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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,…
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: 7 hits
- … formulated the hypothesis of natural selection, Bates was a firm believer in the involvement of …
- … support to date for the working of selection in nature. As Bates boldly stated: ‘I think I have got …
- … enabling them to withstand adverse circumstances. Bates had investigated cases in several …
- … mimicry). Applying the notion of selective advantage, Bates explained such cases as illustrations of …
- … (Bowler 1983, p. 29). Darwin suggested that Bates write a popular account of his travels, …
- … and ‘Monkeys,—our poor cousins.—’ ( letter to H. W. Bates, 3 December [1861] ). Darwin volunteered …
- … producing ‘a complete and awful smasher’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 3 January [1861] ). Ever since …
Darwin in letters, 1862: A multiplicity of experiments
Summary
1862 was a particularly productive year for Darwin. This was not only the case in his published output (two botanical papers and a book on the pollination mechanisms of orchids), but more particularly in the extent and breadth of the botanical experiments…
Matches: 7 hits
- … Thomas Henry Huxley gave lectures about it, and Henry Walter Bates invoked it to explain mimicry in …
- … Hooker told him: ‘you are alluded to in no less than 3 of the papers in Linn. Trans!— I do not think …
- … to J. D. Hooker, 14 [October 1862] ; see ML 2: 292–3). Other species proved more profitable …
- … extent of the subject, telling Oliver: ‘I can see at least 3 classes of dimorphism’ ( letter to …
- … to the Origin ’ ( letter from Asa Gray, 2–3 July 1862 ). Henry Walter Bates …
- … that it was only the administration of ‘Port-wine every 3/4 hour, night & day’ that saved the …
- … and Emma ‘perplexed to death what to do’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, [2–3 August 1862] ). They …
Instinct and the Evolution of Mind
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Slave-making ants For Darwin, slave-making ants were a powerful example of the force of instinct. He used the case of the ant Formica sanguinea in the On the Origin of Species to show how instinct operates—how…
Matches: 1 hits
- … instinct played a role in the evolution of the mind? 3. How did Darwin gather his …
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: 6 hits
- … for his crimes… ?’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] , and letter to Hugh Falconer, …
- … between reptiles and birds ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 January [1863] ). Darwin was delighted …
- … river Amazons , a book that he had encouraged Henry Walter Bates to write. When the book appeared …
- … in opposition to him ( see letter to J. D. Hooker, [22–3 November 1863] ). However, it is certain …
- … that ‘there are almost certainly several cases of 2 or 3 or more species blended together & now …
- … is not at all palatable!’ ( letter from John Scott, [3 June 1863] ). Darwin’s early …
Darwin in letters,1870: Human evolution
Summary
The year 1870 is aptly summarised by the brief entry Darwin made in his journal: ‘The whole of the year at work on the Descent of Man & Selection in relation to Sex’. Descent was the culmination of over three decades of observations and reflections on…
Matches: 3 hits
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: 8 hits
- … of a ‘short essay’ on man ( letter to Ernst Haeckel, 3 July 1868 ). But this work would eventually …
- … pages feel fairly nauseated’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 February [1868] ). But such worries were …
- … kind almost heroic, in you to sacrifice your hair and pay 3 d in the cause of science …
- … canary (letters from J. J. Weir, [26] March 1868 and 3 June 1868 ). ‘It was very kind’, …
- … on 9 September . Darwin annotated a letter sent on 3 April by Henry Doubleday that contained a …
- … you have communicated to me’ ( letter to Fritz Müller, 3 June 1868 ). it is a fatal …
- … of species through the study of monstrosities, remarked on 3 April , ‘your works are destined to …
- … admirer of your genius’, wrote Frederick Behrens on 3 December , ‘I presume you are much plagued …
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: 4 hits
- … against this (Correspondence vol. 23, from J. D. Hooker, 3 January [1875] ), preferring to attack …
- … a hoax till I came to the woman’ ( letter to Asa Gray, 3 June [1874] ). Response to …
- … head in different cultures ( letter from Chauncey Wright, 3 September 1874 ). The American …
- … for election to the Royal Society of London ( see letter to H. B. Tristram, 3 March [1874] ). He …
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: 14 hits
- … When I was in spirits I sometimes fancied that my book w d be successful; but I never even built …
- … from the load of curious facts on record.—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In …
- … myself that all was much alike, & if you condemned that you w d . condemn all—my life’s work— …
- … words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both of whom believe that …
- … that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same day that another …
- … forwarded Wallace’s paper to Lyell (Brooks 1984, pp. 262–3). It is of some significance to note that …
- … plan of his book (see letter from Elwin to Murray, 3 May 1859 , and letter to John Murray, 6 …
- … title of the forthcoming book (letter to Charles Lyell, 30 March [1859] ). Darwin next considered …
- … to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was …
- … is whether the rag is worth anything?’ (letter to T. H. Huxley, 2 June [1859] ). But as critical …
- … theory for the origin of mankind. As he wrote to Darwin on 3 October 1859 , ‘the case of Man and …
- … this Essay & that you were the man.’ (letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1859] ). …
- … it is impossible that men like Lyell, Hooker, Huxley, H. C. Watson, Ramsay &c would change their …
- … required a fresh act of intervention to supply the lacunas w h . he himself had made’ (letter …
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: 22 hits
- … Bence Jones: ‘I am able now to walk daily on an average 3½ miles & often one mile at a stretch…. …
- … easy work for about 1½ hours every day’ ( letter to H. B. Jones, 3 January [1866] ). Darwin had …
- … daily to make the chemistry go on better’ ( letter from H. B. Jones, 10 February [1866] ). …
- … 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] ). …
- … think, & have come to more definite views’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
- … Hooker’s research on alpine floras, Henry Walter Bates’s article on mimetic butterflies, Lubbock’s …
- … London, like what I was 7 or 8 years ago— one day I paid 3 calls! & then went for ¾ to Zoolog. …
- … come 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 …
- … weak in his Greek, is something dreadful’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 22 December [1866] ). …
- … 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 …
- … little is known on the subject’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 and 4 August [1866] ). And on the next …
- … Darwin’s Orchids and papers on botanical dimorphism, Bates’s and Wallace’s work on mimetic …
- … a bearing to be worth noticing’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 31 May [1866] ). Most of these …
- … natural selection, and with special creation ( letter from W. R. Grove, 31 August 1866 ). Hooker …
- … w d require years of work’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 30 June [1866] ). He met Spencer during a …
- … as a ‘thinking pump’: ‘I read aloud your simile of H. Spencer to a thinking pump, & it was …
- … did in fact divide Darwin and Hooker, who remarked on 3 November that the application of high …
The "wicked book": Origin at 157
Summary
Origin is 157 years old. (Probably) the most famous book in science was published on 24 November 1859. To celebrate we have uploaded hundreds of new images of letters, bringing the total number you can look at here to over 9000 representing more than…
Matches: 1 hits
- … on pigeons mixed in with Parish affairs. 3 pails of water thrown over me on rising …
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: 16 hits
- … at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes fancied that my book w d be successful; but I never even built …
- … from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). In …
- … myself that all was much alike, & if you condemned that you w d . condemn all—my life’s work— …
- … words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both of whom believe that …
- … that Darwin received Wallace’s letter and manuscript on 3 June 1858, the same day that another …
- … was postmarked ‘Singapore Apr 21 58’ and ‘London Ju 3 58’. Brooks maintains that Darwin …
- … forwarded Wallace’s paper to Lyell (Brooks 1984, pp. 262–3). It is of some significance to note that …
- … plan of his book (see letter from Elwin to Murray, 3 May 1859 , and letter to John Murray, 6 …
- … title of the forthcoming book ( letter to Charles Lyell, 30 March [1859] ). Darwin next considered …
- … to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was …
- … is whether the rag is worth anything?’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 2 June [1859] ). But as critical …
- … theory for the origin of mankind. As he wrote to Darwin on 3 October 1859, ‘the case of Man and his …
- … this Essay & that you were the man.’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 28 December [1859] ). …
- … it is impossible that men like Lyell, Hooker, Huxley, H. C. Watson, Ramsay &c would change their …
- … 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] ). …
Origin: the lost changes for the second German edition
Summary
Darwin sent a list of changes made uniquely to the second German edition of Origin to its translator, Heinrich Georg Bronn. That lost list is recreated here.
Matches: 20 hits
- … changes to the existing German edition (see letter from H. G. Bronn, [before 11 March 1862] ). …
- … small corrections & a few of importance’ (see letter to H. G. Bronn, 11 March [1862] ). …
- … Page xiv, n., line 7, insert after ‘long afterwards.’: 3 He has …
- … ‘in the years 1794–5’. Page xviii, par. 3, line 9, insert after ‘continued reproduction.’’ …
- … 19 (p. 32) Page 182, par. 2, line 15, insert after ‘full-grown …
- … given no answer’. 21 Page 222, par. 1, line 3, substitute for ‘on high authority’: 22 …
- … domestic rabbits have Page 235, par. 1, line 32, insert after ‘confinement.’: 25 …
- … 275, par. 2, line 5, delete ‘and with P. versicolor’. 30 Page 275, par. 2, line 6, …
- … Page 275, par. 2, line 7, insert after ‘common,’: 32 and Page …
- … Page 275, par. 2, line 9, insert after ‘England.’: 34 From the …
- … substitute for ‘again there . . . distinct species.’: 35 again I have …
- … species - as good as any in the world. Page 310, par. 1, line 2, insert after ‘preserved.’ …
- … low water mark seem to be rarely preserved. Page 334, par. 3, line 3, substitute for ‘not …
- … these can be called truly oceanic islands) Page 363, par. 3, line 15, insert after ‘life.’ …
- … have remained in nearly the same condition. Page 364, par. 1, line 22, insert after …
- … From facts lately communicated to me by the Rev. W. B. Clarke, it appears also that there are clear …
- … have migrated from the same great mountain-chain. But Mr. Bates, who has studied with such care the …
- … character and the direction of its mountain-ranges, the Rev. W. B. Clarke has lately maintained that …
- … known Page 425, par. 1, line 30, insert after ‘world’: 54 but …
- … and fish, between flying possums and flying squirrels, etc. Bates has recently reported how some …
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: 4 hits
- … Letter 10439 - Treat, M. to Darwin, [3 April 1876] Mary Treat describes a field trip …
- … Letter 1219 - Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, [3 February 1849] Hooker passes on news of …
- … with minnows. Letter 2781 - Doubleday, H. to Darwin, [3 May 1860] …
- … George that it will be tedious work. He has consulted Mr. Bates who has suggested a wage of around …
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: 8 hits
- … explained to his cousin William Darwin Fox in a letter of 30 November [1864] , ‘the Copley being …
- … Menyanthes ( letter from Emma and Charles Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [20 May 1864] ), or his …
- … that nature ‘abhors self-fertilisation’ ( Orchids , p. 359), he continued studying the adaptations …
- … of a strangling fig that had been described in Henry Walter Bates’s Naturalist on the river …
- … him except á la Darwin!’ ( letter from Hugh Falconer, 3 November 186[4] ). The French botanist, …
- … its death blow’ with the publication of Origin (T. H. Huxley 1864a, p. 567). In 1864, …
- … him with Royal Soc y ’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 3 November [1864] ). Darwin and Wallace’s …
- … had there been any failure of justice’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 4 November 1864 ). …
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, …
