ALS signed “Ch. Darwin,” one page, 4.5 x 7, January 26. Letter to a gentleman, presumably a publisher, written from Bassett, Southampton. In full: "Please send a copy to Down, but mark outside 'Not to be forwarded,' for I shall not return home for a week's time. I am obliged to you for informing me." Affixed to a slightly larger sheet and in very good to fine condition, with a light stain at the bottom, minor loss to the upper left edge, and a vertical line running through the body of the letter.
The recipient was most likely employed at Williams and Norgate, a British publishing firm that specialized in scholarly and scientific literature. The strike through the body of the text, indicating that Darwin's request had been attended to, is typical of their practice. While this letter does not appear to be recorded as part of the Darwin Correspondence Project, several other pieces of correspondence with Williams and Norgate are listed. It is also interesting that Darwin writes from Bassett, the home of his eldest son, William Erasmus Darwin, known primarily as the subject of his father's studies of infant psychology.
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