About this Item
Vol.II Half title page + blank+ frontispiece portrait of Charles Darwin + Title page + xxv + Blank + 484 pages + 6 plates (page 232 is a plate and listed as so), so all listed plates present. Condition; Original grey printers paper binding/covering good, some ageing, marks, wear, some spine slitting, edge tear. Contents mostly mint and uncut, to top of half title page inscribed Francis ? from H.E. Litchfield June 1919 , some foxing to fronticepeice & page 484. Pages uncut include page ii to xxv, pages 99-102, 129-136, 169-176, 179-182, 217-456, 459-464, 467-470 & 477-482. many of other cut pages are rough cut. Frontispiece has original tissue guard. Not stated, but seems there were only 250 copies printed of this Privately Printed edition. Later in 1915 it was published for the general public as Emma Darwin: A Century of Family Letters 1792-1896. Emma Darwin, Charles Darwin's wife and first cousin, was born Emma Wedgwood, the eighth and youngest child of Josiah Wedgwood II and Bessy Allen. Her father was the eldest son of the famous pottery manufacturer, Josiah Wedgwood. Her father's eldest sister, Susannah, had married Robert Waring Darwin and had six children, including Charles Darwin. Emma and Charles married in January 1839. Emma acted as Charles's amanuensis, read to him, and translated from French, German, and Italian. Although she was not able to summon up as much interest in the minutiae of his research as she had originally hoped, she kept an eye on his press. , she was anxious about the implications of his work for religion and the effect of Charles's work on his nerves and his health, insisted on frequent holidays including stay with relatives two or three times a year, and organise holidays on the Isle of Wight, Wales, and in the Lake District, as well as at the homes of friends in Surrey. She helped entertain Charles's scientific friends and admirers at Down, although she preferred to try to get them to talk about politics instead of science: politics were an abiding interest of hers. Despite the fact that Emma and Charles were rarely separated after their marriage, Emma appears as the most prolific female correspondent in the published volumes of the Correspondence of Charles Darwin. This is partly because on the rare occasions they were apart, Emma and Charles wrote to each other almost daily. The author is Henrietta Emma Litchfield nee Darwin 1843-1927 was the Darwin's third daughter and eldest daughter to reach adulthood, Henrietta and her brother Frank helped their father with his work, and Henrietta helped edit The Descent of Man. In 1871 she married Richard Buckley Litchfield, she had no children and was widowed in1903. Henrietta edited Charles Darwin's biography of his grandfather Erasmus Darwin, The Life of Erasmus Darwin, and also The Autobiography of Charles Darwin, removing several contentious passages. She also edited her mother's private papers (this tome). To sum up This volume II is a unique unread/unbound/signed copy, of a very rare book, giving the impression of the 250 copies printed, a number were not given away in 1904. This copy was given and dedicated by the author to Francis ? (unable to decipherer surname) in 1919 after the 1915 edition, published for the public, presumably Francis had and read a 1915 edition and therefore had no need to cut or read this copy, or have it bound and just kept it for it s signed dedicated inscription. Size: 14.5 x 22.5cm Approx First Edition, Privately Printed Limited.
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