After spending months, or sometimes years, in reading and digesting all
the literary matter he could obtain on a subject,--and forming a plan
for the treatment of it, he would commence writing, and keep on steadily
for five or six hours a day if his health permitted. He also wrote to
people all over the world to obtain the latest facts bearing on the
subject.
In 1903 he began writing "Man's Place in the Universe."
* * * * *
TO MR. W.G. WALLACE
_Old Orchard. July 8, 1903._
My dear Will,--I have just finished going over your notes and
corrections of the last four chapters. I can't think how I was so stupid
to make the mistake in figures which you corrected. In almost all cases
I have made some modification in accordance with your suggestions, and
the book will be much improved thereby. I have put in a new paragraph
about the stars in other parts than the Milky Way and Solar Cluster, but
there is really nothing known about them. I have also cut out the first
reference to Jupiter altogether. Of course a great deal is speculative,
but any reply to it is equally speculative. The question is, which
speculation is most in accordance with the known facts, and not with
prepossessions only?
Considering that the book has all been read up and written in less than
three months, it cannot be expected to be as complete and careful as if
three years had been expended on it, but then it is fresher perhaps.
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