To John Murray 6 October [1871]1
Down, | Beckenham, Kent.
Oct 6th
My dear Mr Murray
I have 6 first Chapts. of the new Edit. of Origin ready for the printers, & I have sent M.S. of 7th. Chapt. to be copied. This 7th Chapt. contains a part of old Chapt IV, but is chiefly new.2 Whilst the copier is at work I shall make some considerable progress at remaining chapters. Now if you wish to have a Dummy copy of the Origin for your sale, I had better send the 6 first Chapters at once to Mrs Clowes, & you must give instructions about Type, the saving of space in all ways, & about setting up quickly & sending proofs to me.— I will trust to Messrs Clowes for correction & for Index except in the altered parts which are many.—
I enclose a suggested advertisement.—
More than one person & some strangers have urged me to publish a glossary of scientific terms.— I had a letter a few days ago from a stranger, an intelligent gentleman, who declared that many persons felt the want much.3 The same glossary wd. do for Origin & for any corrected Edit. of the Descent, if there ever is one.—4 I believe this latter book will hereafter rise a little in value, notwithstanding Mr. Mivart in the Quarterly.5 What do you think about such a short Glossary; if you approve, Mr Dallas of Geolog. Soc. would be an excellent man. & he could work on it from old Edit, but you must make a bargain with him.—6 I hope & think that I have considerably improved matter & style of Origin.— As the subject is by no means yet dead, we may hope for slow & steady sale.— Pray kindly reflect over this note, & let me hear.—
Yours very sincerely | Ch. Darwin
Proposed Advertisement
Sixth & Cheap Edition of the Origin of Species (...... thousandth?)
With answers to the various objections recently raised against the theory of Natural Selection. (With a glossary of scientific terms??)7
by Charles Darwin F.R.S.
P.S | My health has been so bad of late, that I can never be certain of going on working. And at end of this month I must have a rest of one week.—8
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Descent: The descent of man, and selection in relation to sex. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1871.
Freeman, Richard Broke. 1977. The works of Charles Darwin: an annotated bibliographical handlist. 2d edition. Folkestone, Kent: William Dawson & Sons. Hamden, Conn.: Archon Books, Shoe String Press.
[Mivart, St George Jackson.] 1871c. Darwin’s Descent of man. Quarterly Review 131: 47–90.
Origin 6th ed.: The origin of species by means of natural selection, or the preservation of favoured races in the struggle for life. 6th edition, with additions and corrections. By Charles Darwin. London: John Murray. 1872.
Variation: The variation of animals and plants under domestication. By Charles Darwin. 2 vols. London: John Murray. 1868.
Summary
Has finished seven chapters of revision of Origin [6th ed.] despite poor health. Asks JM’s opinion on a glossary of scientific terms. Encloses text for advertisement.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-7988
- From
- Charles Robert Darwin
- To
- John Murray
- Sent from
- Down
- Source of text
- National Library of Scotland (John Murray Archive) (Ms. 42152 ff. 228–31)
- Physical description
- ALS 5pp encl
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 7988,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-7988.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 19
