'Stolen' In 2001, Darwin Manuscripts Return To Cambridge With A 'Happy Easter' Message For Librarian

Cambridge University said on Tuesday, April 5, that the manuscripts were left in the university's library inside a pink gift bag, along with a printed note wishing the librarian a ‘Happy Easter’. 

The manuscripts include Darwin's famous 1837 "Tree of Life" sketch, which went missing in 2001 after being removed for photographing. | AFP

New Delhi: Two of English naturalist Charles Darwin's notebooks, which were reportedly stolen from Cambridge University's library in 2001, have been returned.

Cambridge University said on Tuesday, April 5, that the manuscripts were left in the university's library inside a pink gift bag, along with a printed note wishing the librarian a ‘Happy Easter’. 

The notebooks were originally removed from the Special Collection Strong Rooms, where the rarest and most valuable items are kept. The manuscripts include Darwin's famous 1837 "Tree of Life" sketch, which went missing in 2001 after being removed for photographing. These notebooks contain pioneering ideas in evolution, are valued at millions of pounds.

At that time, the staff believed that the notebooks may have been misplaced.

The library's collection of 10 million books, maps, and manuscripts were searched through, in hopes of finding Darwin's notebooks, but to no avail. In October 2020, Darwin's notebooks were reported stolen to the police.

The notebooks' return comes 15 months after Cambridge University Librarian Dr Jessica Gardner launched a worldwide appeal for information, in partnership with Cambridgeshire Police and global police organisation Interpol, the Cambridge University Library said in a statement.

The books reappeared on March 9. Left in a public area of the building, outside the librarian's office, the two notebooks were wrapped in clingfilm inside their archive box, and appeared undamaged. There are no obvious signs of significant handling or damage sustained in the years since the notebooks' disappearance. The area where the books were left was not covered by security cameras. The note in the notebooks’ archive box read, "Librarian Happy Easter X."

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Shortly after returning from his voyage around the world on HMS Beagle, Darwin filled the notebooks with developing ideas, which culminated into his landmark work on evolution, "On the Origin of Species."

According to the statement, Gardner said that her feeling of relief at the books' reappearance was "profound and almost impossible to immediately express."

Quoting her, the statement said that 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. 

"Everyone at the Library was incredibly touched by the response to our appeal and to know that so many others felt the same sense of loss we did only reaffirmed our decision to ask the public for their help," she said.

In July, a free exhibition, titled Darwin in Conversation, will be conducted at the library. The notebooks will be displayed to the public as part of the exhibition.

Cambridgeshire Police said that it was continuing its investigation, and appealed to people with information about the case to contact the police. 

Professor Stephen J Toope, Vice-Chancellor, University of Cambridge, said that objects such as these are crucial for our understanding of not only the history of science but the history of humankind. He expressed his delight at the fact that the notebooks will be going on display this summer, giving visitors a "once-in-a-lifetime chance to come face-to-face with Darwin's Tree of Life sketch."