The Correspondence of Charles Darwin: Volume 27, 1879

Letters from 1879, when Darwin researched and published a biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin.

Charles Darwin (Author), Frederick Burkhardt (Edited by), James A. Secord (Edited by), The Editors of the Darwin Correspondence Project (Edited by)

9781108493758, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 21 November 2019

298 pages, 30 b/w illus.
24 x 16.1 x 5.4 cm, 1.49 kg

'What makes the volumes such fun is how one learns more and more of the everyday life of being a scientist, and this brings me back to the politicking with which I opened this review … I love the Darwin Correspondence. I learn important things about Darwin's religious beliefs. I learn gossipy things about the sociology of science …' Michael Ruse, The Quarterly Review of Biology

This volume is part of the definitive edition of letters written by and to Charles Darwin, the most celebrated naturalist of the nineteenth century. Notes and appendixes put these fascinating and wide-ranging letters in context, making the letters accessible to both scholars and general readers. Darwin depended on correspondence to collect data from all over the world, and to discuss his emerging ideas with scientific colleagues, many of whom he never met in person. The letters are published chronologically: volume 27 includes letters from 1879, the year in which Darwin completed his manuscript on movement in plants. He also researched and published a biography of his grandfather Erasmus. The Darwins spent most of August on holiday in the Lake District. In October, Darwin's youngest son, Horace, became officially engaged to Ida Farrer, after some initial resistance from her father, who, although an admirer of Charles Darwin, thought Horace a poor prospect for his daughter.

List of illustrations
List of letters
Introduction
Acknowledgments
List of provenances
Note on editorial policy
Darwin/Wedgwood genealogy
Abbreviations and symbols
The Correspondence
Appendixes: I. Translations
II. Chronology
III. Diplomas
IV. Presentation list for Erasmus Darwin
V. Reviews of Erasmus Darwin
Manuscript alterations and comments
Biographical register and index to correspondents
Bibliography
Notes on manuscript sources
Index.

Subject Areas: Plant ecology [PSTS], Botany & plant sciences [PST], Developmental biology [PSC], Evolution [PSAJ], Biology, life sciences [PS], History of science [PDX]