Summary

John Murray has announced his next book [Cross and self-fertilisation] without CD’s knowledge. It is only half-written. JVC will hear when it is published and will decide whether it is worth translating. It will be dry, but, CD believes, of value.

Has read an account of JVC’s Scottish lectures.

Invites JVC to Down.

Summary

Regrets he cannot receive JVC at Down on Monday as he would then be too unwell to travel on Tuesday, when he must leave for a visit [to Abinger Hall, according to the Journal].

Has been working hard on Drosera and Dionaea. His next book will be on these plants and not, as he had intended, "On evil effects of Inter breeding".

Summary

Is glad to hear of new German edition of Descent, but owing to his extensive revisions, corrected sheets will not be ready for about three months.

Is working on a new edition of Coral reefs, which he thinks would sell in Germany.

Would like to hear "out of curiosity & vanity" how many copies of his books have been sold in Germany.

Summary

Would be glad to hear of a collected edition of his works [in Germany], but has no opinion on how it would sell. Has been surprised to learn that in England some think uniform collected works sell best. Tells JVC his publication plans and other details to guide him on extent of a "collected works".

Descent corrections have been laborious and troublesome.

Summary

Thanks JVC for errata [in Descent, 2d ed.].

Discusses work in progress and publication plans.

Will be pleased to receive concluding volume of JVC’s Zoologie [see 8531].

Summary

Sends clean sheets of Insectivorous plants. JVC will now be able to judge whether it is worth translating. The book has wearied him and cost much labour.

Summary

Insectivorous plants to be published in two or three days.

Climbing plants and 2d ed. of Variation will be published early in November.

Has no strength for corrections for the new printing of Origin, though many are desired.

Pleased that JVC will translate Insectivorous plants.

Summary

Sends errata in Insectivorous plants.

Is correcting proofs of [2d ed. of] Climbing plants, to be published in November. It is, he thinks, worth translating.

A second, much corrected, edition of Variation also will be published.

Summary

Sends sheets of Climbing plants [2d ed.], which will be published in November. Suggests JVC have someone translate it under his supervision,

since he has not yet finished Insectivorous plants.

Admires the appearance of [German ed. of] Journal of researches.

Discusses other publication prospects.

Summary

Thanks JVC for corrections in Insectivorous plants. Explains confusion of fluid and dry measures. The work has sold well in England.

Repeats suggestion that JVC employ someone to translate Climbing plants under his supervision.

Summary

Encloses a correction [for Climbing plants, 2d ed.]. Asa Gray made a mistake in name of species of Passiflora.

Summary

Thanks for errata in Insectivorous plants.

Sends spare copies of his papers, but thinks several are not worth publishing.

Has only one copy, which he will lend JVC, of the best one, on "Erratic boulders of South America" [Collected papers 1: 145–63].

Has not sent "Parallel roads of Glen Roy" [Collected papers 1: 87–137], as he is sure he was wrong.

Summary

Glad to hear that [German edition of] Insectivorous plants is published.

Thanks for errata in Climbing plants [2d ed.].

Sends list [missing] of his papers, with those certainly not worth translating marked with a red line.

Reports on work in progress.

Summary

Clarifies a passage [in Coral reefs, 2d ed. (1874)], which JVC had questioned.

Summary

Answers queries concerning errata in Coral reefs.

All copies of Volcanic islands are sold. Smith, Elder & Co. want to bring out a new edition, but CD is resolved not to look at a single proof.

Summary

Sends first sheets of Cross and self fertilisation. The book is a very dull record of experiments, but nevertheless CD believes it is valuable for its remarkable and well-established results.

Orchids [2d ed.] will soon go to the printer.

Summary

Tells JVC that to the title on the first page [of Cross and self-fertilisation] is to be added "in the vegetable kingdom".

Guesses that Orchids [2d ed.] will be 20 or 30 pages longer than the old edition.

Summary

Proof sheets [of Cross and self-fertilisation] have been lost.

Summary

Sends sheets [of Cross and self-fertilisation].

Heliotypes for Expression delayed because new negatives must be made.

Thanks Herr Koch [of Schweizerbart] for copies of Coral reefs and Climbing plants.

Summary

Tells JVC what changes have been made in the new edition of his geological book [Volcanic islands and South America].

Does not know why he doubted about the Atlantic dust paper – now thinks it worth translating.

Glad JVC has not found Cross and self-fertilisation as intolerably dull as CD feared. Answers his queries about Cross and self-fertilisation.