CHARLES DARWIN (1809-1882) and others

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CHARLES DARWIN (1809-1882) and others
A 3pp. secretarial l.s., dated Down, Beckenham, Kent, July 27th, 1875, to Mr. Dowie discussing the regrowth of his father's finger and wanting to know whether 'After the digit had grown for the third time, did it contain a bone and was it furnished with a nail?' and apologising for giving him '...so much trouble on a subject which may be painful to you; but I am correcting a new edit and feel bound to get as correct information as possible'; together with a second letter in Darwin's hand, lacking signature and section of text, both laid down in one album containing various clipped signatures including those of W.E. Gladstone, Lord Stanhope, Lord Stanley, Sir Robert Peel and Anthony Trollope.

Lot Essay

Darwin states in his letter to Mr. Dowie that he gave an account of the regrowth of the extra digit in his 'Variation Under Domestication' which represents the only section of The Origin of Species printed in his lifetime. It was first published in 1868 and Darwin here is refering to his second edition published in 1875 [see Freeman p.122].

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