To R. F. Cooke 31 July 1881
Down, | Beckenham, Kent. | (Railway Station | Orpington. S.E.R.)
July 31. 1881
My dear Sir
I am very much obliged to Mr. Murray & you for your kindness; but I am now uneasy about your risk, & if Mr. Murray really thinks that a scientific work would sell considerably worse at this season than late in the autumn, I shd. be very unwilling to take the responsibility on my own shoulders.—1 I do not forget that the risk is yours. Pray therefore decide as you think fit, & however you decide I am not the less obliged to Mr Murray for his prompt yielding to my desire.—
If the book is to be published as soon as possible, you must inform Mssrs Clowes, for I told them, when I returned the index, finally corrected, that there was now no hurry, as the time of publication was altered.2
My dear Sir | Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
You will see that I am not so sulky as I was when I wrote last.
P.S. I shall be in London on Thursday morning & will endeavour to call on you.—3
Footnotes
Bibliography
Earthworms: The formation of vegetable mould through the action of worms: with observations on their habits. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1881.
Summary
CD obliged to Murray for yielding to his wish for prompt publication [of Earthworms] but now uneasy about the risk. If Murray feels it will sell badly at this season he is unwilling to bear the responsibility. Murray should decide as he sees fit. CD is no longer so sulky as when he last wrote.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-13265
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms. 42152 ff. 389–90)
- Physical description
- ALS 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 13265,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-13265.xml
