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Correspondence of Charles Darwin

November 15, 2023

The British naturalist Charles Darwin corresponded with his extended family and with an extraordinarily wide range of people from all over the world. The letters, over 15,000 in all, provide many insights on issues ranging from the origins of key scientific concepts, to religious and philosophical discussions which have continued to the present day. The letters also illuminate many aspects of Darwin and his biography: the development of his ideas; insights into character and health; and private opinions on controversial issues. His letters to the Harvard botanist Asa Gray, for example, show his opinions on slavery and the American Civil War.[1] Darwin relied upon correspondence for much of his scientific work, and also used letters to marshal support for his ideas amongst friends and colleagues. The historian of science Janet Browne has argued that Darwin's ability to correspond daily played a crucial role in the development of his theory and his ability to garner support for it from colleagues.

Charles Darwin in 1854

History edit

Correspondence was central to science in the Victorian era. In his early years, most of the letters Darwin filed away were directly relevant to one of his ongoing scientific projects in geology, invertebrate zoology, and other fields. Most letters, however, were stuck onto "spits", as Darwin called them, and when his slender stock of these was exhausted, he would burn the letters of several years, in order that he might make use of the liberated "spits." This process, carried on for years, destroyed many of the letters received before 1861. Even so, the number of letters, even in these early years, is remarkable. After publication of the Origin of Species in 1859, Darwin's children convinced him to save a far greater proportion of his correspondence, so that the sequence from the early 1860s onwards is remarkably full.

 
Photocopied title page of the original edition of Charles Darwin's autobiography.

In 1887, five years after Darwin's death, Darwin's son Francis Darwin published The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin in three volumes, to accompany the publication of The Autobiography of Charles Darwin. This was later followed by two volumes of More Letters of Charles Darwin published in 1902. For over a century these volumes were the main source for Darwin's correspondence, although they contain only a small proportion of the available total, and many are abridged.

In 1974 the Darwin Correspondence Project was founded at Cambridge University by the American philosopher and academic administrator Frederick Burkhardt, with the aid of the Cambridge zoologist and historian Sydney Smith. Cambridge University owns 9,000 letters and has obtained copies of over 6,000 additional letters held in other collections. New letters are being discovered at around 60 per year and photocopies of new finds should be sent to the project, which can help identify correspondents and provide accurate dating. Volumes of the correspondence appear at regular intervals from Cambridge University Press, with the content freely available online after four years. Every volume includes a substantial introduction, and the letters are edited to the highest editorial standard. The also includes extensive additional materials, including resources for school and university teaching.

The Darwin Correspondence is among the most substantial editing projects in the English-speaking world, with a full- and part-time staff of eleven.

List of notable persons with whom Darwin corresponded edit

Entries marked with asterisks denote persons for which 100 letters or more have been located. All of these letters can be found on the Darwin Correspondence Project website.

References edit

Darwin Correspondence Project website edit

  • Darwin Correspondence Project Home Page, University Library, Cambridge. (Accessed 2009-05-07)

Darwin Correspondence Project publications edit

  • Volume 1: 1821–1836 (pub 1985) ISBN 0-521-25587-2
  • Volume 2: 1837–1843 (pub 1986) ISBN 0-521-25588-0
  • Volume 3: 1844–1846 (pub 1987) ISBN 0-521-25589-9
  • Volume 4: 1847–1850 (pub 1988) ISBN 0-521-25590-2
  • Volume 5: 1851–1855 (pub 1989) ISBN 0-521-25591-0
  • Volume 6: 1856–1857 (pub 1990) ISBN 0-521-25586-4
  • Volume 7: 1858–1859 (pub 1991) ISBN 0-521-38564-4
  • Volume 8: 1860 (pub 1993) ISBN 0-521-44241-9
  • Volume 9: 1861 (pub 1994) ISBN 0-521-45156-6
  • Volume 10: 1862 (pub 1997) ISBN 0-521-59032-9
  • Volume 11: 1863 (pub 1999) ISBN 0-521-59033-7
  • Volume 12: 1864 (pub 2001) ISBN 0-521-59034-5
  • Volume 13: 1865 (pub 2003) ISBN 0-521-82413-3
  • Volume 14: 1866 (pub 2004) ISBN 0-521-84459-2
  • Volume 15: 1867 (pub 2005) ISBN 0-521-85931-X
  • Volume 16 pt i: 1868 (pub 2008) ISBN 978-0-521-88195-1
  • Volume 16 pt ii: 1868 (pub 2008) ISBN 978-0-521-88196-8
  • Volume 17: 1869 (pub 2009) ISBN 978-0-521-19030-5
  • Volume 18: 1870 and supplement (pub 2010) ISBN 978-0-521-76889-4
  • Volume 19: 1871 (pub 2012) ISBN 978-1-107-01648-4
  • Volume 20: 1872 (pub 2013) ISBN 978-1-107-03844-8
  • Volume 21: 1873 (pub 2014) ISBN 978-1-107-05214-7
  • Volume 22: 1874 (pub 2015) ISBN 978-1-107-08872-6
  • Volume 23: 1875 (pub 2015) ISBN 978-1-107-13436-2
  • Volume 24: 1876 (pub 2016) ISBN 978-1-107-18057-4
  • Volume 25: 1877 (pub 2017) ISBN 978-1-108-42304-5
  • Volume 26: 1878 (pub 2018) ISBN 978-1-108-47540-2
  • Volume 27: 1879 (pub 2019) ISBN 978-1-108-49375-8
  • Further volumes will appear regularly (to 30 volumes in total), with completion of the edition in 2022.

Selections of letters published by the Correspondence Project include:

Early editions of Darwin's letters edit

  • Life and Letters of Charles Darwin vol 1 at Project Gutenberg
  • More Letters of Charles Darwin vol 2 at Project Gutenberg
  • Letters on Geology The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
  • Life and Letters and Autobiography The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
  • More Letters The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
  • Letter on Vivisection The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online
  • Charles Darwin Letters Two collections of letters written to and by Charles Darwin

References edit

  1. ^ "Darwin in letters, 1863: Quarrels at home, honours abroad | Darwin Correspondence Project". 12 June 2015. Retrieved 29 July 2020.

November 15, 2023
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The British naturalist Charles Darwin corresponded with his extended family and with an extraordinarily wide range of people from all over the world The letters over 15 000 in all provide many insights on issues ranging from the origins of key scientific concepts to religious and philosophical discussions which have continued to the present day The letters also illuminate many aspects of Darwin and his biography the development of his ideas insights into character and health and private opinions on controversial issues His letters to the Harvard botanist Asa Gray for example show his opinions on slavery and the American Civil War 1 Darwin relied upon correspondence for much of his scientific work and also used letters to marshal support for his ideas amongst friends and colleagues The historian of science Janet Browne has argued that Darwin s ability to correspond daily played a crucial role in the development of his theory and his ability to garner support for it from colleagues Charles Darwin in 1854 Contents 1 History 2 List of notable persons with whom Darwin corresponded 3 References 3 1 Darwin Correspondence Project website 3 2 Darwin Correspondence Project publications 3 3 Early editions of Darwin s letters 4 ReferencesHistory editCorrespondence was central to science in the Victorian era In his early years most of the letters Darwin filed away were directly relevant to one of his ongoing scientific projects in geology invertebrate zoology and other fields Most letters however were stuck onto spits as Darwin called them and when his slender stock of these was exhausted he would burn the letters of several years in order that he might make use of the liberated spits This process carried on for years destroyed many of the letters received before 1861 Even so the number of letters even in these early years is remarkable After publication of the Origin of Species in 1859 Darwin s children convinced him to save a far greater proportion of his correspondence so that the sequence from the early 1860s onwards is remarkably full nbsp Photocopied title page of the original edition of Charles Darwin s autobiography In 1887 five years after Darwin s death Darwin s son Francis Darwin published The Life and Letters of Charles Darwin in three volumes to accompany the publication of The Autobiography of Charles Darwin This was later followed by two volumes of More Letters of Charles Darwin published in 1902 For over a century these volumes were the main source for Darwin s correspondence although they contain only a small proportion of the available total and many are abridged In 1974 the Darwin Correspondence Project was founded at Cambridge University by the American philosopher and academic administrator Frederick Burkhardt with the aid of the Cambridge zoologist and historian Sydney Smith Cambridge University owns 9 000 letters and has obtained copies of over 6 000 additional letters held in other collections New letters are being discovered at around 60 per year and photocopies of new finds should be sent to the project which can help identify correspondents and provide accurate dating Volumes of the correspondence appear at regular intervals from Cambridge University Press with the content freely available online after four years Every volume includes a substantial introduction and the letters are edited to the highest editorial standard The Darwin Correspondence website also includes extensive additional materials including resources for school and university teaching The Darwin Correspondence is among the most substantial editing projects in the English speaking world with a full and part time staff of eleven List of notable persons with whom Darwin corresponded editEntries marked with asterisks denote persons for which 100 letters or more have been located All of these letters can be found on the Darwin Correspondence Project website This list is incomplete you can help by adding missing items August 2008 Louis Agassiz Alexander Bain Henry Walter Bates Lydia Becker George Bentham Charles Harrison Blackley Antoinette Brown Blackwell Mary Boole Heinrich Georg Bronn John Burdon Sanderson Alphonse Louis Pierre Pyrame de Candolle William Benjamin Carpenter Frances Power Cobbe Walter Drawbridge Crick grandfather of Francis Crick Thomas Davidson Anton Dohrn Franciscus Donders George Eliot Hugh Falconer Frederic William Farrar Thomas Farrer 1st Baron Farrer John Fiske Robert FitzRoy Auguste Henri Forel Johan Georg Forchhammer Francis Galton Jean Albert Gaudry James Geikie Joseph Henry Gilbert Philip Henry Gosse Asa Gray William Robert Grove Julius von Haast Ernst Haeckel John Stevens Henslow Joseph Dalton Hooker Thomas Henry Huxley Thomas Jamieson Leonard Jenyns Charles Kingsley James Lamont Ray Lankester John Lubbock Charles Lyell Maxwell T Masters Patrick Matthew Charles Johnson Maynard Edward S Morse Henry Nottidge Moseley Fritz Muller John Murray Melchior Neumayr Alfred Newton Richard Owen Jean Louis Armand de Quatrefages de Breau George Croom Robertson George Romanes Sir John Sebright Adam Sedgwick Frederick Smith Herbert Spencer Japetus Steenstrup Bartholomew Sulivan Mary Lua Adelia Davis Treat Alfred Russel Wallace Julia Wedgwood August Weismann William Whewell William Winwood Reade Chauncey WrightReferences editBrowne Janet Charles Darwin Voyaging Princeton 1995 Browne Janet Charles Darwin The Power of Place Princeton 2002 Darwin Correspondence Project website edit Darwin Correspondence Project Home Page University Library Cambridge Accessed 2009 05 07 Darwin Correspondence Project publications edit Volume 1 1821 1836 pub 1985 ISBN 0 521 25587 2 Volume 2 1837 1843 pub 1986 ISBN 0 521 25588 0 Volume 3 1844 1846 pub 1987 ISBN 0 521 25589 9 Volume 4 1847 1850 pub 1988 ISBN 0 521 25590 2 Volume 5 1851 1855 pub 1989 ISBN 0 521 25591 0 Volume 6 1856 1857 pub 1990 ISBN 0 521 25586 4 Volume 7 1858 1859 pub 1991 ISBN 0 521 38564 4 Volume 8 1860 pub 1993 ISBN 0 521 44241 9 Volume 9 1861 pub 1994 ISBN 0 521 45156 6 Volume 10 1862 pub 1997 ISBN 0 521 59032 9 Volume 11 1863 pub 1999 ISBN 0 521 59033 7 Volume 12 1864 pub 2001 ISBN 0 521 59034 5 Volume 13 1865 pub 2003 ISBN 0 521 82413 3 Volume 14 1866 pub 2004 ISBN 0 521 84459 2 Volume 15 1867 pub 2005 ISBN 0 521 85931 X Volume 16 pt i 1868 pub 2008 ISBN 978 0 521 88195 1 Volume 16 pt ii 1868 pub 2008 ISBN 978 0 521 88196 8 Volume 17 1869 pub 2009 ISBN 978 0 521 19030 5 Volume 18 1870 and supplement pub 2010 ISBN 978 0 521 76889 4 Volume 19 1871 pub 2012 ISBN 978 1 107 01648 4 Volume 20 1872 pub 2013 ISBN 978 1 107 03844 8 Volume 21 1873 pub 2014 ISBN 978 1 107 05214 7 Volume 22 1874 pub 2015 ISBN 978 1 107 08872 6 Volume 23 1875 pub 2015 ISBN 978 1 107 13436 2 Volume 24 1876 pub 2016 ISBN 978 1 107 18057 4 Volume 25 1877 pub 2017 ISBN 978 1 108 42304 5 Volume 26 1878 pub 2018 ISBN 978 1 108 47540 2 Volume 27 1879 pub 2019 ISBN 978 1 108 49375 8 Further volumes will appear regularly to 30 volumes in total with completion of the edition in 2022 Selections of letters published by the Correspondence Project include Origins Charles Darwin s Selected Letters 1825 1859 ISBN 978 0 521 89862 1 Evolution Charles Darwin s Selected Letters 1860 1870 ISBN 978 0 521 87412 0 Charles Darwin The Beagle Letters ISBN 978 0 521 89838 6 all the letters to and from Darwin during the voyage The Correspondence 1821 60 Anniversary Paperback Set ISBN 978 0 521 12154 5 Darwin and Women A Selection of Letters ISBN 978 1 107 15886 3Early editions of Darwin s letters edit Life and Letters of Charles Darwin vol 1 at Project GutenbergLife and Letters of Charles Darwin vol 2 at Project GutenbergMore Letters of Charles Darwin vol 1 at Project GutenbergMore Letters of Charles Darwin vol 2 at Project Gutenberg Letters on Geology The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online Life and Letters and Autobiography The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online More Letters The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online Letter on Vivisection The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online Charles Darwin Letters Two collections of letters written to and by Charles DarwinReferences edit Darwin in letters 1863 Quarrels at home honours abroad Darwin Correspondence Project 12 June 2015 Retrieved 29 July 2020 Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Correspondence of Charles Darwin amp oldid 1184400360, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

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