Some unpublished letters of Charles Darwin

Abstract

Few sources of information are so revealing about the life and character of a man as the letters he wrote, particularly when the range of persons to whom they were addressed is wide enough to include members of his own family, close friends, slight acquaintances, future enemies, rivals, his old attendants, and tradesmen. These are all represented in the small collection of letters from Charles Darwin that are included here. The number of his letters which have been published must approach a thousand, and those which have since been found are numerous. The time is, however, not ripe for an attempt to compile an exhaustive edition of his correspondence; nor are the few that are printed here to be regarded as any attempt to embark on such a task. They have been chosen from among many because of their intrinsic interest in throwing light on a number of aspects of Darwin’s life and work.