skip to content

Darwin Correspondence Project

From R. F. Cooke   15 July 1880

50A, Albemarle St. | W.

July 15, 1880

My dear Sir

Your new work is calculated to run to 600 pages, which is a good deal more than any of yr previous ones.1

Do you wish to publish this at your own expense or do you wish Mr Murray to undertake it on the usual terms?

I think you may fairly print off 1000 copies as we shall be able to dispose of those sooner or later.2

I calculate that the expenses of 1000 copies will be about £300. & if these are sold (& the retail price is fixed at 12/) they may produce from £75 to £100.

But 12/- is a less price than we have generally fixed on your works. It might be 15/-3

Do you wish a set of stereotype plates to be sent to Messrs. Appleton;?4

Have you returned any sheets to Messrs. Clowes5 for press?

We might print off 1250 No instead of 1000 No & then distribute the type.

Let me know your views & wishes.| Yours faithfully | Robt. Cooke

Chas. Darwin Esq

We must not use quite so thick a paper this time

CD annotations6

Top of letter: ‘May 28th | Cooper | 3.11.0 | Feb. 3d | 137.18.| 141 1 ".9.0’ ink

Footnotes

The previous longest physical volume of CD’s works was the second volume of Variation 2d ed.; it was 499 pages.
In the event, 1500 copies of Movement in plants were printed (Freeman 1977). John Murray was CD’s publisher.
The eventual price was 15s. (Freeman 1977).
CD’s US publisher, D. Appleton & Co., usually printed CD’s works from stereotypes made by John Murray.
CD’s annotation is a note for his reply; see letter to R. F. Cooke, 16 July 1880. James Davis Cooper made the woodblocks for Movement in plants.

Bibliography

Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.

Movement in plants: The power of movement in plants. By Charles Darwin. Assisted by Francis Darwin. London: John Murray. 1880.

Variation 2d ed.: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2d edition. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1875.

Summary

Movement in plants will be 600 pages. Does CD wish to publish at own expense or on the usual terms with Murray? Estimates expense of printing and possible profit.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-12654
From
Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
London, Albemarle St, 50a
Source of text
DAR 171: 506
Physical description
ALS 3pp †

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 12654,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-12654.xml

letter