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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: 20 hits
- … The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural …
- … Russel Wallace. This letter led to the first announcement of Darwin’s and Wallace’s respective …
- … and prompted the composition and publication, in November 1859, of Darwin’s major treatise On the …
- … exceeded my wildest hopes By the end of 1859, Darwin’s work was being discussed in …
- … ‘When I was in spirits’, he told Lyell at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes fancied that my book w d …
- … hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). This transformation in Darwin’s personal …
- … The 'big book' The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at work preparing his ‘big …
- … his ninth chapter, on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to prepare the …
- … appropriate. The correspondence shows that at any one time Darwin was engaged in a number of …
- … The chapter on instinct posed a number of problems for Darwin. ‘I find my chapter on Instinct very …
- … for on this view wherever many closely related species, (i.e. species of the same genus) have been …
- … myself that all was much alike, & if you condemned that you w d . condemn all—my life’s work— …
- … the writing of this ‘abstract’ continued until March 1859; the resulting volume was published in …
- … Botanic Gardens at Kew (see Appendix VII). The year 1859 began auspiciously with Darwin …
- … 1854) ( Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society 15 (1859): xxv). One of the most …
- … theory. As he wrote in his introductory essay (Hooker 1859, p. ii): 'In the present Essay I …
- … to test such a theory. His essay, published in December 1859, was the first serious study of the …
- … to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was …
- … required a fresh act of intervention to supply the lacunas w h . he himself had made’ ( letter …
- … got much more larky since we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). …
Women as a scientific audience
Summary
Target audience? | Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those exchanged with his editors and publisher, reveal a lot about his intended audience. Regardless of whether or not women were deliberately targeted as a…
Matches: 6 hits
- … Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
- … a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
- … women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
- … that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
- … and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
- … readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] Darwin …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 20 hits
- … | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
- … community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
- … Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August 1849] Darwin …
- … peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to Darwin, [29 October …
- … garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [6 June 1864] Darwin’s …
- … 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] Darwin’s …
- … Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] Anne Jane Cupples, …
- … her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, [1873] Ellen …
- … insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [22 February 1858] …
- … New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
- … on the wallpaper. Letter 5756 - Langton, E. & C. to Wedgwood S. E., [after 9 …
- … Himalaya and Tibet. Letter 4139 - Darwin, W. E. to Darwin, [4 May 1863] …
- … detail. Family letter: Darwin, E. to Darwin, W. E., [January 23rd 1887]: Emma …
- … of his garden. Letter 4233 - Tegetmeier, W. B. to Darwin, [29 June - 7 July 1863] …
- … Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] Darwin asks his publisher, John …
- … Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] Darwin expresses anxiety over …
- … and edited by “a lady”. Darwin, E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March, 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) …
- … Letter 2475 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [2 July 1859] Darwin returns the manuscript of …
- … Letter 2501 - Lyell, C. to Darwin, [3 October 1859] Lyell offers praise and …
- … over. Letter 8153 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [9 January 1872] Darwin …
Religion
Summary
Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…
Matches: 12 hits
- … the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same …
- … nineteenth century were different in important ways. Many of Darwin's leading supporters were …
- … their religious beliefs with evolutionary theory. Darwin's own writing, both in print and …
- … much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to draw Darwin out on his own religious views, …
- … political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
- … on the controversial topic of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, …
- … second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to Darwin on design and natural selection. …
- … Letter 2534 — Kingsley, Charles to Darwin, C. R., 18 Nov 1859 Clergyman Charles Kingsley …
- … Letter 2548 — Sedgwick, Adam to Darwin, C. R., 24 Nov 1859 Woodwardian Professor of geology, …
- … Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. E., 14 Dec 1866 Darwin believes he is unable to …
- … Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E., 16 Nov [1871] Darwin explains why he must …
- … Letter 1536 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, J. W. (b), 11 Oct [1853] Darwin gives his opinion to …
Darwin on race and gender
Summary
Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with those of class. In Descent of man, he tried to explain the origin of human races, and many of the differences between the sexes, with a single theory: sexual selection. Sexual…
Matches: 18 hits
- … Darwin’s views on race and gender are intertwined, and mingled also with …
- … in beetles. The unity of human species Darwin believed that the same process of sexual …
- … gradually increase those features over long periods of time. Darwin’s theory was based partly on the …
- … seemed to prevail across the globe. In Descent , Darwin also addressed widely held beliefs …
- … of ‘species’, ‘varieties’, and ‘races’. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity of the human species, …
- … Gender and civilisation In his early notebooks, Darwin remarked that survival value or …
- … , B74). In his later writings on plants and animals, Darwin remained consistent on this point, and …
- … improvement, or design. However, when it came to humans, Darwin reintroduced the structure of …
- … and present, on the basis of their ‘civilization’. Here Darwin drew on contemporary anthropology, …
- … colonial conquests and expansion abroad. Thus, while Darwin’s views on race differed widely …
- … in the success of nations’ ( Descent 1: 239). For Darwin, the civilising process was essentially …
- … men, and of non-European peoples becoming ‘civilized’ (i.e. European). Of the three Yahgans who had …
- … 11 April 1833 Letter to C. R. Lyell, 11 October [1859] Letter to Charles …
- … Press. Desmond, Adrian and James Moore. 2009. Darwin's sacred cause . London: Allen …
- … of Science 6: 9–23 [in a special issue on ‘Descent of Darwin: race, sex, and human nature’]. …
- … . New York: The Free Press. Voss, Julia. 2007, Darwin’s pictures: views of evolutionary …
- … with women Key letters : Letter to H. E. Darwin, [8 February 1870] …
- … 28 January 1882 Further Reading: Darwin, Descent of man (1871), 2: 326–9. …
Origin
Summary
Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew out of his wish to establish priority for the species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, and had resisted suggestions in 1856…
Matches: 23 hits
- … Darwin’s most famous work, Origin, had an inauspicious beginning. It grew …
- … species theory he had spent over twenty years researching. Darwin never intended to write Origin, …
- … of the first public presentation of documents relating to Darwin’s species theory together with …
- … Down for a few weeks to the Isle of Wight. Although Darwin and Wallace’s papers were …
- … . In reply, Hooker provided reassurance by suggesting that Darwin might be able to have 100 to 150 …
- … the big book on large and small genera, and was able to tell Darwin ‘ you overrate the extent of my …
- … than I now do. ’ Even with this endorsement, Darwin’s spirits remained low. ‘ We are too …
- … on 18 July. Just two days later, he told his cousin William Darwin Fox ‘ After all, I am now …
- … because Fox had been instrumental in persuading Darwin not to publish an abstract in 1856 , …
- … & I shall have separate copies & will send you one . Darwin’s weariness in …
- … the Isle of Wight, and having started work on his abstract, Darwin was in an altogether more …
- … continued in August, while he was still away from Down. Darwin knew that these puzzles had to be …
- … to hear your objections to my species speculations’, Darwin wrote to Henslow, ‘ The difficulties …
- … & have just killed all the scores of cross-breds’, he told W. B. Tegetmeier on 8 September, …
- … across tropics ’. When Hooker’s essay was published in 1859, it was one of the first publications …
- … as by far the most capable judge in Europe. ’ By April 1859, he was able to tell Wallace that ‘ …
- … Abstract ’ would not be finished until around April 1859. But this was an optimistic estimate. …
- … of favoured races” ’, he told Lyell. On 31 March 1859, Darwin wrote to Murray describing his work …
- … the work of correcting proofs continued over the summer of 1859, Darwin had to take the water cure …
- … never shirked a difficulty’, he told Lyell on 20 September 1859, ‘ I am foolishly anxious for your …
- … of Science meeting held in Aberdeen from 14 to 21 September 1859. Darwin was confident that in time …
- … and negative, to his work flowed in. By early December 1859, he admitted that he needed to ‘ think …
- … &c &c. ’ Reference: Haynes, E. S. P. 1916. Master George Pollak. …
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: 22 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
- … used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
- … *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
- … book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
- … a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
- … of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
- … own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
- … the University of Cambridge. These works, catalogued by H. W. Rutherford ( Catalogue of the library …
- … Prichard; a 3 d . vol [Prichard 1836–47] Lawrence [W. Lawrence 1819] read Bory S t …
- … 1822] Falconers remark on the influence of climate [W. Falconer 1781] [DAR *119: 2v. …
- … 1819]. see p. 17 Note Book C. for reference to authors about E. Indian Islands 8 consult D r …
- … [Dampier 1697] Sportsman’s repository 4 to . [W. H. Scott 1820]— contains much on dogs …
- … of variation in animals in the different isl ds of E Indian Archipelago— [DAR *119: 6v.] …
- … [DAR *119: 8v.] A history of British Birds by W. Macgillivray [W. Macgillivray 1837–52].— I …
- … The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824] at Maer? W. F. …
- … 2 vols. 8vo. avec 2 atlas 4to. ibid, 1818–23. £1 2 s [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818–23] …
- … said to be Poor Sir. J. Edwards Botanical Tour [?J. E. Smith 1793] Fabricius (very old …
- … at Maer.— Lives of Kepler & Galileo. Drinkwater [J. E. Drinkwater] 1833]— Prof. …
- … on Aurochs [Weissenborn 1838] Smiths grammar [J. E. Smith 1821] & introduct of Botany [J. …
- … Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] (Innes) Hairy …
- … The Dog in health & Disease by Stonehenge—Longman 1859 [Stonehenge 1859].— on Toy–Dogs …
- … [Combe 1828] Macclintocks Arctic Voyage [Macclintock 1859] [DAR *128: 153] …
Race, Civilization, and Progress
Summary
Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…
Matches: 26 hits
- … Letters | Selected Readings Darwin's first reflections on human progress were …
- … human progress or cause degeneration. In the "Fuegians", Darwin thought he had witnessed …
- … several years earlier as part of a missionary enterprise. Darwin was struck by the progress that had …
- … been returned to their native land. After the voyage, Darwin began to question the …
- … After the publication of Origin of Species , many of Darwin's supporters continued to …
- … or extermination of other peoples and cultures. When Darwin wrote about the human races and …
- … on human and animal behavior accumulated over three decades. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity …
- … and beyond. Letters Darwin’s first observations of the peoples …
- … Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow. Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., 11 April 1833 …
- … Charles wrote to his sister, Emily Catherine Darwin, about witnessing slavery in the Portuguese …
- … effect in the following year. Letter 206 : Darwin to Darwin, E. C., 22 May [– 14 July] …
- … human descent. Letter 4933 : Farrar, F. W. to Darwin, 6 November 1865 …
- … this a very strong argument for the Polygenist?" Darwin asked the English settler …
- … of replies from the South African native, Christian Gaika. Darwin was impressed by Gaika's …
- … of civilization of the natives. Letter 5617 , Darwin to Weale, J. P. M., 27 August …
- … civilization" Letter 5722 , Weale, J. P. M. to Darwin, [10 December 1867] …
- … Just prior to the publication of Origin of Species , Darwin discussed his views on progress in a …
- … structure. This remained a point of dispute between many of Darwin’s scientific supporters, …
- … Alpheus Hyatt. In the last edition of Origin (1872), Darwin tried to clarify his position: " …
- … ( Origin , 6 th ed, p. 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October …
- … which I have briefly discussed in the Origin." Darwin discussed the role of …
- … the philosopher William Graham. Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October …
- … races being exterminated." Letter 3439 : Darwin to Kingsley, Charles, 6 February …
- … a unit, will have risen in rank." Letter 4510 : Darwin to Wallace, A. R., 28 [May …
- … & moral qualities. Letter 13230 : Darwin to Graham, William, 3 July 1881 …
- … Primary Charles Darwin, Notebooks, B 18-29; E 95-7 [ available at Darwinonline ] …
The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 23 hits
- … space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the …
- … could have been given to it’ (Kirby 1852, 2: 246). Darwin’s copy of Brougham’s …
- … instance, if my theory explains one it may explain other.’ Darwin, and others working on …
- … if it could not explain bee cells, it was radically flawed. Darwin needed to show two things: first, …
- … ever made cylindrical cells (Brougham 1839, 1: 32). However, Darwin knew that humble bees made …
- … construct: for example, birds’ nests are usually circular. Darwin argued that if the Melipona …
- … The second point, how bees actually built the comb, involved Darwin in a great deal of …
- … on the subject for a projected book on the species question, Darwin wrote to George Robert …
- … antagonistic principles and the proximity of other cells. Darwin’s letter has not been found, but …
- … Waterhouse but William Bernhard Tegetmeier (who had helped Darwin with his work on pigeons) and …
- … R. Waterhouse, 13 February 1858 .) In April 1858, Darwin went to London to meet William …
- … than any which had yet been devised’ ( ODNB ). Possibly Darwin consulted Miller simply on geometry …
- … in how a complex pattern may arise from natural forces. Darwin made notes for their discussion in a …
- … subjects of wasp’s nests. He sent another long letter to Darwin on the subject, this time arguing …
- … Waterhouse, 17 April 1858 ). Waterhouse also told Darwin of a meeting at the Entomological …
- … Such were the views entertained many years back by Mr. W., and published by him in the ‘Penny …
- … which presented the same peculiarities. Darwin quickly arranged to look at Tegetmeier’s …
- … cells, would not be hexagonal. At this time Darwin was much exercised by the work of François …
- … correctly described their manner of building’ (letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1858] .) To …
- … to look out for isolated cylindrical cells (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 5 June [1858] ). …
- … another hive from Tegetmeier, and buying a swarm (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 [June 1858] ). …
- … a simple explanation. (Letter to Richard Hill, 8 August [1859] .) Much later, Jeffries Wyman …
- … conclusions about the building of cells. (Letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 September [1858] .) …
Darwin in letters, 1875: Pulling strings
Summary
‘I am getting sick of insectivorous plants’, Darwin confessed in January 1875. He had worked on the subject intermittently since 1859, and had been steadily engaged on a book manuscript for nine months; January also saw the conclusion of a bitter dispute…
Matches: 25 hits
- … Editions Plants always held an important place in Darwin’s theorising about species, and …
- … his periods of severe illness. Yet on 15 January 1875 , Darwin confessed to his close friend …
- … way to continuous writing and revision, activities that Darwin found less gratifying: ‘I am slaving …
- … bad.’ The process was compounded by the fact that Darwin was also revising another manuscript …
- … coloured stamens.’ At intervals during the year, Darwin was diverted from the onerous task of …
- … zoologist St George Jackson Mivart. In April and early May, Darwin was occupied with a heated …
- … chapter of the controversy involved a slanderous attack upon Darwin’s son George, in an anonymous …
- … on 12 January , breaking off all future communication. Darwin had been supported during the affair …
- … Society of London, and a secretary of the Linnean Society, Darwin’s friends had to find ways of …
- … pp. 16–17). ‘How grandly you have defended me’, Darwin wrote on 6 January , ‘You have also …
- … in public. ‘Without cutting him direct’, he advised Darwin on 7 January , ‘I should avoid him, …
- … & again’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 16 January 1875 ). Darwin had also considered taking up …
- … , ‘I feel now like a pure forgiving Christian!’ Darwin’s ire was not fully spent, however, …
- … in the same Quarterly article that attacked George. Darwin raised the matter at the end of the …
- … to rest, another controversy was brewing. In December 1874, Darwin had been asked to sign a memorial …
- … Hensleigh and Frances Wedgwood. She had corresponded with Darwin about the evolution of the moral …
- … could not sign the paper sent me by Miss Cobbe.’ Darwin found Cobbe’s memorial inflammatory …
- … memorial had been read in the House of Lords (see ' Darwin and vivisection '). …
- … medical educators, and other interested parties. Darwin was summoned to testify on 3 November. It …
- … ( Report of the Royal Commission on vivisection , p. 183). Darwin learned of Klein’s testimony …
- … agree to any law, which should send him to the treadmill.’ Darwin had become acquainted with Klein …
- … in April 1874 (see Correspondence vol. 22, letters from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 and 10 …
- … day That ever you were born (letter from E. F. Lubbock, [after 2 July] 1875). …
- … plants (Carus trans. 1876a). The German publisher E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagshandlung began to …
- … agreed to see him at Down with Thiselton-Dyer ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 7 July 1875 ). It …
Darwin in letters,1866: Survival of the fittest
Summary
The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now considerably improved. In February, Darwin received a request from his publisher, John Murray, for a new edition of Origin. Darwin got the fourth…
Matches: 20 hits
- … The year 1866 began well for Charles Darwin, as his health, after several years of illness, was now …
- … and also a meeting with Herbert Spencer, who was visiting Darwin’s neighbour, Sir John Lubbock. In …
- … all but the concluding chapter of the work was submitted by Darwin to his publisher in December. …
- … hypothesis of hereditary transmission. Debate about Darwin’s theory of transmutation …
- … alleged evidence of a global ice age, while Asa Gray pressed Darwin’s American publisher for a …
- … for the Advancement of Science. Fuller consideration of Darwin’s work was given by Hooker in an …
- … frustrations were punctuated by family bereavement. Two of Darwin’s sisters died, Emily Catherine …
- … from painful illness. Diet and exercise Among Darwin’s first letters in the new year …
- … me any harm—any how I can’t be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). Towards …
- … of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January [1866] ). …
- … after the startling apparition of your face at R.S. Soirèe—which I dreamed of 2 nights running. …
- … on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [ c . 10 May 1866] ). …
- … there are over 200 medallions of Papa made by a man from W ms photo in circulation amongst the …
- … Georg Bronn, had been published in 1860 and 1863 by the firm E. Schweizerbart’sche …
- … teleological development ( see for example, letter to C. W. Nägeli, 12 June [1866] ). Also in …
- … species was ‘merely ordinaryly diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 May – 11 June 1866] ). On …
- … is a case of dimorphic becoming diœcious’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 20 June [1866] ). …
- … I am well accustomed to such explosions’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 22 June [1866] ). He urged …
- … natural selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker …
- … indeed at poor Susan’s loneliness’ ( letter from E. C. Langton to Emma and Charles Darwin, [6 and 7 …
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: 27 hits
- … At the start of 1863, Charles Darwin was actively working on the manuscript of The variation of …
- … markedly, reflecting a decline in his already weak health. Darwin then began punctuating letters …
- … am languid & bedeviled … & hate everybody’. Although Darwin did continue his botanical …
- … letter-writing dwindled considerably. The correspondence and Darwin’s scientific work diminished …
- … of the water-cure. The treatment was not effective and Darwin remained ill for the rest of the year. …
- … the correspondence from the year. These letters illustrate Darwin’s preoccupation with the …
- … to man’s place in nature both had a direct bearing on Darwin’s species theory and on the problem …
- … detailed anatomical similarities between humans and apes, Darwin was full of praise. He especially …
- … in expressing any judgment on Species or origin of man’. Darwin’s concern about the popular …
- … Lyell’s and Huxley’s books. Three years earlier Darwin had predicted that Lyell’s forthcoming …
- … (p. 488). Since the publication of Origin in 1859, new evidence that early humans had coexisted …
- … first half of 1863 focused attention even more closely on Darwin’s arguments for species change. …
- … ‘groan’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Darwin reiterated in a later letter that it …
- … of creation, and the origin of species particularly, worried Darwin; he told Hooker that he had once …
- … letter to J. D. Hooker, 24[–5] February [1863] ). Darwin did not relish telling Lyell of his …
- … ( letter to Charles Lyell, 6 March [1863] ). Nevertheless, Darwin’s regret was profound that the …
- … the ‘brutes’, but added that he would bring many towards Darwin who would have rebelled against …
- … from Charles Lyell, 11 March 1863 ). The botanist Asa Gray, Darwin’s friend in the United States, …
- … off ( see letter from Asa Gray, 20 April 1863 ). In May, Darwin responded to Gray that Lyell’s and …
- … or Modification, ’. Faction fighting Darwin was not alone in feeling disaffected …
- … in the subject. ‘The worst of it is’, Hooker wrote to Darwin, ‘I suppose it is virtually Huxley’s …
- … seen how indignant all Owen’s lies and mean conduct about E. Columbi made me… . The case is come to …
- … this subject seems to get rarer & rarer’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 18 April [1863] ), …
- … for the Natural History Review ( see letter to H. W. Bates, 12 January [1863] ). Darwin added …
- … Copley Medal had been unsuccessful ( see letter from E. A. Darwin to Emma Darwin, 11 November [1863 …
- … on the bookcase and around the head of the sofa ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [25 July 1863], and …
- … was hidden by overgrown trees and shrubs ( see letter from W. D. Fox, 7 September [1863] ). Emma …
Science, Work and Manliness
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels published the first edition of what proved to be one of his best-selling works, How Men Are Made. "It is by work, work, work" he told his middle class audience, …
Matches: 12 hits
- … Discussion Questions | Letters In 1859, popular didactic writer William Landels …
- … In describing what they did using the language of labour, Darwin and his male colleagues asserted …
- … 1. Which elements of the scientific process do Darwin and his male correspondents tend to …
- … another's scientific work? How does this differ from how Darwin praised women's work ? …
- … Letters Letter 282 - Darwin to Fox, W. D., [9 - 12 August 1835] Darwin …
- … thinking and hammering”. Letter 1533 - Darwin to Dana, J. D., [27 September 1853] …
- … the labour bestowed on it are “really surprising” and Darwin hopes that Dana’s health withstood the …
- … labour and patience”. Letter 4262 - Darwin to Gray, A., [4 August 1863] Darwin …
- … which was “no slight labour”. Letter 3901 - Darwin to Falconer, H., [5 & 6 January …
- … worked out paper on which Falconer has worked very hard. Darwin hopes that Falconer’s extreme labour …
- … investigation as a physical and laborious process, he envies Darwin and other “hard working …
- … arrange facts. Letter 8153 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [9 January 1872] Darwin …
New material added to the American edition of Origin
Summary
A ‘revised and augmented’ American edition of Origin came on the market in July 1860, and was the only authorised edition available in the US until 1873. It incorporated many of the changes Darwin made to the second English edition, but still contained…
Matches: 22 hits
- … Introduction Soon after Origin was published, Darwin received a letter from Asa Gray …
- … book and to secure the author a share in possible profits. Darwin responded favourably to Gray’s …
- … the new Edit to be reprinted, & not the old.— Darwin was motivated by more than …
- … edition— and were preparing for distribution. Acting on Darwin’s behalf, Gray duly contacted D. …
- … the second English edition, transmitting their response to Darwin (see letters from Asa Gray, [10 …
- … States law to honour foreign copyright, they agreed to grant Darwin a share of the profits from …
- … preparing a new edition at some future date and asked Darwin to provide them with any changes he …
- … of species (two letters to Baden Powell, 18 January 1860), Darwin subsequently changed his mind. On …
- … espousing favourable views of the transmutation of species; Darwin sent this off to Gray enclosed in …
- … A month later, in his letter of 8 March [1860], Darwin sent Gray several more substantive …
- … Cottrell Watson in his letter of [3? January 1860]) that Darwin wanted inserted at the conclusion of …
- … edition in the letter to Lyell, 18 [and 19 February 1860]. Darwin suggested to Gray that the title …
- … augmented’ American edition. Most of the emendations that Darwin had sent were incorporated into the …
- … edition, yet it incorporated many of the other changes Darwin made to the second edition; it also …
- … prise sur lui.’’ In England, the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert, afterwards Dean of Manchester, in …
- … animaux sauvages démontre déjà la variabilité limitée des espèces. Les expériences sur les …
- … of finality, ‘‘puissance mystérieuse, indéterminée; fatalité pour les uns; pour les autres, volonté …
- … de l’existence du monde, la forme, le volume et la durée de chacun d’eux, en raison de sa destinée …
- … theory of Natural Selection is promulgated. In June, 1859, Professor Huxley gave a lecture …
- … changes which they have suffered.’’ In November, 1859, the first edition of this work was …
- … * It is curious how completely my grandfather, Dr. Erasmus Darwin, anticipated these erroneous …
- … the world. Hooker has recently shown that in the S. E. corner of Australia, where apparently there …
Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year
Summary
The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…
Matches: 22 hits
- … 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
- … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
- … and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
- … ). The death of a Cambridge friend, Albert Way, caused Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, to …
- … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
- … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
- … ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
- … 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
- … the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
- … imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin agreed that it was ‘all imposture’ …
- … stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his …
- … the first three months of the year and, like many of Darwin’s enterprises in the 1870s, were family …
- … 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 December [1873] ). Darwin himself had some trouble in …
- … all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The book …
- … the subject & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
- … do when they are sitting at rest’ ( letter from S. W. Pennypacker, 14 September 1874 ). …
- … try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
- … nephew, the fine-art specialist Henry Parker ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874] ). He …
- … Julius Victor Carus, and his publisher, Eduard Koch of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, …
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: 25 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
- … more for the sake of priority than anything else—Darwin was reluctant to squeeze his expansive …
- … Natural selection . Determined as he was to publish, Darwin nevertheless still felt cautious …
- … specialist in Madeiran entomology, Thomas Vernon Wollaston. Darwin also came to rely on the caustic …
- … in London. Natural Selection Not all of Darwin’s manuscript on species has been …
- … of pigeons, poultry, and other domesticated animals. As Darwin explained to Lyell, his studies, …
- … can William Bernhard Tegetmeier continued to help Darwin acquire much of the material for …
- … on domestic animals in India and elsewhere. William Darwin Fox supplied information about cats, dogs …
- … mastiffs. The disparate facts were correlated and checked by Darwin, who adroitly used letters, …
- … to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] ). …
- … garden species with their wild congeners. Many of Darwin’s conclusions about the variation of …
- … these chapters are not extant. It seems likely that Darwin used the manuscript when compiling The …
- … or lost during the process. Before the publication of Darwin's correspondence from these years, …
- … light on the role that these ideas were intended to play in Darwin’s formal exposition. …
- … selection could not act without varieties to act upon, Darwin wanted to know where, how, and in what …
- … Making the fullest possible use of his botanical friends, Darwin cross-examined them on different …
- … and conditions of existence? One useful example that Darwin intended to include in his book was the …
- … relatives. But a last-minute check with Hooker revealed that Darwin was mistaken: ‘You have shaved …
- … was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). Darwin thought his results showed that …
- … than relinquish the results achieved after so much effort, Darwin began the whole laborious project …
- … Such perseverance is perhaps the key to this period in Darwin’s life. He brought the same quality of …
- … This was the origin and function of sex in nature. Darwin had always been intrigued by the …
- … must occasionally be cross-fertilised by other individuals. Darwin sought information on this …
- … request led Huxley to make a note for future reference, ‘Darwin, an absolute & eternal …
- … bad & not a stop from beginning to end!’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, [17 February 1857] and …
Darwin in letters, 1837–1843: The London years to 'natural selection'
Summary
The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one of extraordinary activity and productivity in which he became recognised as a naturalist of outstanding ability, as an author and editor, and as a professional…
Matches: 27 hits
- … The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one …
- … a family Busy as he was with scientific activities, Darwin found time to re-establish family …
- … close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin became engaged to his cousin, …
- … daughter, Anne Elizabeth, moved to Down House in Kent, where Darwin was to spend the rest of his …
- … his greatest theoretical achievement, the most important of Darwin’s activities during the years …
- … identifications of his bird and fossil mammal specimens, Darwin arrived at the daring and momentous …
- … in species. With this new theoretical point of departure Darwin continued to make notes and explore …
- … 1842 is, to a surprising degree, present in the version of 1859. Young author Darwin’s …
- … the Beagle had returned to England, news of some of Darwin’s findings had been spread by the …
- … great excitement. The fuller account of the voyage and Darwin’s discoveries was therefore eagerly …
- … suitable categories for individual experts to work upon, Darwin applied himself to the revision of …
- … of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Adventure and Beagle. Darwin’s volume bore the title Journal …
- … visited by H.M.S. Beagle . Also in November 1837, Darwin read the fourth of a series of papers to …
- … to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a suggestion made by his uncle, …
- … Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). The new research Darwin undertook after 1837 was an …
- … time, the parallel terraces, or ‘roads’, of Glen Roy. Darwin had seen similar formations on the …
- … roads of Glen Roy’, Collected papers 1: 88–137). Darwin later abandoned this view, calling it a …
- … contemporaneous unstratified deposits of South America”, Darwin continued to defend his and Lyell’s …
- … 1842, having heard of evidence of glaciation in North Wales, Darwin made a tour there in order to …
- … variety of publications. The beetles were described by F. W. Hope, G. R. Waterhouse, and C. C. …
- … distribution and classification (see Henslow 1837a and 1838; W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott 1836, …
- … convince anyone that he had a sound solution to what J. F. W. Herschel in a letter to Lyell had …
- … clearly under sub-laws.' To his cousin, W. D. Fox, [25 January 1841] , he wrote: & …
- … in this field and on friends like Henslow, T. C. Eyton, and W. D. Fox, who were knowledgeable about …
- … between species and varieties had no basis in reality (W. Herbert 1837, p. 341); species were only …
- … to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , and letter from R. E. Alison, 25 June 1835 ). Henry …
- … so-called ‘science of morphology’, first set forth by J. W. von Goethe. Though widely accepted in …
People featured in the German and Austrian photograph album
Summary
Biographical details of people from the Habsburg Empire that appeared in the album of German and Austrian scientists sent to Darwin on 12 February 1877. We are grateful to Johannes Mattes for providing these details and for permission to make his…
Matches: 9 hits
- … in the album of German and Austrian scientists sent to Darwin on 12 February 1877. We are …
- … (1892); Hofrat and retirement (1899). In 1859, Bartsch became member of the Zoological-Botanical …
- … p. 9. N.N.: Die Spielhölle in der Kärntnerstraße. In: Neues Wiener Blatt 270 (2 nd …
- … official ( Oberhüttenverwalter ) in Idrija. E. Tietze: Jahresbericht für 1912. In: …
- … Army, participated in campaigns in Italy (1848–49, 1859) and was later assigned to the uniform depot …
- … Akademie in Vienna and published the books “Darwin und der Darwinismus” (1869) and “Leitfaden der …
- … member of the Imperial Academy of Sciences (1892). W. Kühnelt: Marenzeller Emil von. In: …
- … of the Zoological-Botanical Society in Vienna. W. Heß: Rogenhofer, Alois. In: Allgemeine …
- … at the Polytechnic Institute in Vienna, he became trainee (1859), geologist (1873) and finally chief …
Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 24 hits
- … The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his …
- … book out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year was devoted …
- … way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from …
- … offered sharp criticism or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be …
- … a bare-faced manner.”‘ The most lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the …
- … taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped Darwin to clarify, and in some cases …
- … year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin continued to investigate the …
- … also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest daughter Henrietta was …
- … during several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working fairly continuously …
- … work on species theory in the late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material …
- … to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing kinship with animals …
- … he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his son Francis on 28 February …
- … letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After …
- … man.’ Promoting the book As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable …
- … (see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his …
- … received a special acknowledgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had …
- … liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
- … to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). The geologist …
- … Oldham … They club together to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). Thomas …
- … to make it darker than the hair on his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 April 1871] …
- … a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871] ). …
- … most deep and tender religious feeling’ ( letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871 ). The Anglican …
- … year, but he was sympathetic about the venture: ‘it w d be almost superhuman virtue to give it up …
- … who was ‘as good as twice refined gold’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 September [1871] ). …
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: 24 hits
- … On 6 March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any …
- … he ought to do what I am doing pester them with letters.’ Darwin was certainly true to his word. The …
- … and sexual selection. In Origin , pp. 87–90, Darwin had briefly introduced the concept of …
- … process. In a letter to Alfred Russel Wallace in 1864, Darwin claimed that sexual selection was ‘the …
- … 12, letter to A. R. Wallace, 28 [May 1864] ). Darwin’s theory of sexual selection as …
- … to the stridulation of crickets. At the same time, Darwin continued to collect material on …
- … his immediate circle of friends and relations. In July 1868 Darwin was still anticipating that his …
- … which was devoted to sexual selection in the animal kingdom. Darwin described his thirst for …
- … in January 1868. A final delay caused by the indexing gave Darwin much vexation. ‘My book is …
- … 1867 and had expected to complete it in a fortnight. But at Darwin’s request, he modified his …
- … the text. This increased the amount of work substantially. Darwin asked Murray to intervene, …
- … … though it would be a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from …
- … to remuneration I shall look rather blank’ ( letter from W. S. Dallas, 8 January 1868 ). Darwin …
- … as stone, if it were not quite mollified by your note’. Darwin enclosed a cheque to Dallas for £55 …
- … and descent in the Fortnightly Review , and asked Darwin for comments. Darwin was clearly …
- … ‘fast passing away’ that sparked the most discussion. Darwin wrote to Hooker on 23 February , …
- … authorship. John Murray thought it was by Gray himself, but Darwin corrected him: ‘D r Gray would …
- … well as of ‘victorious males getting wives’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 25 February [1868] ). …
- … pigeon magenta. To Weir, he wrote on 27 February : ‘It w d be a fine trial to cut off the eyes …
- … the direct result of natural selection ( Variation 2: 185–9). Wallace seized upon this point in a …
- … and had himself watched elephants cry (letters to W. E. Darwin, [15 March 1868] and 8 April …
- … screaming in patients undergoing vaccination ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [7 April 1868] ). Francis …
- … veins, and the action of his platysma muscle ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [15 April 1868] ). The …
- … of everlasting woe?’ I am not sure whether it w d not be wisest for scientific men …
