To R. F. Cooke 4 August 1872
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Aug 4 1872
My dear Sir
I am particularly obliged for all your clear answers to my queries.1
Do you agree to my telling Messrs Appleton that you will supply Cliches of the woodcuts for £10, & stereotypes of the text for 5£ above prior cost or £45 (i.e. £55 for the text & cuts)?2 I am aware that this gives us conjointly very small profit; but from what you tell me of the cost of setting up the book in type, it wd be no advantage to Messrs A. to offer them the plates at a much higher cost, & as they paid me so liberally for the Descent I wish to act liberally towards them.3
I can see that it is hard upon you, but then there wd be no profit if the book were set up in type.4 Please to let me hear as soon as you can in answer, & about the cost per 1000 of copies of the heliotype plates. I will then at once write to Messrs A & make them the offer; & I will then write to all the foreign editors to know how many copies of the Heliotypes they will require, & that they must procure them by pre-payment to you. I have advised Kowalewsky not to print so large an ed. as 4000, but know not what he will determine. I have spoken to him about payment to myself.5
I think I shall make a present of the right of translation to Victor Carus, who is poor & whom I greatly respect.—6 Reinwald wished for a French translation some time ago, but I have not heard from him lately, & I am not much esteemed in France—7 I know nothing as yet about other translations. I do not suppose all the proofs will be finished before the end of the month, as I must soon have a week’s rest. As soon as I get clean sheets I will see about the index. I shd prefer Mr Dallas, & I shd think he wd esteem yr offer of £8 as very liberal.8
My dear Sir | yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Davitashvili, Leo Shiovich. 1951. V. O. Kovalevsky. 2d edition. Moscow: Academy of Science of the USSR.
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.
Summary
Asks whether he can tell Appleton that Murray will supply clichés and stereotypes [for Expression] at only a small profit. Will make same offer to other foreign editors. Prefers that W. S. Dallas prepare the index.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8451
- 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. 258–9)
- Physical description
- LS(A) 4pp
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8451,” accessed on 24 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8451.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20