Letters of Charles Darwin, mostly to John Murray III., 1845-1881.
Scope and Contents
The letters have been retained in their original order, having been previously foliated. Where the date of the letter has not been ascertained from the physical letter, the dates according to the 'Darwin Correspondence Project' have been used.
Letters of Francis Darwin to John Murray [III], 1887: folios 1-2;
Letters of Charles Robert Darwin to John Murray [III], including an enclosure of a letter of Charles Darwin to Henry Colburn and a manuscript copy of an 1837 agreement between Charles Darwin and Henry Colburn, 1845: folios 3-34;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1859: folios 35-59;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1860: folios 60-97;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1861: folios 98-113;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1862: folios 114-126;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1863: folios 127-129;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], including two of William Bernhardt Tegetmeier to John Murray, publishers, with one of Butterworth and Heath to Tegetmeier, 1865: folios 130-138;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1866, including one of Asa Gray to Charles Darwin: folios 139-152;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1867: folios 153-177;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], including a proposal by Frances Julia Wedgwood about a work relating to John Wesley 1868: folios 178-193;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1869: folios 194-208;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1870: folios 209-219 and 242-243;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1871: folios 220-241, 244-252, 278-282, 285-290;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1872: folios 253-277, 283-284 and 291-292;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1877: folios 293-305;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1876: folios 306-309;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Darwin, 1875: folios 310-341;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1874: folios 342-351;
Letter of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1873: folios 352-353;
Letter of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III], 1845: folios 354-355;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1879: folios 356-365;
Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray [III] and Robert Francis Cooke, 1880: folios 366-381;
Letters of Charles Darwin to Robert Francis Cooke, 1881: folios 383-390.
Dates
- Creation: 1845-1881.
Creator
- Butterworth and Heath (London, engravers) (Organization)
- Darwin, Charles Robert (naturalist) (Person)
- Darwin, Francis, Sir, Knight (botanist) (Person)
- Gray, Asa (botanist) (Person)
- Tegetmeier, William Bernhardt (naturalist) (Person)
- Wedgwood, Frances Julia (writer) (Person)
- John Murray (publishers, London) (Recipient, Organization)
- Colburn, Henry (publisher) (Recipient, Person)
- Cooke, Robert Francis (of John Murray, publisher) (1816-1891) (Recipient, Person)
- Darwin, Charles Robert (naturalist) (Recipient, Person)
- Murray, John (publisher (III)) (1808-1892) (Recipient, Person)
- Tegetmeier, William Bernhardt (naturalist) (Recipient, Person)
Extent
3 Boxes (ii + 390 folios.)
Language of Materials
English
Arrangement
The letters have been fasciculed and boxed. They have been divided as follows :
box 1 of 2, folios i-ii, 1-202 : 1845-April 1869;
box 2 of 2, folios 203-390 : June 1869-1881;
box [3] containing the binding that originally held the letters.
Custodial History
This series of letters was originally bound under the title, "Letters of Charles Darwin to John Murray. 1845-1881". The original binding has been retained. The original foliation has also been kept. The intention was to have kept the volume, though insecure, in its bound form. However, a fuller inspection of the volume, combined with an understanding of the probable popularity of the letters, resulted in the decision to disbind them to allow them to be conserved more effectively, and viewed more easily and with less risk to the items, through being fasciculed and boxed.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
0411B
Bibliography
Genre / Form
Repository Details
Part of the National Library of Scotland Archives and Manuscripts Division Repository
Archives and Manuscript Division
National Library of Scotland
George IV Bridge
Edinburgh EH1 1EJ
0131 623 3700
manuscripts@nls.uk