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Darwin Correspondence Project

From J. V. Carus   20 October 1869

Leipzig,

Octobr 20. | 1869

My dear Sir,

Mr Koch (Schweizerbart) begs me to ask you when your new book on Man will be out. In a newspaper he found a notice, that it is nearly finished.1 At the same time he told me from one of your letters to him, that you would not pledge yourself to give him the right of translation, as that would depend upon whether the book is worth translating and upon whom he may employ for translating it.2 With regard to the first of these two conditions I dare say it would be a pity if the German public would not be put in a position to know all you write and have written. I must not say more, as you know how thoroughly I admire your method and way and how profoundly I appreciate the results which you arrived at by so wonderfully patient and many sided researches

Another question is, whom you would like to have as translator. I should not offer myself if I knew that you had any and even the slightest reason to object against my doing it. So pray don’t think yourself bound. But if you think that I may do it, I shall be proud to be allowed to do it.

The short notice I read tells that the book will be published next year. I shall come to England in the beginning of March. If your book is not out before that time I may be able to speak with you about it. At all events I shall try to introduce myself to you personally.3

Believe me | My dear Sir | Ever yours faithfully | J. Victor Carus

Footnotes

Carus refers to Eduard Koch, the publishing firm E. Schweizerbart’sche Verlagsbuchhandlung, and Descent. An advance notice of the publication of Descent had been published in the 9 October 1869 issue of the Academy (pp. 15–16).
Although Carus was in England in the spring of 1870, he was not able to arrange a meeting with CD (see Correspondence vol. 18, letters from J. V. Carus, 16 April [1870] and 18 April 1870).

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.

Summary

Koch [of Schweizerbart’s, publisher of German translations of CD’s works] has inquired when CD’s new book on man will be out. JVC assures CD that the book should be translated into German, and offers his services.

Letter details

Letter no.
DCP-LETT-6947
From
Julius Victor Carus
To
Charles Robert Darwin
Sent from
Leipzig
Source of text
DAR 161: 72
Physical description
ALS 3pp

Please cite as

Darwin Correspondence Project, “Letter no. 6947,” accessed on 9 May 2024, https://www.darwinproject.ac.uk/letter/?docId=letters/DCP-LETT-6947.xml

Also published in The Correspondence of Charles Darwin, vol. 17

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