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Auction: 20025 - Historical Documents, Postal History and Autographs
Lot: 630

Great Britain
Charles Darwin
1864 (6 Nov.) ALS over four pages on 'Down Bromley, Kent' letter paper to Sir Henry Holland thanking him for his congratulations on "the honour [Copley medal] which the Royal Society has given me", going on to write "I have just read H. [Herbert] Spencer's work; it strikes me extremely clever, & yet, I cannot tell why, I never feel much wiser, when I have finished reading him. I am, I hope, decidedly getting better, but fear I shall never reach my former modicum of strength ... I was very ill for about ten months, incessant vomiting, which became bad when you were in America last year. How wonderful your strength & vigour of interest are; I had heard of your Gibraltar expedition". Signed "Charles Darwin". Interesting.

See 'The Darwin Project' in which Holland's letter to Darwin of 4 November 1864 is shown; Darwin's letter is in response to this.

Sir. Henry Holland (1788-1873) was a prominent physician and consultant of Darwin. After completing his medical training, Holland travelled around the world, including Gibraltar.

Herbert Spencer (1820-1903) was and English philosopher, biologist and sociologist, he also worked as Secretary to the Derby Philosophical Society founded by Charles Darwin's grandfather. In the same year as this letter, Spencer published his 'Principles of Biology' which is almost certainly the text in question.

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£4,500

Starting price
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