Essays and Reviews came out approximately 4 months after Origin of Species and sold more copies than Darwin's book did in 20 years. The essays are mostly pretty significant topics at this critical juncture in the 1800s. My research also turns up a book or two that appear to be follow-up responses (this one, also edited by J. Parker, was published just two years later). I would like to see a two-or-three-or-four book CP offering for these subject-related titles, please. [Y]
Also, this recent book is a historical review of Essays and Reviews and the reaction it caused. It seems rather long (over a 1000 pages), but it doesn't include any then-contemporary responses, just present day analysis. I do know that the price is ridiculous. Since the original titles are public domain, a CP collection could go for $30 or less, versus $80 for this recent book. If Logos can get the publisher to consider a PrePub price of about $35 (or less), fine. Otherwise, I wouldn't even bother.
I really, really, really despise this propensity of publishing houses to price items like this in such a way that a person with a strong but casual (i.e. non-academic) interest simply decides to by-pass the book due to price. Brill, Sheffield/T&T Clark, and dissertation publishers all assume that the pool of interested buyers will be tiny (but due to academic interest, essentially "forced" to buy), and so they deliberately charge exorbitant amounts, ergo producing the self-fulfilling prophecy of tiny sales.
Like I said...Logos, if you can negotiate a reasonable price for this (i.e. less than half of the Amazon price), fine. Otherwise, tell them no thanks. Maybe they will rethink.
One interesting thing I did see in the contents for the new book is that it compares E & R with the earlier Colenso brouhaha. I was already thinking that this situation reminded me of that one. This website also makes the comparison.
Thanks.
