On the origin of legend

Kam Patel in his interview with Steve Jones ("Aping Darwin", THES, September 10) repeats the legend that Karl Marx not only admired Darwin, but even wanted to dedicate Das Kapital to Darwin, who politely declined.

What did happen was that in 1873 Marx sent a complimentary copy of the second edition of Das Kapital to Darwin, who acknowledged it. What did not happen was that in 1880 Marx asked to dedicate an edition or translation of Das Kapital to Darwin, who declined. Darwin's letter of October 13 1880, which was first published and claimed to be written to Marx in 1931, was actually written to Edward Aveling, whose letter of October 12 1880 had asked for permission to dedicate The Student's Darwin to Darwin.

The legend was repeated for nearly half a century until exposed in American academic journals in 1975 and 1976.

Nicolas Walter

Rationalist Press Association, London