Stolen Charles Darwin notebooks to go on display at University of Cambridge library

Two Charles Darwin notebooks thought to be missing for over 20 years are to go on display for the first time this century after they were returned anonymously.

The precious manuscripts, which include Darwin's famous 1837 Tree of Life drawing, went missing in 2001 and were believed to have been put on the wrong shelf initially.

However they were reported as stolen in October 2020 after searches failed.

On 9 March, they were left outside Cambridge University Library by an unknown person.

They will now be displayed as part of the library's Darwin In Conversation exhibition from 9 July until 3 December.

Professor Jim Secord, director of Darwin Correspondence Project, said the notebooks contain key observations Darwin made on evolution.

Professor Secord said: "When we think about Darwin and how he discovered evolution we often think just about the Beagle voyage and the Galapagos but in fact the main work of making the theory was done in London after he got back.

"When he had a good idea or he'd get an observation, he'd write it down.

"The notebooks really record that process and for me it's a bit like stream of consciousness writing.

"When we see the notebooks we're really seeing one of the great moments of the process of scientific discovery and in fact world history."

The exhibition identified more than 15,000 letters from around the world, with correspondence seen as "integral" to how Darwin worked.

The police investigation around the disappearance and subsequent return of the Darwin manuscripts is ongoing.

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