GRAY, ASA HANDWRITTEN LETTER SIGNED , AMERICAN BOTANIST, DARWIN, HENRY J. CLARK

ASA GRAY HANDWRITTEN LETTER TO HIS, SOON TO BE STUDENT OF BOTANY AND FUTURE NOTED HISTOLOGIST AND MICROSCOPIST,  HENRY J. CLARK.  GRAY’S LETTER MAY BE REGARDED AS THE DATE OF HENRY JAMES CLARK’S SCIENTIFIC BIRTH.

ASA GRAY (1810-88) HANDWRITTEN LETTER SIGNED, “Yours truly/Asa Gray”, 5 x 8, September 17, 1849, to noted histologist and microscopist Henry J. Clark (1826-73), telling him that he has received the enclosed flower buds of an unidentified flower “come as early in October as you can make convenient. Omnibuses run between Boston (Brattle St) and Cambridge every 15 minutes”, by the leading American botanist of the 19^th century who helped organize the main generalizations of the science of plant geography. The manual of botany that carries his name is still in use today. He was a friend and confident of Charles Darwin who became the most persistent and effective American protagonist of Darwin’s views. Gray was a strong supporter but believed in a theistic evolution: he believed that religion and Darwin’s theory of natural selection could coexist. In 1838 he became the first permanent paid professor at the newly founded University of Michigan and was the first position solely devoted to botany at any university in America. He later accepted a position as Professor of Natural History at Harvard (1842-72). Over the years he worked extensively on a phenomena that is now called the “Asa Gray disjunction”, namely, the morphological similarities between many Eastern Asian and eastern North American plants. Gray’s work in this area gave significant support to Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution and is one of the hallmarks of Gray’s career. Gray arranged the first American edition of On the Origin of Species and was able to negotiate royalties on Darwin’s behalf. Darwin held Gray in high esteem: he dedicated his book Forms of Flowers (1877) to Gray. This letter may be regarded as the date of Henry James Clark’s scientific birth. The letter is in fine condition, with minor age toning and a couple of tiny ink smudges. 

$650   #12900ZOLB