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Darwin Correspondence Project

From R. F. Cooke   27 July 1872

50, Albemarle St. London | W.

July 27. 1872

My dear Sir

By the enclosed note as well as from a call we have received from Dr. W. Kowalevsky, I suppose you have been in communication with your foreign translators respecting your new work.1

I have also seen Mr McLeod of the Heliotype company.2 You must kindly let us know your wishes, respecting all these.

I told Mr McLeod, to certainly print off 1500 sets of the plates to begin our edition with. But he wishes to know how many will be wanted for America & the Continent.!!!?

Let us know, if we are to order sets of the Electros from the woodcuts (Clowes) & how many.3

Again as to proofsheets who is to have them & how soon? We shall not publish I presume before our Annual Trade Sale (Nov?) & we must bind the translators down not to publish before hand.

I suppose you are at home & I hope in good health. Mr Murray is in Scotland.

Yours faithfully | Robt. Cooke

Chas. Darwin Esq

Footnotes

The enclosure has not been found. Vladimir Onufrievich Kovalevsky, who was translating Descent into Russian, was spending a couple of months in London (see letter from V. O. Kovalevsky, [after 8 June 1872]). CD’s new work was Expression. CD had already been in touch with the German translator (see letter from J. V. Carus, 14 July 1872 and n. 1).
The Heliotype Company had three premises in London: 22 Henrietta Street, Covent Garden; 219 Regent Street; and 6 and 7 Lincoln Terrace, Kilburn (Post Office London directory 1872). Mr McLeod has not been further identified.
In order to reproduce the woodcuts made for Expression, William Clowes and sons printed from electrotypes. Electrotypes were produced by the electrolytic deposition of copper on the woodblocks; the copper moulds were then removed and reinforced from behind with lead, leaving the original woodcuts intact. (Twyman 1998, pp. 54–5.)

Bibliography

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

Expression: The expression of the emotions in man and animals. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.

Post Office London directory: Post-Office annual directory. … A list of the principal merchants, traders of eminence, &c. in the cities of London and Westminster, the borough of Southwark, and parts adjacent … general and special information relating to the Post Office. Post Office London directory. London: His Majesty’s Postmaster-General [and others]. 1802–1967.

Twyman, Michael. 1998. The British Library guide to printing: history and techniques. London: British Library.

Summary

Foreign translations, illustrations, and other arrangements for Expression. Foreign publishers must be bound not to publish before the English edition is out.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-8430
From
Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Albemarle St, 50
Source of text
DAR 171: 410
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8430,” accessed on 29 March 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8430.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20

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