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Darwin Correspondence Project

To J. V. Carus   17 January 1877

Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.

Jan 17. 77

My dear Sir,

Please to read the enclosed & you will see, as I am sorry to say, that it is necessary for your publisher to decide at once how many copies you require of two of the Geological Maps in my “Geolog: Observations” &c.1 Be so kind as to let me have an answer tolerably soon.

I sent you yesterday a copy of the new edit of the Orchids & this I grieve to add has been greatly altered, but I hope improved2

There are four or five new wood-blocks.3 I hope that your health stands your multiplied labours.

Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin

Footnotes

1
The enclosure has not been found, but was evidently a letter from Smith, Elder & Co. (see letter from J. V. Carus, 20 January 1877). Geological observations 2d ed. was a combined second edition of Volcanic islands and South America (published in 1844 and 1846 respectively by Smith, Elder & Co.), together with his essay on the ‘Pampean formation’. Although the German edition was based on the combined second edition, it appeared as separate volumes (Carus trans. 1877a and 1878b).
2
Carus’s name is on CD’s presentation list for Orchids 2d ed. (see Appendix IV). Carus’s translation was published in 1877 (Carus trans. 1877c).
3
Orchids 2d ed. contained four new woodblock illustrations (see ibid., pp. 87, 160, 174, 222).

Bibliography

Geological observations 2d ed.: Geological observations on the volcanic islands and parts of South America visited during the voyage of H.M.S. ‘Beagle’. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1876.

Orchids 2d ed.: The various contrivances by which orchids are fertilised by insects. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition, revised. London: John Murray. 1877.

‘Pampean formation’: On the thickness of the Pampean formation, near Buenos Ayres. By Charles Darwin. [Read 3 December 1862.] Quarterly Journal of the Geological Society of London 19 (1863): 68–71. [Shorter publications, pp. 342–5.]

South America: Geological observations on South America. Being the third part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1846.

Volcanic islands: Geological observations on the volcanic islands, visited during the voyage of HMS Beagle, together with some brief notices on the geology of Australia and the Cape of Good Hope. Being the second part of the geology of the voyage of the Beagle, under the command of Capt. FitzRoy RN, during the years 1832 to 1836. By Charles Darwin. London: Smith, Elder & Co. 1844.

Summary

JVC’s publisher [Schweizerbart] must decide soon how many copies of two maps in Volcanic islands and South America are needed.

Has sent new edition of Orchids – greatly altered, but he hopes improved.

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 10799,” accessed on 20 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-10799.xml

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