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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,…
Matches: 13 hits
- … "A child of God" (1) Abberley, John (1) …
- … Allen, J. A. (b) (1) Allen, John (1) …
- … C. J. (3) Andrews, John (1) Ann. …
- … Balfour, J. H. (7) Ball, John (5) …
- … Becher, A. B. (1) Beck, John (2) …
- … Beckhard, Martin (1) Beddoe, John (3) …
- … C. H. (8) Blackwall, John (4) …
- … J. A. H. de (11) Bostock, John (1) …
- … Bridgman, W. K. (3) Brigg, John (1) …
- … Busch, Otto (1) Bush, John (3) Busk, …
- … Caton, J. D. (9) Cattell, John (3) …
- … Job, R. A. (1) John Murray (181) …
- … Murphy, James (1) Murray, Andrew (15) …
John Murray
Summary
Darwin's most famous book On the origin of species by means of natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, particularly politics, travel and science, and had published…
Matches: 6 hits
- … natural selection (Origin) was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who …
- … series of guides and also published travel books. Successive John Murrays ran the publishing house; …
- … University Library a similar number of letters from John Murray and Robert Cooke, his cousin and …
- … began the business relationship between Charles Darwin and John Murray. Darwin’s next …
- … Navy: and adapted for travellers in general edited by John Herschel, but there was an error at …
- … . Again he asked Lyell to act as his intermediary with John Murray ( Letter 2437 ), who, without …
Darwin in letters, 1867: A civilised dispute
Summary
Charles Darwin’s major achievement in 1867 was the completion of his large work, The variation of animals and plants under domestication (Variation). The importance of Darwin’s network of correspondents becomes vividly apparent in his work on expression in…
Matches: 7 hits
- … of the size of the two-volume work from his publisher, John Murray, he wrote to Murray on 3 …
- … a chapter ‘on Man’. After a few days, he wrote back to Murray proposing that some of the more …
- … is as good as praise for selling a Book’ ( letter to John Murray, 31 January [1867] ). A …
- … consume Darwin’s time. The first proof-sheets arrived on 1 March 1867 and the tedious work of …
- … to translate Variation . Indeed, he told his publisher, John Murray, in a letter of 4 April …
- … time it took William Sweetland Dallas to prepare the index. John Murray had engaged Dallas and …
- … was sure that the colours were protective and suggested that John Jenner Weir might conduct …
Darwin in letters, 1865: Delays and disappointments
Summary
The year was marked by three deaths of personal significance to Darwin: Hugh Falconer, a friend and supporter; Robert FitzRoy, captain of the Beagle; and William Jackson Hooker, director of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, and father of Darwin’s friend…
Matches: 11 hits
- … on a paper on Verbascum (mullein) by CD’s protégé, John Scott, who was now working in India. …
- … also a serious dispute between two of Darwin’s friends, John Lubbock and Charles Lyell . These …
- … Appendix II). In May, he invited a new doctor, John Chapman, to Down and began a course of Chapman’s …
- … Variation . In March Darwin wrote to his publisher, John Murray, ‘Of present book I have 7 …
- … will be ready for the press in the autumn’ ( letter to John Murray, 4 April [1865] ). In early …
- … ‘I am never idle when I can do anything’ ( letter to John Murray, 2 June [1865] ). It was not …
- … questions and suggesting new lines of research. John Scott A similar, though not so …
- … effort took place in the beginning of the year when John Scott, a protégé of Darwin’s whom Darwin …
- … varieties (see Correspondence vol. 10, letter to John Scott, 19 November [1862] ). Darwin had …
- … in 1863 (see Correspondence vol. 11, letter from John Scott, 21 September [1863] ), and wrote …
- … 1864, despite suffering from sea-sickness ( letter from John Scott, 21 July 1865 ). This may have …
Darwin in letters, 1872: Job done?
Summary
'My career’, Darwin wrote towards the end of 1872, 'is so nearly closed. . . What little more I can do, shall be chiefly new work’, and the tenor of his correspondence throughout the year is one of wistful reminiscence, coupled with a keen eye…
Matches: 10 hits
- … to spread my views’, he wrote to his publisher, John Murray, on 30 January , shortly after …
- … 5s be better? . . . The public are accustomed to novels for 1s’, he wrote to Murray on 8 January …
- … Hooker’s cause was taken up by his friends, in particular John Lubbock and John Tyndall, as one …
- … to Gladstone a week later ( enclosure to letter from John Lubbock to W. E. Gladstone, 20 June 1872 …
- … photographic plates with his overseas publishers, and with John Murray’s assistant, the excitable …
- … of the booksellers, encouraged an originally cautious John Murray to gamble on the book’s success: & …
- … attractive dishes in his `Literary Banquet’ (letters from John Murray, 6 November [1872] and 9 …
- … in those born blind, and filed away other letters, but Murray’s confidence proved misplaced; demand …
- … to supply comparative observations, and Darwin’s protégé John Scott, now employed as a curator in …
- … a copy of Expression to another old Cambridge friend, John Maurice Herbert, who when they were …
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: 5 hits
- … the world. Key dates: 1 st edition published, 24 November 1859 …
- … 1 st to 2 nd editions I have heard from Murray today that he sold whole Edition …
- … incessantly receiving letters with references’ he told Murray , with friends suggesting expansion …
- … Hist. progresses so quickly’, he complained to Murray , ‘that I must make a good many corrections …
- … a larger target audience were also made. Darwin persuaded John Murray to include a glossary of …
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: 16 hits
- … had been in two volumes and had cost twenty-four shillings.) Murray’s partner, Robert Francis Cooke, …
- … Quarterly Review discussing works on primitive man by John Lubbock and Edward Burnett Tylor. It …
- … of anonymous reviews. Its proprietor was none other than John Murray, Darwin’s publisher. So …
- … wording of both the letter to the editor and the letter to Murray to accompany it. The depth of …
- … a new publisher’ and advised that Darwin should not push Murray to the point of cutting off …
- … [6 or 7 August 1874] ). When the letter was finally sent to Murray, Darwin referred only to their …
- … ‘asking a favour ‘. He explained why he had written to Murray and not the editor of the Quarterly …
- … to review me in a hostile spirit’ ( letter to John Murray, 11 August 1874 ). Darwin was …
- … St G. J. Mivart, 11 January [1872] ). To Darwin’s relief, Murray replied immediately: ‘I have lost …
- … number of the Review & in the same type’ ( letter from John Murray, 12 August 1874 ). George …
- … anonymous reviews. While staying with Hooker over Christmas, John Tyndall, professor at and …
- … as ‘the natural outflow of his character’ ( letter from John Tyndall, 28 December 1874 ). …
- … to purchase the wooded land, which he had been renting from John Lubbock, led to a straining of …
- … the sale was agreed in April for £300 ( letter from John Lubbock, 2 April 1874 ), a high price …
- … for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon Sanderson sent the results …
- … of other insect-eating plants. The surgeon and botanist John Ralfs sent Utricularia from …
Cross and self fertilisation
Summary
The effects of cross and self fertilisation in the vegetable kingdom, published on 10 November 1876, was the result of a decade-long project to provide evidence for Darwin’s belief that ‘‘Nature thus tells us, in the most emphatic manner, that she abhors…
Matches: 7 hits
- … when grown together for several years ( To Édouard Bornet, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin began a …
- … in divergent climatic conditions’ ( From Fritz Müller, 1 December 1866 ). Darwin’s interest was …
- … 11 March [1873] ). In April 1873, the publisher John Murray announced in the Athenæum …
- … plagued by foreign Translators, Reviewers, &c.’ ( To John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). In reply to …
- … not expect that more than 6 or 700 would sell.’ ( To John Murray, 15 November 1876 ). In fact, …
- … ( From R. F. Cooke, 16 March 1877 ). In November 1877, Murray suggested stereotyping the book, but …
- … W. Rimpau, 10 December 1877 ). By the end of February 1878, Murray was ready to print the second …
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: 5 hits
- … target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
- … lady”. Darwin, E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) Emma Darwin …
- … her help with tone and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 September …
- … perusal. Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, J., [29 September 1870] …
- … - Innes, J. B. to Darwin, [31 August 1868] John Innes reports that he has read …
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: 15 hits
- … On 6 March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any …
- … domestication . Having been advertised by the publisher John Murray as early as 1865, the two …
- … increased the amount of work substantially. Darwin asked Murray to intervene, complaining on 9 …
- … a great loss to the Book’. But Darwin’s angry letter to Murray crossed one from Dallas to himself, …
- … a cheque to Dallas for £55 s ., and recommended to Murray that Dallas receive additional payment. …
- … of the book were sold within a month of its release, and Murray made immediate arrangements for a …
- … profound contempt of me. I feel convinced it is by Owen’. John Edward Gray, a colleague of Richard …
- … me in the face, but not behind my back’ ( letter to John Murray, 25 February [1868] ). Wallace …
- … R. Wallace, 24 February [1868] ). The review was in fact by John Robertson, a Scottish journalist …
- … a letter of thanks to the naturalist and customs offcial John Jenner Weir for a paper on apterous …
- … depends on the actions of the female’, and of rats, John Bush observed on 30 March that two …
- … the whole System is sustained.’ The former Down clergyman, John Brodie Innes, passed easily over …
- … letter to J. B. Innes, 1 December 1868 ), his replacement, John Warburton Robinson, proved no …
- … and joy. Satisfaction in one’s children, Darwin wrote to John Price on 26 November , was ‘the …
- … poets, and men of science, including Adam Sedgwick, John Stevens Henslow, and William Jackson Hooker …
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: 11 hits
- … While still on the Isle of Wight, Darwin also heard from John Stevens Henslow, his old mentor and …
- … In late March, Lyell had a word with his own publisher, John Murray, who had already published …
- … light of this, Darwin asked Lyell whether he should ‘tell Murray that my Book is not more un …
- … ’ Even before seeing Darwin’s manuscript, Murray objected to the terms ‘abstract’ and ‘ …
- … of favoured races” ’, he told Lyell. On 31 March 1859, Darwin wrote to Murray describing his work …
- … length, and the terms he expected; he also acknowledged that Murray wished to see the manuscript …
- … I publish for Sir Charles Lyell ’. Darwin was uneasy. Murray, he thought, should see the manuscript …
- … origin of all animate forms.’ Moreover, Darwin warned Murray, ‘ it would be a stigma on my work …
- … Reading Darwin’s first three chapters was sufficient for Murray to confirm his offer on 10 April …
- … old draft ‘ the loss would have killed me! ’ Although Murray was committed to publishing Origin, …
- … George Frederick Pollock. The former, in a long letter to Murray, believed that Darwin should ‘ re …
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: 10 hits
- … the accuracy of Darwin’s words has been questioned by John L. Brooks and by H. Lewis McKinney, both …
- … Lyell, 28 March [1859] ). Lyell suggested the firm of John Murray, publishers of the second edition …
- … of Lyell’s works, and well-known for its scientific list. Murray agreed to publish Darwin’s book …
- … , for his opinion. Elwin’s long and considered reply to Murray is published in this volume. Despite …
- … to the original plan of his book (see letter from Elwin to Murray, 3 May 1859 , and letter to …
- … In particular, he was anxious about the prospects of Murray recovering his expenses and even offered …
- … (letters to Charles Lyell, 28 March [1859] , and to John Murray, 10 September [1859] ), but …
- … 24 November 1859 ). Equally painful was the news that John Frederick William Herschel, whom he so …
- … comments in notices of and letters about his book. He told Murray, ‘I fear all Reviews of my present …
- … would change their minds without good cause.’ ( letter to John Murray, 2 December [1859] ). …
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: 14 hits
- … of sterility between varieties of Verbascum . When John Scott, foreman of the propagating …
- … Darwin, impressed, gave him the commission ( see letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] ). …
- … to publish on Linum ‘at once’ ( letter to John Scott, 11 December [1862] ), writing up his …
- … buy it. When he submitted the manuscript to his publisher, John Murray, he boasted: ‘I can say with …
- … in the least , whether the Book will sell’ ( letter to John Murray, 9 [February 1862] ). To his …
- … [1862] ). He warmly recommended Bates and his book to Murray, who swiftly agreed to publish the …
- … paper for the Natural History Review ( see letter to John Lubbock, 16 [December 1862] ). Aware …
- … of the old Beagle crew, Bartholomew James Sulivan, John Clements Wickham, and Arthur Mellersh, …
- … of this, he prescribed strict conditions for a meeting with John Lubbock: ‘if you could … let me go …
- … at 9 o clock I do not think it would hurt me’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 23 October [1862] ). …
- … on botany. Even at the start of their correspondence he told John Scott: ‘Botany is a new subject to …
- … odds & ends of botany & you know far more’ ( letter to John Scott, 19 November [1862] ). …
- … Lyell, 14 October [1862] ). Moreover, when the physicist John Tyndall, fresh from a summer in the …
- … of Darwin’s circle was in Switzerland in the summer: John Lubbock briefly met up with Tyndall and …
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: 10 hits
- … .’ Hooker also directed some of his anger toward John Murray, the publisher of the …
- … that I should give the cold shoulder to the Editor … Poor Murray shuddered again & again’ ( …
- … Instead of supporting her, he worked closely with Huxley and John Burdon Sanderson to draft an …
- … Edward Emanuel Klein, a German histologist who worked with John Burdon Sanderson at the Brown Animal …
- … of the book’s appeal to readers, for he warned Murray on 29 April that it might ‘sell very …
- … to pay the costs for printing an additional 250 ( letter to John Murray, 3 May 1875 ). In …
- … plants 2d ed. was delayed until November, allowing Murray to advertise it at his annual sale. In …
- … further research on the effects of grafting by George John Romanes. A scientific friendship had …
- … 24 December , Emma wrote triumphantly to the former vicar, John Brodie Innes, that a new reading …
- … within the short time I can talk to anyone’ ( letter to John Lubbock, 3 May [1875] ). Finally it …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 12 hits
- … differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 , and letter to Fritz …
- … Quarterly Review , owned by Darwin’s publisher John Murray, carried an anonymous article on the …
- … 1882, p. 179). Darwin commented at length on the review to Murray. He was pleased by ‘the few first …
- … or later write differently about evolution’ ( letter to John Murray, 21 January 1882 ). The author …
- … Darwin had a less heated discussion with the painter John Collier on the topic of science and art. …
- … himself to so dreadful a man, as Huxley’ ( letter to John Collier, 16 February 1882 ). Collier had …
- … be the same without my consciousness?’ ( letter from John Collier, 22 February 1882 ; T. H. Huxley …
- … and admirers. One of the most touching was from John Lubbock, whose interest in natural history at …
- … we adjourned as a small tribute of respect’ (letter from John Lubbock to Francis Darwin, 20 April …
- … pigeon breeder: ‘Skins are on their road to me sent by Mr. Murray from Persia, & I hope to get …
- … ). Darwin’s former mentor at University of Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow, was not a …
- … Origin, a number of Darwin’s friends, Huxley, John Lubbock, and Charles Lyell, each addressed the …
St George Jackson Mivart
Summary
In the second half of 1874, Darwin’s peace was disturbed by an anonymous article in the Quarterly Review suggesting that his son George was opposed to the institution of marriage and in favour of ‘unrestrained licentiousness’. Darwin suspected, correctly,…
Matches: 6 hits
- … also wondering whether he should break off relations with John Murray, his own publisher and also …
- … paper, which Darwin pointed out was not the kind of thing Murray would be likely to wish to …
- … between the two of them. Darwin sent George’s letter to Murray with his letter of 11 August 1874 …
- … dangerous and pernicious. Darwin thanked Murray for sending him the issue of the …
- … having been used in a Pickwickian sense’ ( letter to John Murray, 18 October 1874 ). In other …
- … the president, George Allman: he had already spoken to John Tyndall ( letter from John Tyndall, 28 …
The Lyell–Lubbock dispute
Summary
In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book Prehistoric times, accused Lyell of plagiarism. The dispute caused great dismay among many of their mutual scientific friends, some of whom took immediate action…
Matches: 18 hits
- … In May 1865 a dispute arose between John Lubbock and Charles Lyell when Lubbock, in his book …
- … been supposed, but his views were generally derided. 1 In 1859, Lyell visited several …
- … ( Correspondence vol. 8, letter to Charles Lyell, 4 May [1860] and n. 3; Hutchinson 1914, 1: 51). …
- … also added the following note on page 11: *Mr. John Lubbock published, after these sheets …
- … wrote to Henrietta Emma Darwin, ‘whereas after talking to John, he thought him not wrong, after …
- … avoiding any mention of the note in the preface (letter to John Lubbock, 11 June [1865] ). No …
- … on page 11, C. Lyell 1863c (original version) *Mr. John Lubbock published, after these sheets …
- … on page 11, C. Lyell 1863c (revised version) *Mr. John Lubbock published, in the October …
- … Van Riper 1993. 2. Letter from Charles Lyell to John Lubbock, 20 February 1863 (British …
- … 1863b, p. 214). 12. Letter from Hugh Falconer to John Lubbock, 24 May [1864], in (British …
- … written for me by a mutual friend of ours’ (letter from John Lubbock to J. D. Hooker, 23 June 1865, …
- … March 1865, in BL MSS ADD 49641. 16. Letter from John Lubbock to Charles Lyell, 13 March …
- … 17. Rough notes for letter from Charles Lyell to John Lubbock, undated, in University of Edinburgh …
- … of the origin of species by variation . London: John Murray. Lyell, Charles. 1863b. The …
- … species by variation. 2d edition, revised. London: John Murray. Lyell, Charles. 1863c. …
- … of species by variation . 3d edition, revised. London: John Murray. Lyell, Charles. 1864. …
- … geological monuments . 6th edition, revised. London: John Murray. Lyell, Katharine Murray, …
- … in the struggle for life . By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1859. Owen, Richard. 1863 …
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: 14 hits
- … that he was ‘unwell & must write briefly’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ), and in a …
- … were himself, Hooker, Huxley, Alfred Russel Wallace, and John Lubbock. Honours abroad …
- … of the Royal Society ( see letter from Edward Sabine to John Phillips, 12 November 1863 ). …
- … year with the Hertfordshire nurseryman Thomas Rivers. John Scott Darwin had found a …
- … of hybridity and sterility at the end of the previous year. John Scott, a gardener at the Royal …
- … the results of which were published in 1868 ( see letter to John Scott, 25 and 28 May [1863] ). …
- … hoped would counteract Huxley’s criticism ( letter from John Scott, 23 July [1863] ). Darwin …
- … Darwin had also encouraged him to write ( see letter to John Scott, 12 April [1863] ). In this …
- … that your paper will have permanent value’ ( letter to John Scott, 31 May [1863] ). Scott received …
- … the “Origin” is not at all palatable!’ ( letter from John Scott, [3 June 1863] ). Darwin’s …
- … a position offered in Darjeeling, India ( see letter from John Scott, 22 May 1863 , and letter …
- … 1860; it continued to capture his attention ( see letter to John Scott, 12 April [1863] ). …
- … to Malvern the following week. Three letters in August from John Goodsir, professor of anatomy at …
- … of all such matters as your stomach’ ( see letter from John Goodsir, 21 August [1863] ; letter …
John Maurice Herbert
Summary
John Maurice Herbert was a close friend of Darwin’s at Cambridge University. He was affectionately called ‘Cherbury’ by Darwin, a reference to the seventeenth-century philosopher Edward Herbert, Baron Cherbury, who, like John Herbert, hailed from…
Matches: 4 hits
- … John Maurice Herbert was a close friend of Darwin’s at Cambridge University. …
- … philosopher Edward Herbert, Baron Cherbury, who, like John Herbert, hailed from Montgomeryshire in …
- … with Surds and the Binomial Theorem’ ( Life and letters 1: 171). Even before the study trip, …
- … chapter. Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8. …
John Lort Stokes
Summary
John Lort Stokes, naval officer, was Charles Darwin’s cabinmate on the Beagle voyage – not always an enviable position. After Darwin’s death, Stokes penned a description of their evenings spent working at the large table at the centre, Stokes at his…
