As a gentleman from a wealthy background, Charles Darwin did not have to earn a living. This was fortuitous. For much of the latter part of his life he was confined as a semi-invalid to his family home, Down House in Kent, UK.
His conduct of science was destined to be collaborative and all-encompassing and his prolific letter writing reflects that. Over the course of his lifetime (1809-1892), Charles Darwin corresponded with over 2000 individuals worldwide, exchanging his views on scientific matters, his health and family life.
The Charles Darwin Correspondence Project.
Family were very important to Darwin and it is partly due to their close interest and involvement in his work that so many of his letters have survived to this day. There are known to be over 15,000 in existence.
The Darwin Correspondence Project was initiated in 1974 by an American scholar, Frederick Burkhardt, helped by Sydney Smith, a zoologist at the University of Cambridge (UK). They set out to locate and publish Darwin’s extensive correspondence, thereby providing a complete picture of Darwin - a Victorian, a family man and a scientist. Burkhardt’s work continues to this day and there are now over 6,000 of Darwin’s letters available in full online, free to access.
The letters are being published chronologically and appear in what currently amounts to 17 print volumes. The first volume (1821-1836) starts with his school years and finishes at the end of the Beagle. The latest compilation has reached 1869, a time when Darwin was focused on human evolution. It’s estimated that the project will be complete by 2025.
Part of the challenge with a website covering such a major resource is to help audiences to find the material they’re interested in. To that end, the website is designed in a user -friendly way. The content and links are organised to interest historians, school students, the media and enthusiasts alike. This is a highly academic project with each letter edited for biographical and editorial detail, but the layout is by no means off-putting to the casual observer.
The Significance of Darwin’s Letters.
Darwin’s scientific thoughts were aired through his letters and he collaborated widely with fellow scientists. Yet his letters were not confined to science – thoughts on religion, family life and his health were just many of the subjects covered. Throughout his life, particularly on the Voyage of the Beagle, he kept in close contact with his family. Much of his private life is evident from the letters contents. Starting with his time at school, his family would receive regular updates. Whilst on the Beagle, Darwin informed them of the ship’s progress and destinations; his fond sisters Marianne, Caroline and Susan would, in turn, send letters ahead on naval ships to various British Admiralty stations.
Many of Darwin’s letters were a series of conversations. His approach to letter writing was very much a two-way process. In the absence of E-mail, Darwin did the next best thing and wrote several letters a day. Thankfully the postal service of the time was reliable and frequent, with several deliveries a day.
Letter writing was Darwin’s main point of contact with the outside world. Darwin’s chronic state of health was an ongoing worry. To clear his mind, he took regular walks along the thinking path at Down house. Darwin the thinker would then return to his study where he wrote on a writing board, for him a more comfortable place to pen his thoughts than the usual writing desk.
Unlike published academic work, the letters add a human dimension to Darwin’s conduct of science. Darwin was not confrontational. His diplomatic approach allowed him to pitch his letters appropriately, such that the wide range of individuals he wrote to were drawn into his circle of contacts. Recruiting others to help with his experiments was vital for a semi-invalid. Acting as a mentor for many he wrote to, he was firm in his views but a great respecter of other approaches and findings. He was also prepared to admit defeat; his own failings in the face of more convincing scientific evidence are often acknowledged in correspondence with fellow scientists.
In the world of Victorian letter writing, civil disagreement was the key. Unlike the often polarised postings on the internet today, Darwin received very little hate mail.
Expanding the World Wide Web
Although there are huge collections of Darwin’s letters in various centres, for example Cambridge University (UK), there are still letters emerging and only 6,000 or so of the over 15,000 letters currently available have been fully transcribed. The Darwin Correspondence Project continues apace.
There are still Darwin letters to be discovered. Only in May 2009, a librarian in Adelaide, Australia, found a letter in a book that had long been languishing in the State Library’s basement. Part of a correspondence to a local gentleman chemist, such letters are likely to continue to emerge, as the range and influence of Darwin’s correspondence is revisited.
There are no bombshell letters in Darwin’s correspondence. Working out the Origin of Species was not an instant revelation. The value of the Charles Darwin Correspondence Project lies in the picture it builds of Darwin and his body of work. The project continues Darwin’s application and disciplined letter writing in its carefully annotated transcripts. It also serves to remind the reader of the power of purposeful and fruitful collaboration and communication in science.
Sources:
Desmond A, Moore J and Janet Browne. Charles Darwin (2007). ISBN 9780199213542. The Very Interesting People series. Oxford University Press (UK).
Down House Audio tour – March 2009.
James Taylor . The Voyage of the Beagle (2008). ISBN 9781844860661. Published by Conway – Anova Books Company Ltd, UK.
Catherine Whitlock - After some fun years in medical research poring over a microscope, I now write about the scientific wonders that others have magnified.I ...
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