From R. F. Cooke 12 February 1872
50A, Albemarle Street, London, W.
Feby. 12 1872
My dear Sir
By post you will receive the 1st. copy of the new edition of the “Origin”, which we hope you will like the appearance of.1
The expenses of this reprint have far exceeded the calculations made when the subject was put in hand. The printer says it was nearly all rewritten & his charges are as if the work was all in M.S.2
The consequence is that when the whole edition (3000 No.) are sold retail at 6/– it will only yield a profit of £100;
The Students edition of Lyell’s Geology is pubd. at 9/0– & therefore Mr. Murray proposes to fix the retail price of yours at 7/6 which he thinks will be a very cheap volume indeed.3
We wait yr reply. | Yrs very faithfully | Robt. Cooke
Chas. Darwin Esq
Footnotes
Bibliography
Correspondence: The correspondence of Charles Darwin. Edited by Frederick Burkhardt et al. 29 vols to date. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. 1985–.
Lyell, Charles. 1871. The student’s elements of geology. London: J. Murray.
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.
Summary
Sends first copy of new [6th] edition of Origin. Expenses have been much higher than estimated because of extensive revisions. 3000 copies retailing at 6s would yield only £100 profit. Suggests fixing price at 7s 6d.
Letter details
- Letter no.
- DCP-LETT-8209
- From
- Robert Francis Cooke; John Murray
- To
- Charles Robert Darwin
- Sent from
- London, Albemarle St, 50a
- Source of text
- DAR 171: 407
- Physical description
- ALS 3pp inc?
Please cite as
Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 8209,” accessed on 26 September 2022, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-8209.xml
Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 20
