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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: 19 hits
- … In May 1881, Darwin, one of the best-known celebrities in England if not the world, began …
- … a very old man, who probably will not last much longer.’ Darwin’s biggest fear was not death, but …
- … sweetest place on this earth’. From the start of the year, Darwin had his demise on his mind. He …
- … provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s gloominess was compounded by the …
- … and new admirers got in touch, and, for all his fears, Darwin found several scientific topics to …
- … Evolution old and new when revising his essay on Erasmus Darwin’s scientific work, and that Darwin …
- … was another source of pleasure in the early months of 1881. This book had been a major undertaking …
- … decided to print ‘500 more, making 2000’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 January 1881 ). Unlike …
- … & very surprising the whole case is to me’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] and …
- … individual experience ( letter from G. J. Romanes, 7 March 1881 ). The difficulty with earthworms …
- … were trustworthy ( letter to Francis Galton, 8 March [1881] ). Although results from earlier …
- … ‘a game of chance’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 12 April 1881 ). On 18 May he described his work on …
- … suggestions of such plants, especially annuals ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 21 March [1881] ) …
- … sulky in a day or two’ ( letter to R. F. Cooke, 29 July 1881 ). The degree of Darwin’s distress …
- … with you’, a Swedish teacher told him ( letter from C. E. Södling, 14 October 1881 ), while H. M. …
- … little, to the general stock of knowledge’ ( letter to E. W. Bok, 10 May 1881 ). Josef Popper, an …
- … of the nature & capabilities of the Fuegians’ ( letter to W. P. Snow, 22 November 1881 ). …
- … ‘not absurd for one with no pretensions’ (l etter from W. E. Darwin, 13 January [1881 ]), Darwin …
- … after expressing their wish to visit Darwin ( letter from E. B. Aveling, 27 September [1881] ). …
Volume 29 (1881) is published!
Summary
In October 1881, Darwin published his last book, The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. A slim volume on a subject that many people could understand and on which they had their own opinions, it went…
Matches: 10 hits
- … From the start of 1881, Darwin had his demise on his mind. He increasingly relied on his son William …
- … provision for the dividing of his wealth after his death. Darwin’s gloominess was compounded by the …
- … and new admirers got in touch, and, for all his fears, Darwin found several scientific topics to …
- … the book has been received. Letter t o Francis Darwin, 9 November [1881] In …
- … Letter to A. B. Buckley, 4 January 1881 In January, Darwin heard that …
- … Arabella Burton Buckley had suggested the possibility, and Darwin, with her help, wrote a memorial …
- … do. Letter to J. D. Hooker, 15 June 1881 The Darwins spent June in the …
- … Letter to W. E. Darwin, 4 August [1881] In early …
- … Letter to T. H. Farrer, 28 August 1881 Darwin’s elder brother, …
- … Letter t o B. J. Sulivan, 1 December 1881 …
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: 24 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
- … for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
- … in Down, where his brother Erasmus had been interred in 1881. But some of his scientific friends …
- … Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
- … to Fritz Müller, 4 January 1882 ). These were topics that Darwin had been investigating for years, …
- … working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
- … for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root response and the …
- … London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
- … vol. 29, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 28 December 1881 ). Darwin had a long-running …
- … the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). While …
- … last book, Earthworms , had been published in October 1881. It proved to be very popular, with …
- … vol. 29, letter from J. F. Simpson, 8 November 1881 ). He remarked on the ‘far reaching …
- … Correspondence vol. 29, letter to Emily Talbot, 19 July 1881 ) was also published in the …
- … American, Caroline Kennard, had written on 26 December 1881 (see Correspondence vol. 29) to …
- … on the topic of science and art. He had sat for Collier in 1881 for a portrait commissioned by the …
- … letter from John Collier, 22 February 1882 ; T. H. Huxley 1881, pp. 199–245). Huxley used …
- … discoverer of tidal evolution’ ( Nature , 24 November 1881, p. 81). Darwin boasted to Rich: …
- … and a ‘Glycerin Pepsin mixture’ (letters to W. W. Baxter, 11 March 1882 and 18 March [1882 ]) …
- … he is a good deal depressed about himself’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March …
- … is very calm but she has cried a little’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, [19 April …
- … overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 (DAR 219.1: 150)). …
- … he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
- … without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 October 1836] , letter …
- … pains)… would be very interesting to me’ ( letter to E. W. V. Harcourt, 24 June [1856] ). In a …
Darwin in letters, 1880: Sensitivity and worms
Summary
‘My heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old Shrewsbury friend Henry Johnson on 14 November 1880. Darwin became fully devoted to earthworms in the spring of the year, just after finishing the manuscript of…
Matches: 23 hits
- … heart & soul care for worms & nothing else in this world,’ Darwin wrote to his old …
- … to adapt to varying conditions. The implications of Darwin’s work for the boundary between animals …
- … studies of animal instincts by George John Romanes drew upon Darwin’s early observations of infants, …
- … of evolution and creation. Many letters flowed between Darwin and his children, as he took delight …
- … Financial support for science was a recurring issue, as Darwin tried to secure a Civil List pension …
- … with Samuel Butler, prompted by the publication of Erasmus Darwin the previous year. …
- … Charles Harrison Tindal, sent a cache of letters from two of Darwin’s grandfather’s clerical friends …
- … divines to see a pig’s body opened is very amusing’, Darwin replied, ‘& that about my …
- … registry offices, and produced a twenty-page history of the Darwin family reaching back to the …
- … to find an ordinary mortal who could laugh’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin to Charles and Emma Darwin, …
- … wants a grievance to hang an article upon’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, [28 January 1880] ). …
- … one or both to his daughter Henrietta ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 1 February [1880] ). ‘The …
- … he will have the last word’, she warned ( letter from H. E. Litchfield, [1 February 1880] ). ‘He …
- … from scientific debate. The matter spilled over into January 1881. With Henrietta’s aid, the advice …
- … pretended, ‘but the subject has amused me’ ( letter to W. C. McIntosh, 18 June 1880 ). Members of …
- … bags ( letter from G. J. Romanes, [6, 13, or 20] March 1881 ). Romanes was at work on a lengthy …
- … the reasons, I should be greatly obliged’ ( letter from W. Z. Seddon, 2 February 1880) . Darwin …
- … he added, ‘hardly anybody has accepted’ ( letter to W. Z. Seddon, 4 February 1880 ). On 16 …
- … aided in any way direct attacks on religion’ ( letter to E. B. Aveling, 13 October 1880 ). Finally …
- … to the greatest biologist of our time’ ( letter from W. D. Roebuck to G. H. Darwin, 25 October 1880 …
- … his great doctrines …“Come of Age”‘ ( letter from W. C. Williamson to Emma Darwin, 2 September 1880 …
- … memorial was eventually submitted to Gladstone in January 1881 and was successful. For a copy of the …
- … his voice as clearly as if he were present’ (letters to C. W. Fox, 29 March 1880 and 10 [April …
Casting about: Darwin on worms
Summary
Earthworms were the subject of a citizen science project to map the distribution of earthworms across Britain (BBC Today programme, 26 May 2014). The general understanding of the role earthworms play in improving soils and providing nutrients for plants to…
Matches: 12 hits
- … for plants to flourish can be traced back to the last book Darwin wrote, snappily-titled The …
- … , with observations on their habits, which was published in 1881. Despite Darwin’s fears that a book …
- … out in his Natural History of Selborne of 1789 (a book Darwin claimed had ‘much influence on my …
- … a new field in natural history, and almost a century later Darwin argued that all fields had passed …
- … variety of strange things he persuaded people to do. Darwin concluded that worms had no sense …
- … a metal whistle and to being shouted at, but also to Francis Darwin playing the bassoon, and to Emma …
- … realising that this negative evidence was also valuable to Darwin. Thomas Henry Farrer , …
- … existence of worms at that altitude. By the 1870s, Darwin was also drawing on the work of …
- … him. Soon worm excrement was trusted to postal services, and Darwin acquired casts from India and …
- … observations he had gathered to write a book on the subject. Darwin brought to the topic the …
- … soul is absorbed with worms just at present!’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton Dyer, 23 November [1880] …
- … much bigger souls than anyone wd suppose’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 31 January [1881] (CUL DAR …
Religion
Summary
Design|Personal Belief|Beauty|The Church Perhaps the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same can be said of the evolution controversy today; however the nature of the disputes and the manner in…
Matches: 12 hits
- … the most notorious realm of controversy over evolution in Darwin's day was religion. The same …
- … nineteenth century were different in important ways. Many of Darwin's leading supporters were …
- … their religious beliefs with evolutionary theory. Darwin's own writing, both in print and …
- … much as possible. A number of correspondents tried to draw Darwin out on his own religious views, …
- … political contexts. Design Darwin was not the first to challenge …
- … on the controversial topic of design. The first is between Darwin and Harvard botanist Asa Gray, …
- … second is a single letter from naturalist A. R. Wallace to Darwin on design and natural selection. …
- … Letter 13230 — Darwin, C. R. to Graham, William, 3 July 1881 Darwin praises Graham’s Creed …
- … Letter 5307 — Darwin, C. R. to Boole, M. E., 14 Dec 1866 Darwin believes he is unable to …
- … Letter 8070 — Darwin, C. R. to Abbot, F. E., 16 Nov [1871] Darwin explains why he must …
- … Letter 1536 — Darwin, C. R. to Lubbock, J. W. (b), 11 Oct [1853] Darwin gives his opinion to …
- … — Darwin, C. R. to Fegan, J. W. C., [Dec 1880 – Feb 1881] Darwin writes to J. W. C Fegan, a …
Diagrams and drawings in letters
Summary
Over 850 illustrations from the printed volumes of The Correspondence of Charles Darwin have been added to the online transcripts of the letters. The contents include maps, diagrams, drawings, sketches and photographs, covering geological, botanical,…
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when …
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: 7 hits
- … Female readership | Reading Variation Darwin's letters, in particular those …
- … a broad variety of women had access to, and engaged with, Darwin's published works. A set of …
- … women a target audience? Letter 2447 - Darwin to Murray, J., [5 April 1859] …
- … that his views are original and will appeal to the public. Darwin asks Murray to forward the …
- … and criticisms of style. Letter 2461 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [11 May 1859] …
- … readers. Letter 7124 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [8 February 1870] Darwin …
- … 13547 - Tanner, M. H. to Darwin, [12 December 1881] Mary Tanner tells Darwin that …
Referencing women’s work
Summary
Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, but whether and how they were acknowledged in print involved complex considerations of social standing, professional standing, and personal preference.…
Matches: 15 hits
- … Darwin's correspondence shows that women made significant contributions to Darwin's work, …
- … set of selected letters is followed by letters relating to Darwin's 1881 publication …
- … throughout Variation . Letter 2395 - Darwin to Holland, Miss, [April 1860] …
- … anonymised and masculinised. Letter 3316 - Darwin to Nevill, D. F., [12 November …
- … Nevill is referenced by name for her “kindness” in Darwin’s Fertilisation of Orchids . …
- … critic. Letter 4370 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [April - May 1865] Darwin …
- … as “friends in Surrey”. Letter 4794 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [25 March 1865] …
- … B”. Letter 7060 - Wedgwood, F. J. to Darwin, [1867 - 72] Darwin’s …
- … in the final publication. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., [9 June 1867 - …
- … in Expression . Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. H., [30 January 1868 …
- … baby in Mary Barton. Letter 8321 - Darwin to Litchfield, H. E., [13 May …
- … at him. Letter 7345 - Wedgwood, L. C. to Darwin, [15 June 1872] Darwin’s …
- … Letter 8427 - Darwin to Litchfield H. E., [25 July 1872] Darwin thanks Henrietta for …
- … . Letter 12745 - Darwin to Wedgwood, K. E. S., [8 October 1880] Darwin …
- … Letter 13037 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [5 February 1881] Darwin discusses …
Darwin as mentor
Summary
Darwin provided advice, encouragement and praise to his fellow scientific 'labourers' of both sexes. Selected letters Letter 2234 - Darwin to Unidentified, [5 March 1858] Darwin advises that Professor C. P. Smyth’s observations are not…
Matches: 12 hits
- … Darwin provided advice, encouragement and praise to his fellow scientific …
- … Selected letters Letter 2234 - Darwin to Unidentified, [5 March 1858] Darwin …
- … on insufficient grounds. Letter 3934 - Darwin to Scott, J., [21 January 1863] …
- … material worthy of publication. Letter 4185 - Darwin to Scott, J., [25 & 28 May …
- … worker you are!”. Letter 7605 - Darwin to Darwin, H. E., [20 March 1871] …
- … “lucid vigorous style”. In consultation with Emma, Darwin offers Henrietta “some little memorial” in …
- … so many observations without aid. Letter 8146 - Darwin to Treat, M., [5 January 1872] …
- … scientific journal”. Letter 8171 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L., [21 January 1872] …
- … stooping over holes for hours which “tried my head”. Darwin notes that Lucy is worth her weight in …
- … he had repeated the experiment. Letter 9580 - Darwin to Darwin, G. H. D., [1 August …
- … be submitted to the publisher. Letter 9613 - Darwin to Hooker, J. D., [30 August 1874 …
- … Letter 13414 - Darwin to Harrison, L., [18 October 1881] Darwin advises his niece’s …
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: 22 hits
- … The story of Charles Darwin’s involvement with the church is one that is told far too rarely. It …
- … unique window into this complicated relationship throughout Darwin’s life, as it reveals his …
- … belief (and doubt) than many non-conformist denominations. Darwin’s parents attended a Unitarian …
- … the necessary studies to be a clergyman. During Darwin’s lifetime, the vast majority of the …
- … income was essential to enjoy a gentlemanly lifestyle. For Darwin, who could rely on the financial …
- … compatible with the pursuit of scientific interests. Indeed, Darwin’s Cambridge mentor, John Stevens …
- … (Blackwood’s Edinburgh Magazine (1887): 321). Darwin started on his journey around the world …
- … it even through a grove of Palms.—’ (letter to Caroline Darwin, 25–6 April [1832] ). Darwin’s …
- … British Museum or some other learned place’ (letter from E. A. Darwin, 18 August [1832] ). …
- … sort of scene I never ought to think about—’ (letter to W. D. Fox, [9–12 August] 1835 ). Darwin’s …
- … from the late 1830s, and in correspondence with his fiancée, Emma Wedgwood, in 1838 and 1839, as can …
- … within six years of his return from the Beagle voyage, Darwin moved to Down House, in the …
- … where their children Mary and Charles were buried; later Darwin’s brother Erasmus, Emma’s sister …
- … of Emma, whose religious scruples are discussed here. But Darwin’s correspondence reveals his own …
- … Although he was not the principal landowner in Down, Darwin was a gentleman of means, and clearly …
- … made inroads on Anglican authority in the countryside. The Darwin family took an interest in, and …
- … Many of the letters highlighted in this section focus on Darwin’s long-standing relationship with …
- … To the end of his life Innes refused to be persuaded by Darwin’s theory of evolution, but …
- … an excellent Guardian [of the Poor Fund]’ (letter to J. W. Lubbock, 28 March [1854] ). Despite …
- … is an interesting letter from Darwin to the evangelist J. W. C. Fegan. Darwin whole-heartedly …
- … (letter to J. W. C. Fegan, [December 1880 – February 1881] ). Indeed, the Darwin family even …
- … Victorian clergy. London: Croom Helm. Keppel, T. E. 1887. The country parson as he was, and as …
Science: A Man’s World?
Summary
Discussion Questions|Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth-century women participated in the world of science, be it as experimenters, observers, editors, critics, producers, or consumers. Despite this, much of the…
Matches: 13 hits
- … Discussion Questions | Letters Darwin's correspondence show that many nineteenth …
- … Letters Darwin’s Notes On Marriage [April - July 1838] In these notes, …
- … of family, home and sociability. Letter 489 - Darwin to Wedgwood, E., [20 January 1839] …
- … theories, & accumulating facts in silence & solitude”. Darwin also comments that he has …
- … by”. Letter 3715 - Claparède, J. L. R. A. E. to Darwin, [6 September 1862] …
- … are not those of her sex”. Letter 4038 - Darwin to Lyell, C., [12-13 March 1863] …
- … “first rate critic”. Letter 4377 - Haeckel, E. P. A. to Darwin, [2 January 1864] …
- … of feminine works”. Letter 4441 - Becker, L. E. to Darwin, [30 March 1864] …
- … ladies, to study nature. Letter 4940 - Cresy, E. to Darwin, E., [20 November 1865] …
- … masculine nor pedantic”. Letter 6976 - Darwin to Blackwell, A. B., [8 November 1869] …
- … read the pamphlet herself. Letter 8335 - Reade, W. W. to Darwin, [16 May 1872] …
- … to women. Letter 10746 – Darwin to Dicey, E. M., [1877] Darwin gives his …
- … Letter 13414 - Darwin to Harrison, L., [18 October 1881] Darwin advises his niece’s …
Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year
Summary
The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…
Matches: 22 hits
- … 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
- … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
- … and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
- … ). The death of a Cambridge friend, Albert Way, caused Darwin’s cousin, William Darwin Fox, to …
- … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
- … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
- … ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] ). Darwin mentioned his poor health so frequently in …
- … 1874 ). Séances, psychics, and sceptics Darwin excused himself for reasons of …
- … the month, another Williams séance was held at the home of Darwin’s cousin Hensleigh Wedgwood. Those …
- … imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). Darwin agreed that it was ‘all imposture’ …
- … stop word getting to America of the ‘strange news’ that Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his …
- … the first three months of the year and, like many of Darwin’s enterprises in the 1870s, were family …
- … all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The book …
- … failure of observations in New Zealand (see G. B. Airy ed. 1881). Darwin’s third son Francis …
- … the subject & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
- … do when they are sitting at rest’ ( letter from S. W. Pennypacker, 14 September 1874 ). …
- … try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
- … nephew, the fine-art specialist Henry Parker ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874] ). He …
- … Julius Victor Carus, and his publisher, Eduard Koch of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, …
Discussion Questions and Essay Questions
Summary
There are a wide range of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence. We have provided a set of sample discussion questions and essay questions, each of which focuses on a particular topic or correspondent in depth.…
Matches: 10 hits
- … of possibilities for opening discussion and essay writing on Darwin’s correspondence. We have …
- … start researching and writing an essay that centres on Darwin’s letters, narrowing the field to a …
- … Why was correspondence so important for Darwin? How did Darwin encourage people he did not …
- … material did letters contain? How much knowledge does Darwin assume when he writes to …
- … and class, matter in scientific exchange? What does Darwin do when he wants to introduce a …
- … internet today? Essay writing How was Darwin’s early species theory discussed …
- … What ethical implications did readers draw from Darwin’s theories?[Mary Boole (1864), F. E. Abbot …
- … on inheritance theory (pangenesis) (1870-1)] How did Darwin involve his family in his research …
- … Did Darwin believe in progress? [Lyell (1860, 1881), Hooker (1862), Lubbock (1865), Graham (1881)] …
- … 1868, W. Reade, 1870-1) As a product of natural selection, e.g. coloured seeds and fruit (Fritz …
Darwin in letters, 1871: An emptying nest
Summary
The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, with the publication in February of his long-awaited book on human evolution, Descent of man. The other main preoccupation of the year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression.…
Matches: 24 hits
- … The year 1871 was an extremely busy and productive one for Darwin, seeing the publication of his …
- … book out of my head’. But a large proportion of Darwin’s time for the rest of the year was devoted …
- … way, and the initial reception of the book in the press. Darwin fielded numerous letters from …
- … offered sharp criticism or even condemnation. Darwin had expected controversy. ‘I shall be …
- … a bare-faced manner.”‘ The most lively debate centred on Darwin’s evolutionary account of the …
- … taste. Correspondence with his readers and critics helped Darwin to clarify, and in some cases …
- … year was the preparation of his manuscript on expression. Darwin continued to investigate the …
- … also brought a significant milestone for the family, as Darwin’s eldest daughter Henrietta was …
- … during several past years, has been a great amusement’. Darwin had been working fairly continuously …
- … work on species theory in the late 1830s. In recent years, Darwin had collected a wealth of material …
- … to human evolution was comparatively small, reflecting Darwin’s aim of showing kinship with animals …
- … he is “torn to pieces” by people wanting copies’, Darwin wrote to his son Francis on 28 February …
- … letter from J. D. Hooker, 26 March 1871 ). The profits for Darwin were considerable. After …
- … man.’ Promoting the book As usual, Darwin did his best to obtain a wide and favourable …
- … (see Correspondence vol. 19, Appendix IV). Four of Darwin’s five sons received a copy, and his …
- … received a special acknowledgment in the form of a gift. Darwin credited her for whatever he had …
- … liking, ‘to keep in memory of the book’ ( letter to H. E. Darwin, 20 March 1871 ). Reaction …
- … to be the truth, whether pleasant or not’ (letter from W. W. Reade, 21 February 1871). The geologist …
- … Oldham … They club together to buy them’ ( letter from W. B. Dawkins, 23 February 1871 ). Thomas …
- … to make it darker than the hair on his head ( letter from W. B. Tegetmeier, [before 25 April 1871] …
- … a high aesthetic appreciation of beauty ( letter from E. J. Pfeiffer, [before 26 April 1871] ). …
- … most deep and tender religious feeling’ ( letter from F. E. Abbot, 20 August 1871 ). The Anglican …
- … year, but he was sympathetic about the venture: ‘it w d be almost superhuman virtue to give it up …
- … who was ‘as good as twice refined gold’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 4 September [1871] ). …
Darwin in letters, 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: 28 hits
- … The seven-year period following Darwin's return to England from the Beagle voyage was one …
- … a family Busy as he was with scientific activities, Darwin found time to re-establish family …
- … close contact. In November 1838, two years after his return, Darwin became engaged to his cousin, …
- … daughter, Anne Elizabeth, moved to Down House in Kent, where Darwin was to spend the rest of his …
- … his greatest theoretical achievement, the most important of Darwin’s activities during the years …
- … identifications of his bird and fossil mammal specimens, Darwin arrived at the daring and momentous …
- … in species. With this new theoretical point of departure Darwin continued to make notes and explore …
- … present in the version of 1859. Young author Darwin’s investigation of the species …
- … the Beagle had returned to England, news of some of Darwin’s findings had been spread by the …
- … great excitement. The fuller account of the voyage and Darwin’s discoveries was therefore eagerly …
- … suitable categories for individual experts to work upon, Darwin applied himself to the revision of …
- … of the surveying voyage of H.M.S. Adventure and Beagle. Darwin’s volume bore the title Journal …
- … visited by H.M.S. Beagle . Also in November 1837, Darwin read the fourth of a series of papers to …
- … to the Society of 9 March 1838), had been developed by Darwin from a suggestion made by his uncle, …
- … Sedgwick, [after 15 May 1838] ). The new research Darwin undertook after 1837 was an …
- … time, the parallel terraces, or ‘roads’, of Glen Roy. Darwin had seen similar formations on the …
- … roads of Glen Roy’, Collected papers 1: 88–137). Darwin later abandoned this view, calling it a …
- … contemporaneous unstratified deposits of South America”, Darwin continued to defend his and Lyell’s …
- … 1842, having heard of evidence of glaciation in North Wales, Darwin made a tour there in order to …
- … variety of publications. The beetles were described by F. W. Hope, G. R. Waterhouse, and C. C. …
- … distribution and classification (see Henslow 1837a and 1838; W. J. Hooker and G. A. W. Arnott 1836, …
- … Lyell’s sister-in-law, Katharine Lyell, between 1875 and 1881, when she was collecting material for …
- … convince anyone that he had a sound solution to what J. F. W. Herschel in a letter to Lyell had …
- … clearly under sub-laws.' To his cousin, W. D. Fox, [25 January 1841] , he wrote: & …
- … in this field and on friends like Henslow, T. C. Eyton, and W. D. Fox, who were knowledgeable about …
- … between species and varieties had no basis in reality (W. Herbert 1837, p. 341); species were only …
- … to Caroline Darwin, 13 October 1834 , and letter from R. E. Alison, 25 June 1835 ). Henry …
- … so-called ‘science of morphology’, first set forth by J. W. von Goethe. Though widely accepted in …
Movement in Plants
Summary
The power of movement in plants, published on 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which the assistance of one of his children, Francis Darwin, is mentioned on the title page. The research for this…
Matches: 26 hits
- … 7 November 1880, was the final large botanical work that Darwin wrote. It was the only work in which …
- … about their research while he was away from home. Although Darwin lacked a state of the art research …
- … the advantages of both while Francis was working abroad. Darwin was privy to the inner workings of …
- … methods and use the most advanced laboratory equipment. Darwin also benefitted from the instrument …
- … that Francis had been introduced to at Würzburg. Darwin described his experimental practice …
- … plant physiology, but it was at its core informed by Darwin’s theory of evolution, particularly by …
- … early 1860s, at a time when his health was especially bad, Darwin had taken up the study of climbing …
- … reproduced as a small book, giving it a much wider audience. Darwin was not the first naturalist to …
- … which eventually appeared in 1875. In the same year, Darwin published a much longer work, …
- … about the nature of movement, so much so, that at one point Darwin had considered combining the …
- … digestive processes. With his final great botanical work, Darwin would attempt ‘ to bring all the …
- … emotions had their origins in non-human animal expression. Darwin had not done experimental work in …
- … viewed the division between animals and plants as absolute, Darwin was interested in similarities. …
- … become adapted to perform new functions, like climbing? For Darwin, physiology was a way of seeing …
- … attracting students from all over Europe and beyond. When Darwin’s son Francis worked in this …
- … ‘Mad about drops of water’ Darwin’s interest in the diversified movements of …
- … connection is revealed only though correspondence because Darwin never published on bloom. In August …
- … focusing light rays, and burn sections of the leaf blade. Darwin asked whether Farrer’s gardener had …
- … of a klinostat. Journal of the Linnean Society. Botany . 1881. Vol. XVIII, p. 450. …
- … Frank’s ‘Transversal-Heliotropismus’ ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 10 February [1880] ). …
- … ‘ I am very sorry that Sachs is so sceptical, for I w d . rather convert him than any other half …
- … and would later spend three months there from May 1881. While on holiday in the Lake District …
- … as ‘little discs’ and ‘greenish bodies’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 29 October 1879 ). …
- … that he had not been able to observe earlier ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 20 November 1879 ). …
- … pay more for at the usual rate of charging per inch &c they w d . be over £40’; he suggested …
- … a book-length critique of Darwin’s work (Wiesner 1881). Francis would later respond to Wiesner’s …
Race, Civilization, and Progress
Summary
Darwin's first reflections on human progress were prompted by his experiences in the slave-owning colony of Brazil, and by his encounters with the Yahgan peoples of Tierra del Fuego. Harsh conditions, privation, poor climate, bondage and servitude,…
Matches: 26 hits
- … Letters | Selected Readings Darwin's first reflections on human progress were …
- … human progress or cause degeneration. In the "Fuegians", Darwin thought he had witnessed …
- … several years earlier as part of a missionary enterprise. Darwin was struck by the progress that had …
- … been returned to their native land. After the voyage, Darwin began to question the …
- … After the publication of Origin of Species , many of Darwin's supporters continued to …
- … or extermination of other peoples and cultures. When Darwin wrote about the human races and …
- … on human and animal behavior accumulated over three decades. Darwin argued forcefully for the unity …
- … and beyond. Letters Darwin’s first observations of the peoples …
- … Cambridge, John Stevens Henslow. Letter 204 : Darwin to Henslow, J. S., 11 April 1833 …
- … Charles wrote to his sister, Emily Catherine Darwin, about witnessing slavery in the Portuguese …
- … effect in the following year. Letter 206 : Darwin to Darwin, E. C., 22 May [– 14 July] …
- … human descent. Letter 4933 : Farrar, F. W. to Darwin, 6 November 1865 …
- … this a very strong argument for the Polygenist?" Darwin asked the English settler …
- … of replies from the South African native, Christian Gaika. Darwin was impressed by Gaika's …
- … of civilization of the natives. Letter 5617 , Darwin to Weale, J. P. M., 27 August …
- … civilization" Letter 5722 , Weale, J. P. M. to Darwin, [10 December 1867] …
- … Just prior to the publication of Origin of Species , Darwin discussed his views on progress in a …
- … structure. This remained a point of dispute between many of Darwin’s scientific supporters, …
- … Alpheus Hyatt. In the last edition of Origin (1872), Darwin tried to clarify his position: " …
- … ( Origin , 6 th ed, p. 98). Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October …
- … which I have briefly discussed in the Origin." Darwin discussed the role of …
- … the philosopher William Graham. Letter 2503 : Darwin, C. R. to Lyell, C., 11 October …
- … races being exterminated." Letter 3439 : Darwin to Kingsley, Charles, 6 February …
- … a unit, will have risen in rank." Letter 4510 : Darwin to Wallace, A. R., 28 [May …
- … & moral qualities. Letter 13230 : Darwin to Graham, William, 3 July 1881 …
- … Selected Readings Primary Charles Darwin, Notebooks, B 18-29; E 95-7 [ …
Fool's experiments
Summary
‘I love fools' experiments. I am always making them’, was one of the most interesting things the zoologist E. Ray Lankester ever heard Darwin say. ‘A great deal might be written as comment on that statement’, Lankester later recorded, but he limited…
Matches: 23 hits
- … was one of the most interesting things the zoologist E. Ray Lankester ever heard Darwin say. ‘A …
- … the dark into great discoveries.’ [1] What were Darwin’s ‘fools’ experiments’ and did they …
- … great discoveries’? The fool’s experiment that Darwin had described to Lankester involved …
- … see whether one would act in any way upon the other. [2] Darwin could hardly have expected that …
- … surprised by nature typified his fool’s experiments. While Darwin was cautious about speculation, he …
- … knowledge that might be limited in some way. Darwin’s fool’s experiments, however, were more …
- … or mysterious aspects of the natural world and were, for Darwin, a form of wishful thinking. When …
- … some tropical mosses for his experiments. In 1878, Darwin, deep into his investigation of the …
- … those of the Polish botanist Theophil Ciesielski. Darwin wondered whether hot and dry radicles might …
- … before proceeding to more complex explanations guided Darwin’s experimental practice in this case. …
- … on etiolated leaves—but they would not turn white. ’ Darwin was delighted to hear that ‘ Sachs …
- … the results of many fool’s experiments were negative, Darwin’s enthusiasm for them did not wane. …
- … of silk. While not labelling this a fool’s experiment, Darwin did admit that in the ‘ eyes of all …
- … Hannay’s attempts to produce artificial diamonds in 1881, Darwin suggested a modification to the …
- … of the carbon for diamonds in their natural place. ’ Darwin had long wished ‘ that some one w d …
- … ‘ side-result ’ had emerged from a fool’s experiment Darwin carried out in June 1842. While …
- … see whether bees would be attracted to them. Much later, in 1881, he suggested that adding ‘ …
- … he had ‘ planted ’ in 1842. Unexpectedly, it was Darwin’s three-year old son William, whose early …
- … meant that the record of the experiment ended up not in Darwin’s accounts of bees but in the …
- … (DAR 210.11: 37). One of those children, Francis Darwin, when recalling Darwin’s love of …
- … the problem of free will and determinism.’ This involved Darwin following the pattern of many other …
- … in self-experimentation. Over several weeks in 1879, Darwin found that ‘with practice he could …
- … love a wild experiment. ’ [1] E. R. Lankester. 'Charles Robert Darwin& …
