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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: 25 hits
- … The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the …
- … on 24 February, and all 2500 copies were sold in a week. ‘Murray says he is “torn to pieces” by …
- … on 28 February . Demand continued throughout the year, and Murray produced three more printings, …
- … promotes the sale’ ( letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were …
- … £1470 for the first two printings, Darwin wrote to Murray on 20 March 1871 , ‘It is quite a grand …
- … in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
- … to read it ( letter from James Crichton-Browne, 19 February 1871 ). The African explorer and …
- … pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). The geologist William Boyd Dawkins …
- … to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). Thomas Henry Huxley marvelled that …
- … tide-marks!’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 20 February 1871 ). Asa Gray remarked, somewhat …
- … and pointed ears” (letter from Asa Gray, 14 April 1871) Like his previous book, …
- … arms and legs ( letter from C. L. Bernays, 25 February 1871 ). Samples of hair arrived from …
- … his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 April 1871] )). Hinrich Nitsche, ‘the lucky …
- … orang-utan foetus ( letter from Hinrich Nitsche, 18 April 1871 ). Darwin thought he might use the …
- … poor return’ ( letter to Hinrich Nitsche, 25 April [1871] ). Animal anecdotes appeared in …
- … space each morning ( letter from Arthur Nicols, 7 March 1871 ; letter from B. J. Sulivan, 11 …
- … of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871] ). Roland Trimen, a long-time …
- … in the past ( letter from Roland Trimen, 17 and 18 April 1871 ). Candid disagreement …
- … ‘a windbag full of metaphysics & classics’ ( letter to John Murray, 13 April [1871] ). …
- … Gazette , and wrote to its author, who turned out to be John Morley, a leading advocate of …
- … and transmitted by culture, not biology ( letter from John Morley, 30 March 1871 ). …
- … by his wife and children. William offered his assessment of John Stuart Mill’s theory of …
- … he suspected that very few would actually sell (letters to John Murray, 17 August [1871] and …
- … Wallace, 4 August [1871] ). On 23 September he informed Murray that owing to poor health he had …
- … years following the publication of Origin of species . Murray convinced him to appear in Vanity …
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: 15 hits
- … was published on 22 November 1859. The publisher was John Murray, who specialised in non-fiction, …
- … 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 …
- … had proved to be a scientific best-seller for the second John Murray, to open negotiations with his …
- … 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 …
- … would be a success: shortly before publication he wrote to Murray, ‘I heartily hope that my Book …
- … undertaken it’ (15 October [1859] Letter 2506 ). Murray decided on a retail price of 14 s ., …
- … had paid Darwin profits of nearly £3000. The third John Murray made a successful business …
- … ). Darwin’s next publishing project with John Murray in 1869 was a translation into English …
- … ‘I hope to Heaven book will sell well’ (12 January [1871] Letter 7438 ). A second printing was …
- … planning a third ( Letter 7604 ). In the summer of 1871, Darwin decided to publish on …
- … in the Quarterly Review , a magazine published by John Murray.The pamphlets were not primarily …
- … his orders ( Letter 8616 ). However, when Robert Cooke, John Murray’s cousin, went round to …
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: 8 hits
- … selection in relation to sex ( Descent ), published in 1871, and the chapter on expression into …
- … 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 …
- … and the tedious work of correction began. Darwin wrote to Murray on 18 March to say that he …
- … 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, 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: 12 hits
- … of man and selection in relation to sex , published in 1871, these books brought a strong if …
- … to spread my views’, he wrote to his publisher, John Murray, on 30 January , shortly after …
- … The public are accustomed to novels for 1s’, he wrote to Murray on 8 January , but Murray …
- … the new edition in the United States, Darwin arranged with Murray to have it stereotyped. Before the …
- … 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 …
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: 10 hits
- … target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
- … chapters of Origin of Species to his publisher, John Murray. He hopes that his views are …
- … her help with tone and style. Letter 7329 - Murray , J. to Darwin, [28 September …
- … perusal. Letter 7331 - Darwin to Murray, J., [29 September 1870] …
- … Letter 7624 - Bathoe, M . B. to Darwin, [25 March 1871] Mary Bathoe responds …
- … Letter 7644 - Barnard, A. to Darwin, [30 March 1871] J. S. Henslow’s daughter, …
- … 7651 - Wedgwood, F. J. to Darwin, H. E., [1 April 1871] Frances Wedgwood offers …
- … 7411 - Pfeiffer, E. J. to Darwin, [before 26 April 1871] The poet Emily Pfeiffer …
- … Letter 8055 - Hennell, S. S. to Darwin, [7 November 1871] Sarah Hennell writes to Darwin …
- … - Innes, J. B. to Darwin, [31 August 1868] John Innes reports that he has read …
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: 9 hits
- … of self-fertilisation’ ( To J. D. Hooker, 23 July [1871] ). Darwin also informed Müller of this …
- … in his hothouse ( To Fritz Müller, 2 August [1871] ). By late 1871, Darwin was already …
- … generations’ ( To Federico Delpino, 22 November 1871 ). Delpino replied that he looked forward to …
- … and horticulture ( From Federico Delpino, 5 December 1871 ). When Darwin began writing in February …
- … 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 …
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: 23 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 ). …
- … fourth son, Leonard, who had joined the Royal Engineers in 1871, went to New Zealand as photographer …
- … 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 …
- … in order to work on its difficult structures ( letter to John Ralfs, 13 July [1874] ). The …
- … a printed appeal for funds, raising £860 ( Circular to John Lubbock, P. L. Sclater, Charles Lyell, …
- … from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874] ). He tried to persuade John Murray to publish a second edition …
- … authority on marriage customs in Descent ( see letter John Murray, 9 May [1874] ). He …
- … for Darwin’s last years. The young physiologist George John Romanes wrote a long letter to Herbert …
- … established by Michael Foster. He then studied under John Scott Burdon Sanderson at University …
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
- … 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 …
- … die. Thomas Henry Huxley, 28 September 1871 Geographical …
Animals, ethics, and the progress of science
Summary
Darwin’s view on the kinship between humans and animals had important ethical implications. In Descent, he argued that some animals exhibited moral behaviour and had evolved mental powers analogous to conscience. He gave examples of cooperation, even…
Matches: 4 hits
- … sleep to-night’ ( letter to E. R. Lankester, 22 March [1871] ). In Descent , Darwin described …
- … perseverance’ ( letter to Nature , [before 27 April 1871] ). When Galton could no longer look …
- … ‘Siamesing’ ( letter from Francis Galton, 13 September 1871 ). Several years later, proof …
- … into close contact with England’s leading physiologists, John Scott Burdon Sanderson, Thomas Lauder …
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: 16 hits
- … In January, Darwin corresponded with George John Romanes about new varieties of sugar cane produced …
- … 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 …
- … steps’ ( letter to Alexander Agassiz, 28 August [1871] ; see also Correspondence vol. 19, …
- … names to appear’ ( letter to Louisa Stevenson, 8 April 1871 ). It was Darwin’s name that was …
- … who had undertaken observations years earlier. In 1871, he had asked Henry Johnson to observe the …
- … vol. 19, letter to Henry Johnson, 23 December 1871 , and Earthworms , pp. 221–8). Darwin …
4.7 'Vanity Fair', caricature
Summary
< Back to Introduction A letter to Darwin from his publisher John Murray of 10 May 1871 informed him, ‘Your portrait is earnestly desired – by the Editor of Vanity Fair. I hope Mr Darwin may consent to follow the example of Murchison – Bismark [sic] …
Matches: 5 hits
- … A letter to Darwin from his publisher John Murray of 10 May 1871 informed him, ‘Your portrait is …
- … However, he was won round, and the drawing that appeared in 1871 exuded genial sociability. In this …
- … Pellegrini and the versatile French painter James Tissot. John Murray evidently thought that …
- … the former. date of creation September 1871 computer-readable date c.1871-06 …
- … and bibliography Vanity Fair , no. 152 (30 Sept. 1871), p. 107. Letter from John Murray to …
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
- … March 1868, Darwin wrote to the entomologist and accountant John Jenner Weir, ‘If any man wants to …
- … 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 …
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: 11 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 …
- … under the authority of the Church. After becoming vicar in 1871, Ffinden had opposed their efforts, …
- … 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 and the Church
Summary
The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It shows another side of the man who is more often remembered for his personal struggles with faith, or for his role in large-scale controversies over the…
Matches: 10 hits
- … scientific interests. Indeed, Darwin’s Cambridge mentor, John Stevens Henslow, and his friend and …
- … the work of Non-conformist preachers in the village. John Brodie Innes Many of the …
- … Innes, [8 May 1848] and n. 2). Darwin praised Innes to John William Lubbock, the principal …
- … [1850] and n. 6; and letter to J. B. Innes, 29 May [1871] ). Their true friendship does …
- … request favourably—’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 26 May 1871 ). Indeed Innes had such a high …
- … school and organ funds (letter to J. B. Innes, 13 January 1871 ). Down’s next clergyman …
- … very dull sermons’ (letter to J. B. Innes, 18 January [1871] ). Mr Powell was happy to take up …
- … qualifications’ (letter from J. B. Innes, 5 June 1871 ). Particularly in the early days of …
- … to such strained relations that Darwin’s neighbour, John Lubbock, was forced to send a series of …
- … chapter . Edited by Francis Darwin. 3 vols. London: John Murray. 1887–8. Moore, James. 1985. …
Darwin in public and private
Summary
Extracts from Darwin's published works, in particular Descent of man, and selected letters, explore Darwin's views on the operation of sexual selection in humans, and both his publicly and privately expressed views on its practical implications…
Matches: 9 hits
- … of favoured races in the struggle for life , (London: John Murray, 1st ed., 1859), p. 88. 2) …
- … descent of man, and selection in relation to sex , (London: John Murray, 1st ed., 1871), vol. 1., …
- … and has a more inventive genius…” Descent (1871), vol. 2, pp. 316 – 317. 4) …
- … greater tenderness and less selfishness…” Descent (1871), vol. 2, pp. 326 – 327. 5) “The …
- … merely the use of the senses and hands….” Descent (1871), vol. 2, pp. 327. 6) “…Thus man …
- … is in ornamental plumage to the peahen.” Descent (1871), vol. 2, pp. 328 – 329. 7) …
- … chiefly to her adult daughters….” Descent (1871), vol. 2, p. 329. 8) “Man is more …
- … should have gained the power of selection…” Descent (1871), vol. 2, pp. 371 – 372. …
- … of man and lower animals. Letter 7329 – Murray, J. to Darwin, [28 September 1870] …
Insectivorous Plants
Summary
Sources|Discussion Questions|Experiment Plants that consume insects Darwin began his work with insectivorous plants in the mid 1860s, though his findings would not be published until 1875. In his autobiography Darwin reflected on the delay that…
Matches: 6 hits
- … plants. Darwin and Treat exchanged fifteen letters from 1871-1876 about the behavior and mechanisms …
- … Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. London; John. Murray. You can download the …
- … Darwin, Charles. 1875. Insectivorous Plants. London: John Murray. Chapters 17 and 18 …
- … Plants Letter 3853 - Charles Darwin to John Scott, 11 December 1862 This …
- … 28 September 1860 Darwin writes to his friend John Stevens Henslow about his …
- … Letter 8113 - Mary Treat to Charles Darwin, 20 December 1871 In this long letter Treat …
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: 12 hits
- … Thomas Lauder Brunton, a specialist in pharmacology, and John Scott Burdon Sanderson, a professor at …
- … “for Heaven knows when it will be ready” ( letter to John Murray, 4 May [1873] ). Keeping …
- … with leading physiologists such as David Ferrier and John Hughlings Jackson. Darwin declined to …
- … Instinct In February, Darwin received a letter from John Traherne Moggridge on the nature of …
- … fund was first suggested in early April by Katharine Murray Lyell in conversation with Emma Darwin, …
- … A group of Huxley’s close friends, including Hooker, John Lubbock, Herbert Spencer, John Tyndall, …
- … edition was called for. There were commercial advantages for Murray in bringing out a substantially …
- … your own power & usefulness”, citing the examples of John Stuart Mill and Charles Lyell, who …
- … from Ernst Meitzen, 17 January 1873 ). A poor-law officer, John Farr, wrote: “Faith like Species, …
- … more permanent than species are permanent” ( letter from John Farr, 7 July 1873 ). Further …
- … vicar, George Sketchley Ffinden, who had been appointed in 1871. Darwin had usually been on good …
- … closer to home, when he was graced by an invitation from John Jenner Weir to act as a patron of the …
Forms of flowers
Summary
Darwin’s book The different forms of flowers on plants of the same species, published in 1877, investigated the structural differences in the sexual organs of flowers of the same species. It drew on and expanded five articles Darwin had published on the…
Matches: 5 hits
- … results of similar work carried out by correspondents like John Scott . Scott had been studying …
- … The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex (1871), and The expression of the emotions …
- … to write Forms of flowers . He contacted his publisher John Murray in early April 1877, …
- … wish to complete the series ’. He seemed unsure that Murray would publish the book on his usual …
- … to Darwin), so asked for it to be published on commission if Murray did not want to take the risk. …
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 '…
Francis Galton
Summary
Galton was a naturalist, statistician, and evolutionary theorist. He was a second cousin of Darwin’s, having descended from his grandfather, Erasmus. Born in Birmingham in 1822, Galton studied medicine at King’s College, London, and also read mathematics…
