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Darwin in letters, 1877: Flowers and honours
Summary
Ever since the publication of Expression, Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The year 1877 was no exception. The spring and early summer were spent completing Forms of flowers, his fifth book on a botanical topic. He then turned to the…
Matches: 27 hits
- … Ever since the publication of Expression , Darwin’s research had centred firmly on botany. The …
- … of these projects would culminate in a major publication. Darwin’s botany was increasingly a …
- … assisted his father’s research on movement and bloom, and Darwin in turn encouraged his son’s own …
- … He most pleased his father, however, by his engagement to Sara Sedgwick, an American from a family …
- … from Germany, Austria, and the Netherlands. Closer to home, Darwin received an honorary Doctorate of …
- … sites for possible earthworm activity. Now in his 69th year, Darwin remained remarkably productive, …
- … no controversy. In his autobiographical reflections, Darwin remarked: ‘no little discovery of …
- … (‘Recollections’, p. 419). During the winter and spring, Darwin was busy preparing the manuscript of …
- … and presented to the Linnean Society of London. In the book, Darwin adopted the more recent term …
- … as dimorphic without comparing pollen-grains & stigmas’, Darwin remarked to Joseph Dalton …
- … measurements of the size and number of pollen-grains, Darwin compared the fertility of individual …
- … primrose and purple loosestrife. In the course of his work, Darwin found a number of other …
- … of respect and affection’. He hinted as much in his letter of 4 June : ‘you will see I have done …
- … value, it is not likely that more than a few hundred copies w d . be sold’. His publisher knew …
- … to Down if it lay in my power and you thought it w d . help you.’ ‘I declare had it not been for …
- … have shared Hooker’s suspicion of ambitious gardeners ( letter from W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 25 August …
- … method of recording leaf motion for extended periods. In a letter to Thiselton-Dyer of 11 October …
- … … tap one of the young leaves with a delicate twig’ ( letter to R. I. Lynch, 14 September 1877 ). …
- … copies of Kosmos covering the German debate (letters to W. E. Gladstone, 2 October 1877 and …
- … form and of motion was exact and lively’ ( letter from W. E. Gladstone, 23 October 1877 ). …
- … found him as soft & smooth as butter’ ( letter to C. E. Norton, 16 March 1877 ). Hooker was …
- … the gospel of dirt the order of the day’ ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 27 January [1877] ). Carlyle …
- … a very happy occasion with the engagement of William to Sara Sedgwick. She was the daughter of …
- … & he delights in doing little kindnesses’ ( letter to Sara Sedgwick, 29 September [1877] ). It …
- … made the journey along with Emma. George, Francis, and Horace also attended. The ceremony was held …
- … that had gradually sunk from the burrowing of worms. Horace started building a ‘wormograph’ to …
- … buried ( letter from Francis Darwin, [28 October 1877?] ). Horace went with Francis to examine the …

Darwin in letters, 1879: Tracing roots
Summary
Darwin spent a considerable part of 1879 in the eighteenth century. His journey back in time started when he decided to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an essay on Erasmus’s evolutionary ideas…
Matches: 16 hits
- … There are summaries of all Darwin's letters from the year 1879 on this website. The full texts …
- … 27 of the print edition of The correspondence of Charles Darwin , published by Cambridge …
- … to publish a biographical account of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin to accompany a translation of an …
- … the sensitivity of the tips. Despite this breakthrough, when Darwin first mentioned the book to his …
- … that his grandfather had felt the same way. In 1792, Erasmus Darwin had written: ‘The worst thing I …
- … all over like a baked pear’ ( enclosure in letter from R. W. Dixon, 20 December 1879 ). The year …
- … contained a warmer note and the promise of future happiness: Darwin learned he was to be visited by …
- … & would please Francis’, he pointed out ( letter from E. A. Darwin, 13 March [1879 ]). …
- … thought ‘perfect in every way’ ( letter from E. A. Wheler, 25 March 1879 ). She suggested that …
- … and he regretted going beyond his ‘tether’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 5 June 1879 , and …
- … research (first during his stay in Southampton with Sara and William Darwin in May and then while on …
- … … neither cross nor ennuied’ (Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: 125)). Darwin …
- … objection to the engagement between his daughter Ida and Horace Darwin. This was all the more …
- … at the Farrers’ home, Abinger Hall, on several occasions. Horace had first approached Farrer to …
- … when you are not likely to make money’ (Emma Darwin to Sara Darwin, [1 July 1879] (DAR 219.1: 123)). …
- … say that he has opposed it’ (letter from Emma Darwin to W. E. Darwin, [4 August 1879] (DAR 219.1: …

Darwin in letters, 1878: Movement and sleep
Summary
In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to the movements of plants. He investigated the growth pattern of roots and shoots, studying the function of specific organs in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of…
Matches: 23 hits
- … lessen injury to leaves from radiation In 1878, Darwin devoted most of his attention to …
- … in this process. Working closely with his son Francis, Darwin devised a series of experiments to …
- … plant laboratories in Europe. While Francis was away, Darwin delighted in his role as …
- … from botanical research was provided by potatoes, as Darwin took up the cause of an Irish …
- … would rid Ireland of famine. Several correspondents pressed Darwin for his views on religion, …
- … closed with remarkable news of a large legacy bequeathed to Darwin by a stranger as a reward for his …
- … Hooker, ‘or as far as I know any scientific man’ ( letter to J. D. Hooker, 14 December [1878] ). …
- … Expression ), and the final revision of Origin (1872), Darwin had turned almost exclusively to …
- … Movement in plants In the spring of 1878, Darwin started to focus on the first shoots and …
- … were enrolled as researchers, as were family members. Darwin asked his niece Sophy to observe …
- … or arched.… Almost all seedlings come up arched’ ( letter to Sophy Wedgwood, 24 March [1878–80] ). …
- … on one side, then another, to produce movement in the stalk. Darwin compared adult and young leaves …
- … after growth has ceased or nearly ceased.’ Finally, Darwin turned to plant motion below the …
- … precision the lines of least resistance in the ground.’ Darwin would devote a whole chapter to the …
- … when he finds out that he missed sensitiveness of apex’ ( letter to Francis Darwin, [11 May 1878] …
- … moisture, and various chemical and nutritive substances, Darwin next considered sound. He explained …
- … instrument to various plants. To confirm the results, Darwin borrowed a siren from Tyndall, who had …
- … ill-luck to them, are not sensitive to aerial vibrations’, Darwin complained. ‘I am ashamed at my …
- … accursed German language: Sachs is very kind to him’ ( letter to W. T. Thiselton-Dyer, 18 June …
- … not easily be obtained at Down House, but Francis thought Horace’s abilities were a match for German …
- … the one here is far from well made.’ (Jemmy or Jim was Horace’s nickname.) Francis was …
- … several weeks in Southampton with William and his wife Sara, and visits to the Wedgwoods at Leith …
- … him of the soundness of London property ( letter from W. E. Darwin, 13 December [1878] ). ‘This is …

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 …
- … own. Soon after beginning his first reading notebook, Darwin began to separate the scientific …
- … the second reading notebook. Readers primarily interested in Darwin’s scientific reading, therefore, …
- … editors’ identification of the book or article to which Darwin refers. A full list of these works is …
- … page number (or numbers, as the case may be) on which Darwin’s entry is to be found. The …
- … in the bibliography that other editions were available to Darwin. While it is likely that Darwin …
- … 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.] …
- … [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] …
- … 1834–40]: In Portfolio of “abstracts” 34 —letter from Skuckard of books on Silk Worm …
- … (Emma) (read) M rs Fry’s Life [Fry 1847] Horace Walpoles letter to C t . of …
- … equestrian people of Paraguay . Translated from Latin [by Sara Coleridge]. 3 vols. London. 119: …
- … London. *128: 180; 128: 5, 9 Moquin-Tandon, Horace Bénédict Alfred. 1841. Éléments …
- … Mr. Warrenne . London. 119: 21b Walpole, Horace. 1845. Memoirs of the reign of King …