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Darwin Correspondence Project

To John Murray   [25? March 1868]1

4 Chester Place | R. Park N.W

Wednesday

My dear Sir

They are printing my Book in the U. States in such hot haste they will not wait for stereotypes of the woodcuts; but I want them to have the Reprint on account of corrections.—2 Will you therefore please send by todays Post a copy in sheets, addressed to

Prof. Asa Gray

Cambridge Massachussetts

U. States.3

See the Postage correctly paid.—

Many thanks for for several parcels & letters forwarded to me.—

I will call today or soon to speak about the little Book “Fur Darwin”—4 When I call I shd like to hear about state of sale of last Edit. of Origin & new Book.5

My dear sir | Yours very sincerely | Ch Darwin

Footnotes

1
The date is conjectured from the relationship between this letter and the letter to W. E. Darwin, 25 March [1868] (Correspondence vol. 16), in which CD described himself as ‘working like a slave to get corrections for an American Edit of the new Book which is printing in hottest haste’. CD stayed at 4 Chester Place, the house of Sarah Elizabeth Wedgwood, Emma Darwin’s sister, in London, from 11 March to 1 April 1868 (Emma Darwin’s diary (DAR 242)). In 1868, 25 March was a Wednesday.
2
The US edition of Variation was published in April 1868 by Orange Judd & Co. (see Correspondence vol. 16, letter from George Thurber, 18–20 April 1868). Variation had been published by John Murray on 30 January 1868 (Freeman 1977), and a second printing, incorporating some additions and corrections, appeared in February (Freeman 1977).
3
Proof-sheets of Variation were sent to Asa Gray in advance of publication, and Gray informed CD that George Thurber of Orange Judd & Co. was keen to publish a US edition (see Correspondence vol. 16, letter from Asa Gray, 24 February 1868).
4
CD had arranged to have Fritz Müller’s book Für Darwin (Fritz Müller 1864) translated into English by William Sweetland Dallas. The translation was called Facts and arguments for Darwin (Dallas trans. 1869; see Correspondence vol. 16, letter to John Murray, 13 April [1868]).
5
The fourth edition of Origin was published in 1866 (Publishers’ circular, 1 November 1866, p. 666). Variation was published on 30 January 1868 (Freeman 1977).

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.

Summary

American publishers will not wait for woodcuts, so asks Murray to have a copy of the reprint sent to Asa Gray. Will call soon to talk about Für Darwin and to hear about sale of latest edition of Origin

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6050F
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
John Murray
Sent from
London
Source of text
Bonhams (dealers) (10 November 2009); PBA Galleries (dealers) (10 May 2012)
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6050F,” accessed on 4 June 2023, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6050F.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 24 (Supplement)

letter

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