Description
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. In 1880, Darwin published On The Power of Movement in Plants, and began writing his final book, The Formation of Vegetable Mould through the Action of Worms. He was engaged in controversy with Samuel Butler, following publication of his last book, Erasmus Darwin. At the end of the year, he succeeded in raising support for a Civil List pension for Alfred Russel Wallace, co-discoverer of the theory of natural selection.
Table of Contents
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 and Testimonials; IV. Presentation List for Movement in Plants; V. Reviews of Movement in Plants; VI. Alfred Russel Wallace Memorial; Manuscript Alterations and Comments; Biographical Register and Index to Correspondents; Bibliography; Notes on Manuscript Sources; Index.
