Document information

Physical location:

Sammlung Perthes Archiv, SPA ARCH PGM 328, Forschungsbibliothek Gotha der Universität Erfurt. 83.03.00a

Preferred Citation:

Ferdinand von Mueller to Ernst Behm, 1883-03 [83.03.00a]. R.W. Home, Thomas A. Darragh, A.M. Lucas, Sara Maroske, D.M. Sinkora, J.H. Voigt and Monika Wells (eds), Correspondence of Ferdinand von Mueller, <https://vmcp.rbg.vic.gov.au/id/83-03-00a>, accessed September 10, 2025

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This letter is numbered 169 in the archive series, while no. 168 is dated 13 March 1883 and no. 170 is dated 18 June 1883. M's book that he discusses here was listed as new in Botanisches Centralblatt in December 1882. Since at this period letters between Melbourne and Germany generally took about six weeks on the journey while packages took significantly longer, it is unlikely that the package with the copies mentioned by M would have reached Melbourne any earlier than March 1883. M's letter is therefore dated to March 1883 as probably the earliest it could have been written.
Bei Hr. Th. Fischer erschien in Cassel eine deutsche Übertragung meiner "Select plants" durch Hr. Dr Goeze in Greifswalde. Die Übersetzung ist recht gut durchgeführt, obwohl einige kleine Irrthümer in der chemischen Nomenclatur [etc] vorkommen; dem Verleger gebührt alle Ehre für seinen Unternehmungsgeist, u. ist es zu hoffen, dass das Werk auch belohnend verkäuflich sein wird, zumal an Auswanderer.
Ich hätte Ihnen gern ein Exemplar gesandt, da das Buch wegen des geographischen Index der Nutzpflanzen für Sie einiges Interesse haben muss; es sind aber nur wenige Exemplare nach Australien gelangt, u. so wird es Ihnen dort wohl direct zugänglich sein. Es ist das erste grössere Werk Australiens, das in eine andere Sprache überging, auch das erste welches in mehreren englischen Ausgaben erschien.
A German translation of my Select plants by Dr Goeze in Greifswald was published in Cassel by Th. Fischer.
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B83.13.06.
The translation is very well carried out, although some small errors in the chemical nomenclature &c occur; all honour is due to the publisher for his enterprise and it is to be hoped that the work will also be remuneratively saleable, especially to emigrants.
I would have gladly sent you a copy, because the book must have some interest for you on account of the geographical index of useful plants; but only a few copies have arrived in Australia, and so I suppose it will be directly available to you over there. It is the first larger Australian work to be translated into another language, also the first to have appeared in several English editions.