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Survival of the fittest: the trouble with terminology Part II

Summary

The most forceful and persistent critic of the term ‘natural selection’ was the co-discoverer of the process itself, Alfred Russel Wallace.  Wallace seized on Herbert Spencer’s term ‘survival of the fittest’, explicitly introduced as an alternative way of…

Matches: 5 hits

  • process itself, Alfred Russel WallaceWallace seized on Herbert Spencers termsurvival of the
  • … 'natural selection' in the October 1864 instalment of Spencers Principles of biology
  • In July 1866 Wallace wrote Darwin a long and impassioned letter in support of replacingnatural
  • a defence he used more than once, and that Spencer also continued to use both terms. In fact
  • assurvival of the better’ (see Spencer 1872, and the letter to Herbert Spencer, 10 June [1872] …

Rewriting Origin - the later editions

Summary

For such an iconic work, the text of Origin was far from static. It was a living thing that Darwin continued to shape for the rest of his life, refining his ‘one long argument’ through a further five English editions.  Many of his changes were made in…

Matches: 7 hits

  • … came under fire , and Darwin supplemented it by using Herbert Spencer's 'survival of …
  • … buried Darwin under a blizzard of letters (see especially letter to Charles Lyell, 11 October …
  • … getting permission to quote prominently from Kingsley’s letter in the revised summary: A …
  • … sufficiently acknowledged earlier work.  According to a letter to Asa Gray he had yet to start …
  • … an animal’s colour and its immunity to poison (see letter from Jeffries Wyman, [ c . 15] …
  • … hitherto slurred it over. In his Christmas Day letter to his old friend Joseph Hooker, …
  • … of population increase in elephants in response to a letter published in the Athenaeum by a …

Fake Darwin: myths and misconceptions

Summary

Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, with full debunking below...

Matches: 1 hits

  • … Many myths have persisted about Darwin's life and work. Here are a few of the more pervasive ones, …

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: 23 hits

  • Moggridge, and Ernst Haeckel, and also a meeting with Herbert Spencer, who was visiting Darwins
  • Pound foolish, Penurious, Pragmatical Prigs’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, [29 December 1866] ). But
  • able to write easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). …
  • once daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
  • see you out with our beagles before the season is over’ ( letter from John Lubbock, 4 August 1866
  • work doing me any harmany how I cant be idle’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 24 August [1866] ). …
  • production of which Tegetmeier had agreed to supervise ( letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 16 January
  • ofDomestic Animals & Cult. Plantsto Printers’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 24 December [1866] …
  • good deal I think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December
  • … ‘I quite follow you in thinking Agassiz glacier-mad’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 8[–9] September
  • ten times more than the belief of a dozen physicists’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 February 1866] …
  • past few years. Emma described the Royal Society event in a letter to George: ‘Your fatherentered
  • you—& told me to worship Bence Jones in future—’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 13 May 1866 ). …
  • 3 calls! & then went for ¾ to Zoolog. Garden!!!!!!!!!’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [28 April 1866
  • delighted to come on those terms so you are in for it’ ( letter from H. E. Darwin, [  c . 10 May
  • very much to see him, though I dread all exertion’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [12 May 1866] ). …
  • to Madeira. His visit to Down House is described in a letter from Henrietta to George: ‘when first
  • most magnificent eulogium which it has ever received’ ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 18 August [1866] …
  • … ‘survival of the fittest’, an expression first used by Herbert Spencer in an 1864 instalment of  …
  • alter the fourth edition of  Origin , Darwin did insert Spencers expression at numerous places in
  • work’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 June [1866] ). He met Spencer during a visit to the Lubbocks in
  • … ). He later expressed amusement at Hookers description of Spencer as athinking pump’: ‘I read
  • the support of prominent individuals. Darwin was asked by Herbert Spencer to sign a list of

4.24 'Daily Graphic', Nast satire

Summary

< Back to Introduction In 1874 the Harvard philosopher John Fiske published his magnum opus, Outlines of Cosmic Philosophy, in which he set out to explain the far-reaching significance of Darwin’s and Herbert Spencer’s evolutionary theories. He…

Matches: 7 hits

  • to explain the far-reaching significance of Darwins and Herbert Spencers evolutionary theories. …
  • and reptiles to monkeys and finally an ape reading Herbert Spencers First Principles. Another
  • polemic was clearly an ordeal to the recipient. Darwins letter of thanks to Fiske was
  • then as much deduction as you please . . . such parts of H. Spencer, as I have read with care
  • his friends, who objected to its vulgarity in so degrading Spencer and Darwin, Fiskes ready
  • 1874); there were many subsequent editions. Fiskes letter to Darwin, introducing himself and
  • … (10 June 1879) and DCP-LETT-12606 (14 May [1880]). John Spencer Clark, The Life and Letters of

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots

Summary

Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…

Matches: 27 hits

  • his publishers, he warned that it wasdry as dust’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 9 September 1879 ). …
  • turned out, alas, very dull &amp; has disappointed me much’ ( letter to Francis Galton, 15 [June
  • home again’, he fretted, just days before his departure ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, [after 26
  • many blessings, was finding old agea dismal time’ ( letter to Henry Johnson, 24 September 1879 ) …
  • wrinkles one all over like a baked pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879
  • itself, or gone some other way round?’ At least the last letter of 1879 contained a warmer note and
  • office to complete Horaces marriage settlement ( letter from W. M. Hacon, 31 December 1879 ). …
  • but they wereas nice and good as could be’ ( letter from Karl Beger, [ c. 12 February 1879] ) …
  • on your lifes work, which is crowned with glory’ ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 9 February 1879 ). …
  • to wish Darwin along and serene evening of life’. This letter crossed with one from Darwin, …
  • the statementIn the beginning was carbon’ ( letter from Hermann Müller, 14 February 1879 ). …
  • as theorgan ofuncultivated materialism”’ ( letter from Francis Darwin, [after 2 June 1879 ]). …
  • up the glory &amp; would please Francis’, he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879
  • wholly &amp; shamefully ignorant of my grandfathers life’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 March 1879
  • known philosopher and poet’ ( Correspondence vol. 1, letter from Francis Beaufort to Robert
  • these things with the when &amp; the where, &amp; the who—’ ( letter from V. H. Darwin, 28 May
  • paternal grandparents thoughtperfect in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). …
  • heard of himconstantly, &amp; always with pride’ ( letter from Reginald Darwin, 29 March 1879 ). …
  • essay might end upinterfering with each other’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 27 March 1879 ). Darwin
  • made such an introductionalmost indispensable’ ( letter from Ernst Krause, 7 June 1879 ). Darwin
  • everything into ridicule. He hates scientific men’ ( letter to Ernst Krause, 14 May 1879 ). …
  • must bein some degree interesting to the public’ ( letter to Reginald Darwin, 10 April [1879] ). …
  • … ‘very tastefully and well, and with little fatigue’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 12 July 1879 , and
  • … ‘more perplexed than ever about life of D r . D’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, 12 July [1879] ). …
  • telling, and he regretted going beyond histether’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879
  • Bernard had reached an altogether more advanced stage. ‘Herbert Spencer says in his new bookData
  • about the nature of Malcolm Guthries critique of Herbert Spencers views of the theory of natural

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: 28 hits

  • … Were women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
  • … Tollet for proofreading and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. …
  • … her to read to check that she can understand it. Letter 7312 - Darwin to Darwin, F. …
  • … from all but educated, typically-male readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E …
  • … he seeks her help with tone and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 …
  • … in order to minimise impeding general perusal. Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, …
  • … he uses to avoid ownership of indelicate content. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to …
  • … so as not to lose the interest of women. Letter 8341 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, …
  • … which will make it more appealing to women. Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to …
  • … Darwin’s female readership Letter 5391 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [6 February …
  • … of the Manchester Ladies Literary Society . Letter 6551 - Becker, L. E . to …
  • … the chapter on pangenesis, which is a revelation. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. …
  • … Darwin assumes that 'A. B. Blackwell' is a man. Letter 7177 - Cupples, G. to …
  • … him a great service by introducing him to the psychology of Herbert Spencer. Letter 7624 …
  • … his statements on a lack of reasoning in animals. Letter 7644 - Barnard, A. to …
  • … during a visit to an asylum with her father. Letter 7651 - Wedgwood, F. J. to …
  • … on any comments that she feels might be suitable. Letter 7411 - Pfeiffer, E. J. to …
  • … and beauty in the process of sexual selection. Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, …
  • … of a woman’s natural thinking”. Letter 8778 - Forster, L. M . to Darwin, H. …
  • … and the showing of teeth in Expression . Letter 10072 - Pape, C. to …
  • … and hopes Darwin will complete her questionnaire. Letter 10390 - Herrick, S. M. B. …
  • … of questions which she hopes aren’t too silly. Letter 10415 - Darwin to Herrick, S. …
  • … and is pleased that his work has interested her. Letter 10508 - Treat, M. to Darwin …
  • … it nearly all night before she could lay it down. Letter 13547 - Tanner, M. H. …
  • … involving worms which occurred in her garden. Letter 13650 Kennard, C. A. to Darwin …
  • … Reading Variation Letter 5712 - Dallas, W. S. to Darwin, [8 December 1867] …
  • … array of facts” contained in the work. Letter 5861 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [11 …
  • … are a few things which must be altered”. Letter 5928 - Gray, A. to Darwin, [25 …

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: 24 hits

  • … be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
  • … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ).  Such …
  • … And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
  • … was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’  ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
  • … inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
  • … in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
  • … that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
  • … his, ‘& that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 …
  • … Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). …
  • … edition, published in 1842 ( Correspondence  vol. 21, letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 17 …
  • … Hooker, and finally borrowed one from Charles Lyell ( letter to Smith, Elder & Co., 8 January …
  • … to take so sweetly all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March …
  • … sent an apology for misinterpreting Darwin on this point ( letter from J. D. Dana, 21 July 1874 ); …
  • … numbers and sex ratios among the Pitcairn islanders ( letter from William Dealtry, 16 January 1874 …
  • … will say that I have pounded the enemy into a jelly’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 14 April 1874 ). …
  • … by none but anatomists; and never mind where it goes’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 16 April 1874 ). …
  • … the return on subsequent print runs would be very good ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 12 November 1874 …
  • … by the conciseness & clearness of your thought’ ( letter from G. H. Darwin, 20 April 1874 ). …
  • … legal action over the ‘scurrilous libel’ on his son ( letter to G. H. Darwin, [27 July 1874] ). …
  • … false, scurrilous accusation of [a] lying scoundrel’ ( letter to G. H. Darwin, 1 August [1874] ). …
  • … as father and son agonised over the wording of both the letter to the editor and the letter to …
  • … relationship with Murray on the outcome ( enclosure to letter from G. H. Darwin, 6 [August] 1874 ) …
  • … is refused I’m really no worse off than if I had sent my letter direct to the Editor & it had …
  • … physiologist George John Romanes wrote a long letter to Herbert Spencer about Darwin’s discussion of …

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: 7 hits

  • … 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 …
  • … of Variation in the Athenæum to Richard Owen (see letter to J. D. Hooker, 23 February [1868] …
  • … 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. …
  • … Tries to answer question on last page of CD’s letter anent sexuality. …

Alfred Russel Wallace

Summary

Wallace was a leading Victorian naturalist, with wide-ranging interests from biogeography and evolutionary theory to spiritualism and politics. He was born in 1823 in Usk, a small town in south-east Wales, and attended a grammar school in Hertford. At the…

Matches: 7 hits

  • … by Wallace’s observations and theoretical abilities. In a letter of 1 May 1857, he alluded to his …
  • … and anthropology. He formed a close friendship with Herbert Spencer, and took up Spencer’s phrase …
  • … as too metaphorical and prone to misinterpretation (see letter from A. R. Wallace, 2 July 1866). …
  • … phenomena, open to scientific investigation (see letter from A. R. Wallace, 18 April [1869]). …
  • … letters to Wallace, 17 June 1876 and 7 January 1881, and the letter from A. R. Wallace, 29 January …
  • … chief”, while Darwin was the “great General” (letter to Charles Kingsley, 7 May 1869). In later …
  • … jealousy towards each other, though in one sense rivals” (letter to A. R. Wallace, 20 April [1870]). …

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: 13 hits

  • … Soon after Origin was published, Darwin received a letter from Asa Gray offering to arrange an …
  • … Darwin responded favourably to Gray’s proposal in his letter of 21 December [1859] ( Correspondence …
  • … had been fixed through the process of stereotyping (see letter from Asa Gray, 23 January [1860] and …
  • … of species; Darwin sent this off to Gray enclosed in his letter of [8 or 9 February 1860]. He had …
  • … [1860] and 1 February [1860]). A month later, in his letter of 8 March [1860], Darwin sent …
  • … (especially that given by Hewett Cottrell Watson in his letter of [3? January 1860]) that Darwin …
  • … changes he intended to make in the American edition in the letter to Lyell, 18 [and 19 February 1860 …
  • … corrected Second Edition with additional corrections” (letter to Asa Gray, 1 February [1860]). …
  • … resulting from three separate printings of Origin (see letter to Asa Gray, 22 May [1860] and …
  • … prise sur lui.’’ In England, the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert, afterwards Dean of Manchester, in …
  • … peuvent être de valeur générique .’’ Mr. Herbert Spencer, in an Essay (originally …
  • … how selection can act under nature. He believes, like Dean Herbert, that species when nascent were …
  • … of Origin ( Origin 3d ed., pp. 363–6). See also letter from John Lubbock, [after 28 April …

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: 25 hits

  • … 1823] of range of plants. 13 Books quoted by Herbert [Herbert 1837] p. 338 Schiede …
  • … 1826]— has remarks on acclimatizing of plants. Herbert [Herbert 1837] p. 348 gives reference …
  • … Read M r  Bennetts & other Edit. by Hon. & Rev. W. Herbert.— notes to White Nat. Hist of …
  • … Agricultural Association meeting at Oxford. paper by L d  Spencer on gestation of animals [Spencer …
  • … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds  letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
  • … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34  —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
  • … 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] …
  • … Life of Haydn & Mozart [Beyle 1817] —— Herbert on Hybrid mixture [Herbert 1837]— marginal …
  • … Selbourn by Bennett [E. T. Bennett ed. 1837], notes by W. Herbert, Rennie [J. Rennie] ed. 1833]. …
  • … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
  • … and “Botanist”, not “Botanists”. 14  Herbert 1837, p. 348, reads: “Kolreuter’s …
  • … ). 19  According to the  DNB , William Herbert provided notes for both William …
  • … 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 …
  • … (1858) also in Darwin Library.]  128: 8 Edwardes, Herbert Benjamin. 1851.  A year on the …
  • … 3–28. [Darwin Pamphlet Collection.] 119: 10a Herbert, William. 1837.  Amaryllidaceæ; …
  • … 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 …
  • … London poor . 3 vols. London.  119: 23b Mayo, Herbert. 1837.  The philosophy of living. …
  • … *119: 8v., 22v.; *128: 165 ——. 1850a. Letter to the Rev. John Bachman, on the question of …
  • … James Rennie with the assistance of Robert Sweet and William Herbert.] London.  *119: 6v.; 119: 20a …
  • … art of improving the   breeds of domestic animals. In a letter addressed to the   Right Hon. Sir …

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: 28 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 &amp; 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
  • thesplendid case of Dimorphismin  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 wasthe 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] ). …
  • troublesomethey 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. Haeckels scientific life, he reported in a letter of 9 [July 1864] , had been
  • often called me her GermanDarwinMann” ’ ( 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] …
  • 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, …
  • in, if somewhat sceptical of, the first instalments of Herbert Spencers  Principles of biology   …

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., …
  • … 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. …
  • … work on Variation . He has received the review of Herbert Spencer but cannot believe Gray wrote …

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: 12 hits

  • … and momentous conviction that species were mutable (S. Herbert 1980, p. 12; Sulloway 1982b). Using …
  • … letters have suffered an even more severe loss. In a letter to Lyell’s sister-in-law, Katharine …
  • … of fact . . . on the origin & variation of species” ( Letter to J. S. Henslow, [November 1839] …
  • … that he had a sound solution to what J. F. W. Herschel in a letter to Lyell had called the ‘mystery …
  • … about searching for evidence to support his hypothesis. In a letter to Lyell, [14] September [1838 …
  • … preserved from this period are the exchanges with William Herbert, Dean of Manchester, a wealthy …
  • … were as distinct and lasting as true species. In short, to Herbert, the distinction between species …
  • … just the same, though I know what I am looking for' ( Letter to G. R. Waterhouse, [26 July …
  • … there were no doubts as to how one ought to act’ ( Letter from Emma Darwin, [  c.  February 1839] …
  • … for several months (See  Correspondence  vol. 1, letter to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , …
  • … The letters about Kemp’s seeds and the William Herbert correspondence, which was mainly concerned …
  • … notebook). See also Allan 1977, pp. 128–30). The letter, on ‘Double flowers’ to the  …

Darwin's in letters, 1873: Animal or vegetable?

Summary

Having laboured for nearly five years on human evolution, sexual selection, and the expression of emotions, Darwin was able to devote 1873 almost exclusively to his beloved plants. He resumed work on the digestive powers of sundews and Venus fly traps, and…

Matches: 28 hits

  • … I omitted to observe, which I ought to have observed” ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 12 January [1873] …
  • … work your wicked will on it—root leaf & branch!” ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 12 January 1873 ) …
  • … parts of the flower would become modified & correlated” ( letter to T. H. Farrer, 14 August …
  • … it again, “for Heaven knows when it will be ready” ( letter to John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). …
  • … we take notes and take tracings of their burrows” ( letter from Francis Darwin, 14 August [1873] ) …
  • … in importance; and if so more places will be created” ( letter to E. A. Darwin, 20 September 1873 …
  • … our unfortunate family being fit for continuous work” ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 25 September …
  • … on any point; for I knew my own ignorance before hand” ( letter to George Cupples, 28 April [1873] …
  • … “he would fly at the Empr’s throat like a bulldog” ( letter from L. M. Forster to H. E. Litchfield, …
  • … force & truth of the great principle of inheritance!” ( letter to F. S. B. F. de Chaumont, 3 …
  • … the heavy breathing that accompanied sexual intercourse? (letter from ?, [1873?]). The Scottish …
  • … with up lines; & sadness & decay with the reverse—” ( letter from William Main, 2 April …
  • … with the advance of civilisation and good breeding ( letter from Henry Reeks, 3 March 1873 ). …
  • … have never felt an inclination to have a second dose” ( letter from Robert Swinhoe, 26 March 1873 …
  • … of an orbital one produces snapping of the jaws” ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 16 April 1873 …
  • … that illustrated the physiognomy of the disease ( letter to James Crichton-Browne, 30 December 1873 …
  • … by an individual could be transmitted to its offspring ( letter from J. T. Moggridge, 1 February …
  • … a related discussion in  Nature  magazine, forwarding a letter from William Huggins on a case of …
  • … Kepler who was fearful of butchers and butcher’s shops ( letter to  Nature , [before 13 February …
  • … smell. Darwin joined the debate, writing to  Nature  ( letter to  Nature , [before 13 March …
  • … The debate later shifted to ants when Darwin forwarded a letter from the mining engineer James …
  • … disperse wildly after he had smashed some with his finger ( letter to  Nature , [before 3 April …
  • … danger by seeing the corpses of a fellow species” ( letter to  Nature , [before 24 July 1873] ). …
  • … cousin’s aims but regarded the project as “utopian” ( letter to Francis Galton, 4 January [1873] ) …
  • … in correspondence, and investing money very well” ( letter to Francis Galton, 28 May 1873 ). Among …
  • … his father’s virtues: “sober, honest & industrious” ( letter to Francis Galton, 28 May 1873 ). …
  • … who thought it would offend his father ( enclosure to letter from T. H. Huxley, 3 December 1873 ). …
  • … of Huxley’s close friends, including Hooker, John Lubbock, Herbert Spencer, John Tyndall, George …

Experimenting with emotions

Summary

Darwin’s interest in emotions can be traced as far back as the Beagle voyage. He was fascinated by the sounds and gestures of the peoples of Tierra del Fuego. On his return, he started recording observations in a set of notebooks, later labelled '…

Matches: 8 hits

  • … for the eyes, so as to show the wrinkles round them’ ( letter to A. D. Kindermann, [27 March 1871] …
  • … as well as theorists and philosophers of mind and body like Herbert Spencer and Alexander Bain. …
  • … sent sympathetically at the same time to the glands?” ( letter to William Bowman, 30 March [1868] …
  • … After several years, Donders eventually sent a 16 page letter containing a digest of his experiments …
  • … and the cerebrum, the seat of thought and volition ( letter from Frans Donders, 28 May 1870 ). The …
  • … post an attempt to answer your questions”. In a very long letter, he made his best guess, …
  • … distinct physiological (possibly anatomical) relation” (letter from Michael Foster, 4 June [1871] …
  • … when nearly all agree in their answer, I trust him’ ( letter to James Crichton Browne, 8 June 1870 …

Darwin in letters, 1881: Old friends and new admirers

Summary

In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began writing about all the eminent men he had met. He embarked on this task, which formed an addition to his autobiography, because he had nothing else to do. He had…

Matches: 27 hits

  • in Unconscious memory in November 1880 and in an abusive letter about Darwin in the St Jamess
  • memory in Kosmos and sent Darwin a separate letter for publication in the Journal of Popular
  • publishers decided to print500 more, making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ) …
  • the animal learnt from its own individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). …
  • whether observations of their behaviour were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] …
  • about the sale of books beinga game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18
  • for more suggestions of such plants, especially annuals ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 21 March
  • supposed he would feelless sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The
  • dead a work falls at this late period of the season’ ( letter from R. F. Cooke, 30 July 1881 ). …
  • conversation with you’, a Swedish teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), …
  • add, however little, to the general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). …
  • regularbread-winners’ ( Correspondence vol. 30, letter to C. A. Kennard, 9 January 1882 ). …
  • any future publication &amp; to acknowledge any criticism’ ( letter to C. G. Semper, 19 July 1881
  • view of the nature &amp; capabilities of the Fuegians’ ( letter to W. P. Snow, 22 November 1881 ). …
  • the kindly protection of the high priests of science’ ( letter from Francisco de Arruda Furtado, 29
  • Nature , which he thoughtan excellent Journal’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 4 July [1881] ). In
  • minds, without being in the least conscious of it’ ( letter to Alexander Agassiz, 5 May 1881 ). …
  • this produced about the year 1840(?) on all our minds’ ( letter to John Lubbock, [18 September 1881
  • big oneand hadgone much outof his mind ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 20 June [1881] ). Feeling
  • than for originality’, and telling Hooker, ‘Your long letter has stirred many pleasant memories of
  • poured in so atrocious a manner on all physiologists’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 18 April 1881 ). …
  • George Jesse and Frances Power Cobbe. Jesse, in a private letter, stated that Darwin must not have
  • Royal Commission for the regulation of vivisection, and a letter from Cobbe in The Times made
  • Cobbes claims. To Darwins relief, a second letter from Cobbe, published on 23 April, was answered
  • April , Darwin asked, ‘did you notice how in her second letter she altered what she quoted from her
  • Darwin, however, prevented Jesse from publishing a private letter he had written to him, explaining
  • he become a British Museum trustee; and he would not join Herbert Spencers Anti-Aggression League