More than two decades after being first reported missing, an unnamed person has returned two of Charles Darwin's historic notebooks to the Cambridge University Library.
This iconic notebook, including a sketch of Darwin's 1837 Tree of Life, was returned to the library last month. These notes are put in a bright pink bag and stacked together in plastic wrap. The notebook was accompanied by three lines of writing: Librarian, Happy Easter, and x. The meaning of these three lines of writing is unknown.
"It's a relief and a pleasure to have this notebook back safely. It's indescribable," said librarian Dr Jessica Gardner, quoted from NPR, Wednesday (6/4/2022).
According to the library, a police investigation is currently underway. The Cambridge University Library publicly announced its search for the notebooks in November 2020. Although the books had been lost long before the announcement, circa 2000, librarians assumed they had recently disappeared.
The library plans to display the notebooks in July as part of an upcoming exhibition entitled 'Darwin in Conversation'.
The sketch of the Tree of Life is said to reveal elements of Charles Darwin's thought before he perfected 'On the Origin of Species'.
"Objects like this are vital to our understanding not only of the history of science but of human history," said Stephen Toope, vice chancellor at Cambridge.
The Cambridge University Library said the notebooks were first removed in 2000 from the Special Collections Strong Rooms, which houses a collection of the rarest and most valuable items. Routine checks in January 2001 revealed that the small box containing the notebook had not been returned to its proper place.
After searching the entire library for years, the notebook was nowhere to be found. Gardner is setting up a more intensive search in 2020, led by experts. The team searched the entire Darwin archive which included more than 180 boxes.
After this attempt failed, they concluded that the notebook had been stolen. Of course, the library and local police were happy to learn that the notebook was finally found.
"We share the joy of knowing that Charles Darwin's treasured notebook is now back in its place. Our investigation remains open and we are following through on several lines of inquiry," a Cambridgeshire police spokesman said.