Naturalist Charles Darwin was best known for his theory of evolution. Two of his notebooks, which included his original sketches and remarks, worth millions of pounds went missing in 2001. And now, after 20 years the notebooks have been returned to Cambridge University’s library!
The university said that the manuscripts were left in the library inside a pink gift bag, along with a note wishing the librarian a Happy Easter.
The notebooks, including Darwin's famous 1837 'Tree of Life' sketch, went missing in 2001 after being removed for photographing. At that time the staff believed that the notebooks were misplaced and so they searched the library’s collection of 10 million books, maps, and manuscripts. But when they failed to find them, the notebooks were reported stolen to police in October 2020. After this, the local detectives informed Interpol and the latter launched an international hunt for the notebooks, which are valued at millions of pounds.
On March 9, the two undamaged notebooks were left in a public area of the building which is not covered by security cameras. The accompanying note said: “Librarian Happy Easter X.”
The university’s director of library services Jessica Gardner said her feeling of relief at the books’ reappearance was “profound and almost impossible to adequately express.” She further added, “The notebooks can now retake their rightful place alongside the rest of the Darwin Archive at Cambridge, at the heart of the nation’s cultural and scientific heritage, alongside the archives of Sir Isaac Newton and Professor Stephen Hawking."
The notebooks had Darwin's ideas which he noted shortly after returning from his voyage around the world on HMS Beagle, developing ideas that would bloom into his landmark work on evolution, 'On the Origin of Species'.
Darwin's notebooks will go on public display from July as part of a Darwin exhibition at the library.
(With inputs from AP)
