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Darwin in letters, 1856-1857: the 'Big Book'
Summary
In May 1856, Darwin began writing up his 'species sketch’ in earnest. During this period, his working life was completely dominated by the preparation of his 'Big Book', which was to be called Natural selection. Using letters are the main…
Matches: 23 hits
- … On 14 May 1856, Charles Darwin recorded in his journal that he ‘Began by Lyell’s advice writing …
- … more for the sake of priority than anything else—Darwin was reluctant to squeeze his expansive …
- … Natural selection . Determined as he was to publish, Darwin nevertheless still felt cautious …
- … specialist in Madeiran entomology, Thomas Vernon Wollaston. Darwin also came to rely on the caustic …
- … in London. Natural Selection Not all of Darwin’s manuscript on species has been …
- … of information about his preoccupations during 1856 and 1857. They reveal little noticed aspects of …
- … of pigeons, poultry, and other domesticated animals. As Darwin explained to Lyell, his studies, …
- … an illustration of how selection might work in nature ( letter from Charles Lyell, 1–2 May 1856, n. …
- … the real structure of varieties’, he remarked to Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 8 September [1856 …
- … can William Bernhard Tegetmeier continued to help Darwin acquire much of the material for …
- … on domestic animals in India and elsewhere. William Darwin Fox supplied information about cats, dogs …
- … mastiffs. The disparate facts were correlated and checked by Darwin, who adroitly used letters, …
- … ‘& I mean to make my Book as perfect as ever I can.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 8 February [1857] …
- … plants, he asked Asa Gray, vary in the United States ( letter to Asa Gray, 2 May 1856 )? What …
- … the alpine plants pretty effectually’ complained Darwin in 1857 ( letter to J. D. Hooker, [2 May …
- … John Lubbock that his method of calculation was wrong ( letter to John Lubbock, 14 July [1857] ). …
- … ‘Darwin, an absolute & eternal hermaphrodite’ ( letter to to T. H. Huxley, 1 July [1856] ), …
- … experiments on plants through the summers of 1856 and 1857, particularly with garden vegetables like …
- … Chronicle and Agricultural Gazette in October 1857, to be followed by a second notice in 1858. …
- … which the bird had naturally eaten have grown well.’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 10 December [1856] …
- … find the work: am I not a kind Father?’ Darwin wrote in 1857, soon followed by the complaint ‘You …
- … bad & not a stop from beginning to end!’ (letters to W. E. Darwin, [17 February 1857] and …
- … he wrote to Syms Covington in New South Wales ( letter to Syms Covington, 9 March 1856 ). …
Women’s scientific participation
Summary
Observers | Fieldwork | Experimentation | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a community of women who participated, often actively and routinely, in the nineteenth-century scientific community. Here is a…
Matches: 21 hits
- … | Editors and critics | Assistants Darwin’s correspondence helps bring to light a …
- … community. Here is a selection of letters exchanged between Darwin and his workforce of women …
- … Observers Women: Letter 1194 - Darwin to Whitby, M. A. T., [12 August …
- … silkworm breeds, or peculiarities in inheritance. Letter 3787 - Darwin, H. E. to …
- … to artificially fertilise plants in her garden. Letter 4523 - Wedgwood, L. C. to …
- … be made on seeds of Pulmonaria officinalis . Letter 5745 - Barber, M. E. to …
- … Expression from her home in South Africa. Letter 6736 - Gray, A. & J. L …
- … Expression during a trip to Egypt. Letter 7223 - Darwin to Wedgwood, L. C., …
- … expression of emotion in her pet dog and birds. Letter 5817 - Darwin to Huxley, T. …
- … 6535 - Vaughan Williams , M. S. to Darwin, H. E., [after 14 October 1869] Darwin’s …
- … Letter 8611 - Cupples, A. J. to Darwin, E., [8 November1872] Anne Jane Cupples, …
- … her niece’s ears. Letter 8701 - Lubbock, E. F . to Darwin, [1873] Ellen …
- … insects. Men: Letter 2221 - Blyth, E. to Darwin, [22 February 1858] …
- … New Zealand. Letter 6453 - Langton, E. to Wedgwood, S. E., [9 November 1868] …
- … Himalaya and Tibet. Letter 4139 - Darwin, W. E. to Darwin, [4 May 1863] …
- … detail. Family letter: Darwin, E. to Darwin, W. E., [January 23rd 1887]: Emma …
- … 2055 - Langton, E. to Darwin, F., [21 February 1857] Darwin’s nephew, Edmund, …
- … Letter 2069 - Tenant, J. to Darwin, [31 March 1857] James Tenant, keeper of the …
- … of his garden. Letter 4233 - Tegetmeier, W. B. to Darwin, [29 June - 7 July 1863] …
- … and edited by “a lady”. Darwin, E. to Darwin, W. E. , (March, 1862 - DAR 219.1:49) …
- … over. Letter 8153 - Darwin to Darwin, W. E., [9 January 1872] Darwin …
Darwin's bad days
Summary
Despite being a prolific worker who had many successes with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when nothing appeared to be going right are well illustrated by the following quotations from his letters:
Matches: 1 hits
- … with his scientific theorising and experimenting, even Darwin had some bad days. These times when …
Scientific Networks
Summary
Friendship|Mentors|Class|Gender In its broadest sense, a scientific network is a set of connections between people, places, and things that channel the communication of knowledge, and that substantially determine both its intellectual form and content,…
Matches: 14 hits
- … and colonial authorities. In the nineteenth-century, letter writing was one of the most important …
- … when strong institutional structures were largely absent. Darwin had a small circle of scientific …
- … in times of uncertainty, controversy, or personal loss. Letter writing was not only a means of …
- … section contains two sets of letters. The first is between Darwin and his friend Kew botanist J. D. …
- … and he is curious about Hooker’s thoughts. Letter 729 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D., …
- … to Hooker “it is like confessing a murder”. Letter 736 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D. …
- … of wide-ranging species to wide-ranging genera. Darwin and Gray Letter 1674 …
- … and asks him to append the ranges of the species. Letter 1685 — Gray, Asa to Darwin, C. …
- … and relationships of alpine flora in the USA. Letter 2125 — Darwin, C. R. to Gray, Asa, …
- … and their approach to information exchange. Letter 1202 — Darwin, C. R. to Hooker, J. D …
- … first describer’s name to specific name. Letter 1220 — Hooker, J. D. to Darwin, C. R., …
- … of the ephippium”, Philos. Trans. R. Soc. Lond. 147 (1857): 79–100]. Darwin and Müller …
- … forms of address and acknowledgement. Darwin and W. B. Tegetmeier Letter 1751 — …
- … . Letter 4260a — Darwin, C. R. to Becker, L. E., 2 Aug [1863] Darwin thanks Lydia …
The evolution of honeycomb
Summary
Honeycombs are natural engineering marvels, using the least possible amount of wax to provide the greatest amount of storage space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the evolution of the honey-bee’s comb…
Matches: 23 hits
- … space, with the greatest possible structural stability. Darwin recognised that explaining the …
- … could have been given to it’ (Kirby 1852, 2: 246). Darwin’s copy of Brougham’s …
- … instance, if my theory explains one it may explain other.’ Darwin, and others working on …
- … if it could not explain bee cells, it was radically flawed. Darwin needed to show two things: first, …
- … ever made cylindrical cells (Brougham 1839, 1: 32). However, Darwin knew that humble bees made …
- … construct: for example, birds’ nests are usually circular. Darwin argued that if the Melipona …
- … The second point, how bees actually built the comb, involved Darwin in a great deal of …
- … on the subject for a projected book on the species question, Darwin wrote to George Robert …
- … antagonistic principles and the proximity of other cells. Darwin’s letter has not been found, but …
- … were not subject to the space constraints of other cells. (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 14 April …
- … diameter being determined by her power of reaching.’ (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 10 February …
- … were exercising their minds on the problem. In his next letter, Waterhouse described wasps’ nests …
- … formal constraints as a group of bees working together. (Letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 13 February …
- … Darwin made notes for their discussion in a memorandum to W. H. Miller, [15 April 1858] , …
- … mind on the subjects of wasp’s nests. He sent another long letter to Darwin on the subject, this …
- … the other straight sides that were bounded by other cells (letter from G. R. Waterhouse, 17 April …
- … Such were the views entertained many years back by Mr. W., and published by him in the ‘Penny …
- … arranged to look at Tegetmeier’s piece of honeycomb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, [21 April 1858] …
- … to keep an eye out for the first beginnings of the comb (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 9 May [1858] …
- … correctly described their manner of building’ (letter to W. E. Darwin, [26 May 1858] .) To …
- … to look out for isolated cylindrical cells (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 5 June [1858] ). …
- … another hive from Tegetmeier, and buying a swarm (letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 [June 1858] ). …
- … conclusions about the building of cells. (Letter to W. B. Tegetmeier, 8 September [1858] .) …
Darwin in letters, 1882: Nothing too great or too small
Summary
In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous October, and for the first time in decades he was not working on another book. He remained active in botanical research, however. Building on his recent studies in plant…
Matches: 23 hits
- … In 1882, Darwin reached his 74th year Earthworms had been published the previous …
- … for scientific colleagues or their widows facing hardship. Darwin had suffered from poor health …
- … ‘I feel a very old man, & my course is nearly run’ ( letter to Lawson Tait, 13 February 1882 ) …
- … of his scientific friends quickly organised a campaign for Darwin to have greater public recognition …
- … Botanical observation and experiment had long been Darwin’s greatest scientific pleasure. The year …
- … fertility of crosses between differently styled plants ( letter from Fritz Müller, 1 January 1882 …
- … working at the effects of Carbonate of Ammonia on roots,’ Darwin wrote, ‘the chief result being that …
- … for some hours in a weak solution of C. of Ammonia’. Darwin’s interest in root response and the …
- … London on 6 and 16 March, respectively. In January, Darwin corresponded with George John …
- … François Marie Glaziou (see Correspondence vol. 28, letter from Arthur de Souza Corrêa, 20 …
- … quite untirable & I am glad to shirk any extra labour’ ( letter to G. J. Romanes, 6 January …
- … probably intending to test its effects on chlorophyll ( letter to Joseph Fayrer, 30 March 1882 ). …
- … we know about the life of any one plant or animal!’ ( letter to Henry Groves, 3 April 1882 ). He …
- … the flowers & experimentising on them’ ( letter to J. E. Todd, 10 April 1882 ). While …
- … and a ‘Glycerin Pepsin mixture’ (letters to W. W. Baxter, 11 March 1882 and 18 March [1882 ]) …
- … he is a good deal depressed about himself’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, 17 March …
- … is very calm but she has cried a little’ (letter from H. E. Litchfield to G. H. Darwin, [19 April …
- … overflowing in tenderness’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, 10 May 1882 (DAR 219.1: 150)). …
- … he had witnessed an earthquake in 1835 ( letter from R. E. Alison, [March–July 1835 ]). …
- … without any mercy’ ( letter from Emma Wedgwood to F. E. E. Wedgwood, [28 October 1836] , letter …
- … pains)… would be very interesting to me’ ( letter to E. W. V. Harcourt, 24 June [1856] ). In a …
- … the Rock’ ( letter to E. W. V. Harcourt, 13 December [1857] ). In May 1857, Darwin wrote to …
- … class with Lyell’ ( letter to William Sharpey, 22 May [1857] ). There are a few letters …
Darwin in letters, 1874: A turbulent year
Summary
The year 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working on second editions of Coral reefs and Descent of man; the rest of the year was mostly devoted to further research on insectivorous plants. A…
Matches: 22 hits
- … 1874 was one of consolidation, reflection, and turmoil for Darwin. He spent the early months working …
- … dispute over an anonymous review that attacked the work of Darwin’s son George dominated the second …
- … and traveller Alexander von Humboldt’s 105th birthday, Darwin obliged with a reflection on his debt …
- … be done by observation during prolonged intervals’ ( letter to D. T. Gardner, [ c . 27 August …
- … pleasures of shooting and collecting beetles ( letter from W. D. Fox, 8 May [1874] ). Such …
- … And … one looks backwards much more than forwards’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … Andrew Clark, whom he had been consulting since August 1873. Darwin had originally thought that …
- … was an illusory hope.— I feel very old & helpless’ ( letter to B. J. Sulivan, 6 January [1874] …
- … inferred that he was well from his silence on the matter ( letter from Ernst Haeckel, 26 October …
- … Erasmus’s house. The event was led by the medium Charles E. Williams, and was attended by George …
- … in such rubbish’, he confided to Joseph Dalton Hooker ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 18 January [1874] …
- … that Mr Williams was ‘a cheat and an imposter’ ( letter from T. H. Huxley, 27 January 1874 ). …
- … his, ‘& that he was thus free to perform his antics’ ( letter to T. H. Huxley, 29 January [1874 …
- … Darwin had allowed ‘a spirit séance’ at his home ( letter from T. G. Appleton, 2 April 1874 ). …
- … all the horrid bother of correction’ ( letter to H. E. Litchfield, 21 [March 1874] ). The book …
- … the subject & that must be enough for me’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … the hardest cartilage, bone & meat &c. &c.’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 11 May [1874] ). …
- … artificial gastric juice for about a week ( letter from E. E. Klein, 14 May 1874 ). John Burdon …
- … do when they are sitting at rest’ ( letter from S. W. Pennypacker, 14 September 1874 ). …
- … try to get it exhibited at a Royal Society of London soirée (see letter from Anton Dohrn, 6 April …
- … nephew, the fine-art specialist Henry Parker ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 17 [March 1874] ). He …
- … Julius Victor Carus, and his publisher, Eduard Koch of E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, …
Darwin in letters, 1858-1859: Origin
Summary
The years 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence filled with steady work on his ‘big book’ on species, he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace…
Matches: 22 hits
- … 1858 and 1859 were, without doubt, the most momentous of Darwin’s life. From a quiet rural existence …
- … he was jolted into action by the arrival of an unexpected letter from Alfred Russel Wallace. This …
- … the composition and publication, in November 1859, of Darwin’s major treatise On the origin of …
- … exceeded my wildest hopes By the end of 1859, Darwin’s work was being discussed in …
- … at the end of 1859, ‘I sometimes fancied that my book w d be successful; but I never even built …
- … has infinitely exceeded my wildest hopes.—’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 25 [November 1859] ). …
- … The 'big book' The year 1858 opened with Darwin hard at work preparing his ‘big …
- … completed his ninth chapter, on hybridism, on 29 December 1857, Darwin began in January 1858 to …
- … appropriate. The correspondence shows that at any one time Darwin was engaged in a number of …
- … The chapter on instinct posed a number of problems for Darwin. ‘I find my chapter on Instinct very …
- … to choose from the load of curious facts on record.—’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, 31 January [1858] ). …
- … on variation under nature. Having learned in the summer of 1857 that his method for deriving …
- … for on this view wherever many closely related species, (i.e. species of the same genus) have been …
- … as evidence for what actually occurred in nature ( see letter to Asa Gray, 4 April [1858] , and …
- … throwing away what you have seen,’ he told Hooker in his letter of 8 [June 1858] , ‘yet I have …
- … his work was interrupted by the arrival of the now-famous letter from Alfred Russel Wallace, …
- … selection. Darwin’s shock and dismay is evident in the letter he subsequently wrote to Charles Lyell …
- … Even his terms now stand as Heads of my Chapters.’ ( letter to Charles Lyell, 18 [June 1858] ). …
- … with an abstract of his views sent to Asa Gray in September 1857. The correspondence between Darwin, …
- … to Fox, ‘& I feel worse than when I came’ ( letter to W. D. Fox, [16 November 1859] ). It was …
- … required a fresh act of intervention to supply the lacunas w h . he himself had made’ ( letter …
- … got much more larky since we run two horses’ ( letter to W. E. Darwin, 6 October [1858] ). …
Darwin’s reading notebooks
Summary
In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished to read in Notebook C (Notebooks, pp. 319–28). In 1839, these lists were copied and continued in separate notebooks. The first of these reading notebooks (DAR 119…
Matches: 24 hits
- … In April 1838, Darwin began recording the titles of books he had read and the books he wished …
- … used these notebooks extensively in dating and annotating Darwin’s letters; the full transcript …
- … *128). For clarity, the transcript does not record Darwin’s alterations. The spelling and …
- … book had been consulted. Those cases where it appears that Darwin made a genuine deletion have been …
- … a few instances, primarily in the ‘Books Read’ sections, Darwin recorded that a work had been …
- … of the books listed in the other two notebooks. Sometimes Darwin recorded that an abstract of the …
- … the University of Cambridge. These works, catalogued by H. W. Rutherford ( Catalogue of the library …
- … Prichard; a 3 d . vol [Prichard 1836–47] Lawrence [W. Lawrence 1819] read Bory S t …
- … 1822] Falconers remark on the influence of climate [W. Falconer 1781] [DAR *119: 2v. …
- … 1819]. see p. 17 Note Book C. for reference to authors about E. Indian Islands 8 consult D r …
- … [Dampier 1697] Sportsman’s repository 4 to . [W. H. Scott 1820]— contains much on dogs …
- … of variation in animals in the different isl ds of E Indian Archipelago— [DAR *119: 6v.] …
- … [DAR *119: 8v.] A history of British Birds by W. Macgillivray [W. Macgillivray 1837–52].— I …
- … [Reimarius 1760] The Highlands & Western Isl ds letter to Sir W Scott [MacCulloch 1824 …
- … 2 vols. 8vo. avec 2 atlas 4to. ibid, 1818–23. £1 2 s [E. Geoffroy Saint-Hilaire 1818–23] …
- … said to be Poor Sir. J. Edwards Botanical Tour [?J. E. Smith 1793] Fabricius (very old …
- … at Maer.— Lives of Kepler & Galileo. Drinkwater [J. E. Drinkwater] 1833]— Prof. …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … M rs Fry’s Life [Fry 1847] Horace Walpoles letter to C t . of Ossory [Walpole 1848] …
- … Asiatic Society ]—contains very little Macleay’s letter to D r Fleming [Macleay 1830] …
- … [Heer 1854].— Hooker has it.— Very important Hookers letter Jan. 1859 Yules Ava [Yule 1858] …
- … 112 Jukes. “Students Manual of Geology” [Jukes 1857]— published a few years ago, good on …
- … Lucas l’Heredite Naturelle [Lucas 1847–50] 1857 Nov. 15. Andersson Lake Gnami …
- … Thackeray English Humourists [Thackeray 1853] 1857 Jan. Cockburn life of Selby [ …
