Life and Letters and Autobiography
An introduction by R. B. Freeman
This heading is used to contain the original edition of Life and letters, which is the first and basic life of Darwin, as well as its American and foreign language equivalents. The work contains the first published version of Darwin's autobiography, which was edited to avoid giving offence to his widow, and therefore the heading also includes the printings of the full text which first appeared in English in 1958, although it had appeared in Russian translation, independently transcribed from the manuscript, in the previous year. It also includes the one volume abridgement which first appeared in 1892.
The original edition went through five printings, totalling seven thousand copies, in little more than a year, each one being slightly corrected, and also appeared, in two instead of three volumes, in America with frequent reprints. The abridged edition is not to be considered merely as a short, and cheap version since it does contain matter not present in the original. The 1902 printing of it has a brief addition to the preface and a new portrait. Some recent editions of the autobiography also contain the autobiographical fragment which is proper to More letters.
The whole of Life and letters has appeared in French, German and Norwegian, the last the only Darwin in that language. The autobiography alone, or abridgements, have appeared in a further seventeen.
Darwin, F. ed. 1887. The life and letters of Charles Darwin, including an autobiographical chapter. vol. 1 Text Image PDF F1452.1 vol. 2 Text Image PDF F1452.2 vol. 3 Text Image PDF F1452.3
Darwin, F. ed. 1892. Charles Darwin: his life told in an autobiographical chapter. [abridged ed.] Text Image PDF F1461
Darwin, F. ed. 1893. Charles Darwin: his life told in an autobiographical chapter. [abridged ed.] New York: Appleton. PDF F1464
1909. Order of the proceedings at the Darwin celebrations held at Cambridge June 22-June 24, 1909. With a sketch of Darwin's life. Text Image PDF F1481
Barlow, N. ed. 1958. The autobiography of Charles Darwin 1809-1882. With the original omissions restored. Edited and with appendix and notes by his grand-daughter Nora Barlow. Text Image PDF F1497
Chinese
1935. 达尔文自传. 全巨荪译. 上海: 上海商务印书馆. PDF F2129
Finnish
French
1888. La vie et la correspondance de Charles Darwin avec un chapitre autobiographique. vol. 1 Image PDF F1514.1 vol. 2 Image PDF F1514.2
German
1887. Leben und Briefe von Charles Darwin mit einem seine Autobiographie enthaltenden Capitel. vol. 1 PDF F1515.1 vol. 2 PDF F1515.2 vol. 3 PDF F1515.3
1893. Charles Darwin. Sein Leben, dargestellt in einem autobiographischen Capitel und in einer ausgewählten Reihe seiner veröffentlichten Briefe. PDF F1516
Japanese
Latvian
1889. Charles Darwins liv og breve med et kapitel selvbiografi. Introduction vol. 1 Text Image PDF F1528.1 vol. 2 Text Image PDF F1528.2 vol. 3 Text Image PDF F1528.3
Polish
1891. Autobiografia i wybór listów. Wydane przez Syna, Franciszka Darwina. PDF F1529
1960. Autobiografia i wybór listów. PDF F1531
Portuguese
2019. [1838 Autobiographical fragment]. Text F2230
Russian
1896. Autobiography. PDF F1534
1957. Vospominanii͡a o razvitii moego uma i kharaktera (avtobiografii͡a); dnevnik raboty i zhizni. PDF F1540
1959. Autobiography. Text F1541
Spanish
1945. Autobiografía de Darwin. Text F2442
NOTE: With thanks to The Charles Darwin Trust and Dr Mary Whitear for use of the Bibliographical Handlist. Copyright. All rights reserved. For private academic use only. Not for republication or reproduction in whole or in part without the prior written consent of The Charles Darwin Trust, 31 Baalbec Road, London N5 1QN.
Corrections and additions copyright John van Wyhe, The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online - National University of Singapore.