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Letter to J.E. Harting. 26 April 1876
Details
Charles Darwin (1809-1882)
Letter to J.E. Harting. 26 April 1876
DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882). Autograph letter signed (in full, 'Charles Darwin') to J[ames] E[dmund] Harting, Down, 26 April 1876.
One page, 205 x 125mm, integral blank (light soiling, removed pin). Envelope (modern notes on envelope verso).
Darwin at a turning point: a significant statement regarding the direction of his work, signed with his full name. Darwin gratefully acknowledges Harting's offer of help and some manuscript notes which he has sent: 'As far as I can see I do not intend to work again on the subjects on which I have published, but reserve the little thought which is left me for somewhat new matter'.
As he intimates here, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) proved to be Darwin's last work on zoology: the publications of his last decade were to be devoted exclusively to the study of evolution in plants, including The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom (1876) and The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species (1877). The ornithologist and conservationist James Edmund Harting (1841-1928) was for more than 50 years the editor of natural history and falconry for the Field, and became editor of the Zoologist in the year after this letter. His letter to Darwin and its enclosed manuscript notes have not been found, but The Darwin Correspondence Project suggests that 'they probably dealt with zoological subjects'. DCP-LETT-10474F.
Letter to J.E. Harting. 26 April 1876
DARWIN, Charles (1809-1882). Autograph letter signed (in full, 'Charles Darwin') to J[ames] E[dmund] Harting, Down, 26 April 1876.
One page, 205 x 125mm, integral blank (light soiling, removed pin). Envelope (modern notes on envelope verso).
Darwin at a turning point: a significant statement regarding the direction of his work, signed with his full name. Darwin gratefully acknowledges Harting's offer of help and some manuscript notes which he has sent: 'As far as I can see I do not intend to work again on the subjects on which I have published, but reserve the little thought which is left me for somewhat new matter'.
As he intimates here, The Expression of the Emotions in Man and Animals (1872) proved to be Darwin's last work on zoology: the publications of his last decade were to be devoted exclusively to the study of evolution in plants, including The Effects of Cross and Self Fertilisation in the Vegetable Kingdom (1876) and The Different Forms of Flowers on Plants of the Same Species (1877). The ornithologist and conservationist James Edmund Harting (1841-1928) was for more than 50 years the editor of natural history and falconry for the Field, and became editor of the Zoologist in the year after this letter. His letter to Darwin and its enclosed manuscript notes have not been found, but The Darwin Correspondence Project suggests that 'they probably dealt with zoological subjects'. DCP-LETT-10474F.
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