Published
Darwin’s tiny, priceless Tree of Life sketch is arguably the most iconic drawing in the history of science. It is now on display at the @Cambridge University Library (the UL)
“The Tree of Life notebooks are Darwin at his most radical,” says Professor Jim Secord, a world expert on the subject. “The theory of natural selection and evolution is the foundation stone of modern biology and much of the rest of the sciences.”
However, the notebooks were stolen in the early 2000s and were missing for two decades before their anonymous return in a pink gift bag on March 9, 2022 – alongside a very odd note!
Despite an investigation that involved the Met Police, Interpol and a global public appeal, we still don’t know who took Darwin’s notebooks or why.
But why would someone steal them in the first place? What makes Darwin’s Tree of Life notebooks so important that someone saw fit to spirit them away from Cambridge University Library then return them again – 20 years later.
In this first podcast from one of the world’s great libraries, you’ll find out about the notebooks’ great importance, the endlessly curious life and letters of Charles Darwin, and the end of a nearly 50-year mega project to transcribe and publish 15,000 letters to and from Darwin – making them freely available to us all.
“The Tree of Life notebooks are Darwin at his most radical,” says Professor Jim Secord, a world expert on the subject. “The theory of natural selection and evolution is the foundation stone of modern biology and much of the rest of the sciences.”
However, the notebooks were stolen in the early 2000s and were missing for two decades before their anonymous return in a pink gift bag on March 9, 2022 – alongside a very odd note!
Despite an investigation that involved the Met Police, Interpol and a global public appeal, we still don’t know who took Darwin’s notebooks or why.
But why would someone steal them in the first place? What makes Darwin’s Tree of Life notebooks so important that someone saw fit to spirit them away from Cambridge University Library then return them again – 20 years later.
In this first podcast from one of the world’s great libraries, you’ll find out about the notebooks’ great importance, the endlessly curious life and letters of Charles Darwin, and the end of a nearly 50-year mega project to transcribe and publish 15,000 letters to and from Darwin – making them freely available to us all.
- Category
- Academic
Sign in or sign up to post comments.
Be the first to comment
Up Next
Autoplay
-
00:45
Eid Mubarak from Cambridge University!
-
01:42
The man who had his thunder stolen - how a 'stolen' sound effect gave us a new idiom
-
11:45
7 DIY Notebooks – How To Make Mermaid, Watermelon, Marble, Cactus And More Notebooks
-
01:53
Day in the Life of a Cambridge Rower | University of Cambridge
-
03:24
A new era for apprenticeships at Cambridge University
-
06:06
Graduating from Cambridge University
-
00:54
Bursaries at Cambridge University
-
01:43
Day in the life of Cambridge rower | University of Cambridge
-
01:44
Cambridge’s Venerable and Inspiring Parker Library
-
02:56
Darwin's Missing Notebooks Returned
-
28:03
Sounds to study to - the Weston Library, The Bodleian - Oxford University
-
04:26
History of Art at Cambridge University
-
00:31
Oxford University's Bodleian Library has a book made of CHEESE
-
26:01
Sounds to study to - Duke Humfrey's Library, The Bodleian - Oxford University
-
02:32
Being an entrepreneur at Cambridge University
-
00:30
29 seconds of Cambridge University Library
-
01:10
Bee swarm at Cambridge University
-
04:31
Julie Andrews On Releasing Her New Podcast Julie's Library Early | #StayHome
-
04:14
Football at the University of Cambridge
-
12:07
How To Make Animals Notebooks – DIY Dog, Panda And Koala Notebooks (with fasteners and bookmarks)
-
04:07
Six escape the University Library
-
00:28
Tall Tales at Cambridge University Library – Teaser trailer
