin. He may have resented the interruption to his work on sexual selection and human evolution, but he spent forty-six days on the task. Much of the…
Matches: 27 hits
- … & I am sick of correcting’ ( Correspondence vol. 16, letter to W. D. Fox, 12 December [1868 …
- … Well it is a beginning, & that is something’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [22 January 1869] ). …
- … made any blunders, as is very likely to be the case’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 January 1869 ). …
- … than I now see is possible or probable’ (see also letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 January [1869] , …
- … is strengthened by the facts in distribution’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] ). Darwin …
- … tropical species using Croll’s theory. In the same letter to Croll, Darwin had expressed …
- … a very long period before the Cambrian formation’ ( letter to James Croll, 31 January [1869] …
- … data to go by, but don’t think we have got that yet’ ( letter from James Croll, 4 February 1869 ). …
- … I d have been less deferential towards [Thomson]’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 19 March [1869] ). …
- … completed revisions of the ‘everlasting old Origin’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 1 June [1869] ), he was …
- … him however in his researches I would willingly do so’ ( letter from Robert Elliot to George …
- … with his noisy courting of the female in the garden ( letter from Frederick Smith, 8 October 1869 …
- … doubted her ability to recognise the different varieties ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 25 February …
- … weary of everlasting males & females, cocks & hens.—’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 13 November …
- … with much more of the same description’ ( enclosure to letter from Henry Maudsley, 20 May 1869 ). …
- … in an additional & proximate cause in regard to Man’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 …
- … orang-utan, and the bird of paradise (Wallace 1869a; letter to A. R. Wallace, 22 March [1869] ) …
- … does himself an injustice & never demands justice’ ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 14 April 1869 ). …
- … geological structures of the South American cordillera ( letter to Charles Lyell, 20 May 1869 ), …
- … of the same species that Darwin had investigated in depth ( letter from C. F. Claus, 6 February …
- … role of earthworms in the formation of the soil ( letter to Gardeners’ Chronicle , 9 May [1869] …
- … sundew), a genus that he had studied in the early 1860s ( letter to W. C. Tait, 12 and 16 March …
- … for either the fourth or the fifth English editions ( see letter from Victor Masson, 29 September …
- … not employ [her] to translate “Domestic Animals”’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 19 November [1869] ). …
- … before offering my book to English readers.—’ ( letter from Fritz Müller, 15 June 1869 ). …
- … He literally poured boiling oil over the bumptious man’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 7 September …
- … it had been weekly, as then perhaps it would have killed the Athenæum by a lingering death, & …
Darwin in letters, 1861: Gaining allies
Summary
The year 1861 marked an important change in the direction of Darwin’s work. He had weathered the storm that followed the publication of Origin, and felt cautiously optimistic about the ultimate acceptance of his ideas. The letters from this year provide an…
Matches: 29 hits
- … will do me & Natural Selection, right good service’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 26–7 Februrary [1861] …
- … ‘barometer’ of scientific opinion, Charles Lyell ( see letter to Charles Lyell, 20 July [1861] ). …
- … selection could not be ‘directly proved’ ( see second letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 [April 1861] ). …
- … was ‘the only one proper to such a subject’ ( letter from Henry Fawcett, 16 July [1861] ). Mill in …
- … or against some view if it is to be of any service!’ ( letter to Henry Fawcett, 18 September [1861] …
- … chapter on the imperfection of the geological record ( see letter to George Maw, 19 July [1861] ). …
- … he planned to report ‘at a favourable opportunity’ ( letter from Joseph Leidy, 4 March [1861] ). …
- … laboratory where Nature manufactures her new species’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 28 March [1861] ) …
- … study of natural history was evident. He told Darwin in his letter of [1 December] 1861: …
- … by insect enemies from which the other set is free’ ( letter from H. W. Bates, 30 September 1861 ) …
- … be a ‘very valuable contribution to Nat. History.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 4 April [1861] ). He …
- … causes &c’, and ‘Monkeys,—our poor cousins.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 3 December [1861] ). …
- … a view to obtaining ‘large distribution’ for the work ( letter to H. W. Bates, 25 September [1861] …
- … between human and ‘anthropoid’ brains. Conducted in the Athenæum, in the ‘mildly episcophagous’ …
- … him on producing ‘a complete and awful smasher’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). Ever …
- … but he and Owen would ‘never be friends again’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). …
- … fully believe a better man never walked this earth’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 [May 1861] ). …
- … could perhaps ‘throw some light on Hybridisation’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 16 September [1861] ). …
- … the diversity & perfection of the contrivances.–-’ ( letter of [28 July–10 August 1861] ). …
- … had ‘some direct bearing on the subject of species’ ( letter to Henry Fawcett, 18 September [1861] …
- … whether I am not doing a foolish action in publishing’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 17 November [1861] …
- … ‘it is such tedious work comparing skeletons—’ ( letter to Jean Louis Armand de Quatrefage de Bréau …
- … on the subject had been ‘one long gigantic blunder’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 September [1861] …
- … £800, and would so ‘be at once an almost rich man’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1861] ). The …
- … of what was thought to be ‘a form of typhus fever’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 11 May 1860 ). This …
- … to take up his new position. William’s description, in his letter of [17 November 1861], of his …
- … two or three respectable persons on your own account’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 17 [October 1861] …
- … to see that greatest curse on Earth Slavery abolished’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 5 June [1861] ): …
- … acceptance of the theories set forth in Origin ( see letter to P. L. Sclater, 12 [March 1861] …
Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 16 hits
- … an illustration of how selection might work in nature ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. …
- … the real structure of varieties’, he remarked to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 September [1856 …
- … ‘& I mean to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] …
- … plants, he asked Asa Gray, vary in the United States ( letter to Asa Gray, 2 May 1856 )? What …
- … plants pretty effectually’ complained Darwin in 1857 ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May 1857] ). …
- … John Lubbock that his method of calculation was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). …
- … ‘Darwin, an absolute & eternal hermaphrodite’ ( letter to to T. H. Huxley, 1 July [1856] ), …
- … which the bird had naturally eaten have grown well.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1856] …
- … he wrote to Syms Covington in New South Wales ( letter to Syms Covington, 9 March 1856 ). …
- … and trouble trying to get friends and relations into the Athenæum Club. Several letters touch on the …
- … his work on species and the preparation of his manuscript ( letter to A. R. Wallace, 1 May 1857 ) …
- … a preliminary sketch was apparently first made in a letter written by Lyell from London on 1–2 May …
- … and went up to London to see Lyell to discuss it further ( letter to Charles Lyell, 3 May [1856] ) …
- … Hearing about the party afterwards, Lyell reported in a letter to his brother-in-law that, ‘When …
- … so far, and not embrace the whole Lamarckian doctrine.’ ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, …
- … in his views to explain them in explicit detail in a long letter to Asa Gray ( letter to Asa Gray, …
