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Darwin Correspondence Project

To R. F. Cooke   23 [February 1869]1

6. Queen Anne St

Tuesday 23d. night.

My dear Sir

After much hesitation I will fix for 1000 copies, though I fear that it is foolish.—2

With respect to price I will leave it your kind decision what is best: I have paid for woodcuts & translation 20£.— Nevertheless I shd think that 6s ought to be the utmost price.—3

I enclose list of (7) copies for Reviews, & (12) for presentation to friends, most of which I will forward as they have to go abroad.— Kindly inform me by letter when the 8 copies are sent to Down.—

Dear Sir | Yours very faithfully | Ch. Darwin

Fritz Muller for Reviews.

(1) Scientific Opinion

(2) Athenæum

(3) Quarterly Journal of Science

(4) Popular Science Review

(5) Annals & Mag. of Natural History

(6) Intellectual observer

(7) Geological Magazine

Fritz Muller

8 copies to be sent to C. Darwin care of Down Postman, Bromley, Kent Per. Rail (Kindly inform me when sent by Rail.)

3 copies to W. D. Dallas Esq.4 Geological Soc. Somerset House

1 Copy to “C. Spence Bate Esqre.5 8, Mulgrave Terrace Plymouth.” marking “From Author.— ” (Making 12 copies)

Footnotes

The date is established by the relationship between this letter and the letter from R. F. Cooke, 23 February 1869.
According to John Murray’s ledger book (John Murray Archive, National Library of Scotland), 1000 copies of Facts and arguments for Darwin (Dallas trans. 1869) were printed. Murray received a ten per cent commission for sales and warehousing. After one year, a loss of £21 2s. 3d. was recorded, but over the next ten years small profits were recorded each year.

Summary

Agrees to printing 1000 copies of Fritz Müller’s Facts and arguments for Darwin though he fears it is foolish. Lists seven publications for review copies.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6628
From
Charles Robert Darwin
To
Robert Francis Cooke
Sent from
London, Queen Anne St, 6
Source of text
National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms. 42152 ff. 194–197)
Physical description
ALS 4pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6628,” accessed on 18 April 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6628.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17

letter