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 |
| letter | (12) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (7) |
| Garbett, E. L. | (2) |
| Butler, Samuel (b) | (1) |
| Ponderer | (1) |
| Unidentified | (1) |
| Athenæum | (12) |
| Athenæum | |
| Butler, Samuel (b) | (1) |
| Darwin, C. R. | (7) |
| Garbett, E. L. | (2) |
| Ponderer | (1) |
| Unidentified | (1) |
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: 4 hits
- … 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: 7 hits
- … controversy arose when Richard Owen, writing in the Athenæum , accused Lyell of misrepresenting …
- … failure to support him. In April 1863, in a letter to the Athenæum , he discussed a passage in …
- … he also wrote to Lyell telling him about the letter to the Athenæum . 9 In the …
- … to Falconer’s accusation, which had just appeared in the Athenæum . Darwin had not advised …
- … the disputants had quarrelled openly on the pages of the Athenæum , this controversy was debated …
- … 9. See Correspondence vol. 11, letter to Athenæum , 18 April [1863] , and letter to …
- … 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: 9 hits
- … towards Lyell and his book. In a February letter to the Athenæum , a weekly review of science, …
- … ). Falconer published his criticisms in a letter in the Athenæum , on 4 April, concluding with an …
- … 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 …
List of correspondents
Summary
Below is a list of Darwin's correspondents with the number of letters for each one. Click on a name to see the letters Darwin exchanged with that correspondent. "A child of God" (1) Abberley,…
Matches: 1 hits
- … Ashley-Cooper, Anthony (1) Athenæum (11) …
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: 4 hits
- … bursting with impatience to hear what you would say of the Athenæum Review & who wrote it— I …
- … 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. …
- … Could not believe Owen to be so demoniacal as to write the Athenæum review [of Variation ]. …
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: 1 hits
- … in October mail, and some “puerile” letters printed in Athenæum . He requests Darwin extract …
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: 1 hits
- … 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: 10 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? …
- … 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 …
- … 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 …
- … Auswahl der Wichtigsten Urkunden des Ægypt [Lepsius 1842]. Athenæum 1842. (nothing) Beytrage …
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: 1 hits
- … In April 1873, the publisher John Murray announced in the Athenæum that a book by Darwin with …
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: 1 hits
- … first reviews of Origin began to appear. One in the Athenæum disturbed Darwin, not simply …
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: 1 hits
- … first reviews of Origin began to appear. One in the Athenæum disturbed Darwin, not simply …
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: 1 hits
- … the meeting, taken from the contemporary report in the Athenæum , are given in …
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: 1 hits
- … chosen the previous year when he sent two letters to the Athenæum ( Correspondence vol. 11). …
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: 1 hits
- … on 23 February , ‘did you look at the Review in the Athenæum, showing profound contempt of me. I …
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: 1 hits
- … between human and ‘anthropoid’ brains. Conducted in the Athenæum, in the ‘mildly episcophagous’ …
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: 1 hits
- … and trouble trying to get friends and relations into the Athenæum Club. Several letters touch on the …
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: 1 hits
- … it had been weekly, as then perhaps it would have killed the Athenæum by a lingering death, & …
