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Darwin Correspondence Project

From Ludwig Büchner1   9 October [1868 or later]2

Darmstadt

9 X

Hochgeehrter Herr!

Der Zweck dieses Schreibens ist kein anderer, als Ihnen für die freundliche Zuschrift zu danken, mit welcher Sie mich unter n 3 Okt. d. J. ganz unerwarteter Weise beehrt haben.3 Noch mehr fühle ich mich geehrt durch die Art und Weise der Anerkennung, welche Sie meinen schwachen Eristungen zu Theil werden lassen, und wird mir diese geschauliche Anerkennung von Seiten eines der bedeutendsten jetzt lebenden Geisters und namentlich von Seiten eines Mannes, der wie Sie einen der grossten Anstöß alles Jahrhundert für Fortentwicklung des menschlichen Geistes gegeben hat, ein erneuter Sporn für ein Fortfahren auf dem betretenen Wege sein.4

In dem ich mit dem aufrichtigen Wünsche schreibe, dass Ihr Le⁠⟨⁠ben⁠⟩⁠ noch recht lange zu besten der Wisse⁠⟨⁠nschaft⁠⟩⁠ und der Freiheit ⁠⟨⁠des⁠⟩⁠ Geistes erhalten bleiben mäge, emfiehlt sich Ihnen mit ausgezeichneten Hochachtung und Bewunderung | Ihr ergebenster | Dr. Louis Büchner

Footnotes

For a translation of this letter, see Correspondence vol. 16, Appendix I.
The year is established by Büchner’s reference to his publications (see n. 4, below).
CD’s letter to Büchner has not been found.
The Darwin Library–CUL contains several books by Büchner, including Büchner 1862, Büchner 1868, and five more from later years. CD had thanked Büchner for Büchner 1862 in his letter of 17 November [1862] (Correspondence vol. 10). CD may have sent a letter of thanks for Büchner 1868, the most heavily annotated of Büchner’s works in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: 97–8), or for a later work. CD cited Büchner 1868 in Descent 1: 4. For more on Büchner’s contribution to Darwinism in Germany, see Correspondence vol. 12, letter from Hermann Kindt, 5 September 1864 and n. 3.

Bibliography

Büchner, Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig. 1862. Aus Natur und Wissenschaft. Studien, Kritiken und Abhandlungen. Leipzig.

Büchner, Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig. 1868. Sechs Vorlesungen über die Darwin’sche Theorie der Verwandlung der Arten und die erste Entstehung der Organismenwelt. Leipzig: Theodor Thomas.

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.

Translation

From Ludwig Büchner1   9 October [1868 or later]2

Darmstadt

9 X

Most esteemed Sir!

The purpose of this note is none other than to thank you for the kind letter with which you have honoured me so unexpectedly on the third of October of this year.3 I feel even more honoured by the kind of acknowledgement with which you have favoured my feeble eristics, and this recognition from one of the most important minds alive today and, moreover, from a man who has given one of the greatest impulses in centuries to the progress of the human mind,—this recognition will be a renewed incentive for continuing on the path that you have laid out.4

Concluding with the sincere wish that your life may continue for quite some time for the good of science and the freedom of thought, I remain with the greatest respect and admiration | your most devoted | Dr. Louis Büchner.

Footnotes

For a transcription of this letter in its original German, see part II: 791–2.
The year is established by Büchner’s reference to his publications (see n. 4, below).
CD’s letter to Büchner has not been found.
The Darwin Library–CUL contains several books by Büchner, including Büchner 1862, Büchner 1868, and five more from later years. CD had thanked Büchner for Büchner 1862 in his letter of 17 November [1862] (Correspondence vol. 10). CD may have sent a letter of thanks for Büchner 1868, the most heavily annotated of Büchner’s works in the Darwin Library–CUL (see Marginalia 1: 97–8), or for a later work. CD cited Büchner 1868 in Descent 1: 4. For more on Büchner’s contribution to Darwinism in Germany, see Correspondence vol. 12, letter from Hermann Kindt, 5 September 1864 and n. 3.

Bibliography

Büchner, Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig. 1862. Aus Natur und Wissenschaft. Studien, Kritiken und Abhandlungen. Leipzig.

Büchner, Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig. 1868. Sechs Vorlesungen über die Darwin’sche Theorie der Verwandlung der Arten und die erste Entstehung der Organismenwelt. Leipzig: Theodor Thomas.

Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.

Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.

Marginalia: Charles Darwin’s marginalia. Edited by Mario A. Di Gregorio with the assistance of Nicholas W. Gill. Vol. 1. New York and London: Garland Publishing. 1990.

Summary

Thanks CD for letter of 3 Oct [missing] about LB’s publication.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-13783
From
Friedrich Karl Christian Ludwig (Ludwig) Büchner
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Darmstadt
Source of text
DAR 160: 355
Physical description
ALS 3pp (German)

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13783,” accessed on 28 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13783.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 16

letter