Darwin, the naturalist’s library revealed: he owned 13 thousand books

After almost twenty years of meticulous work, an international team…

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After nearly twenty years of meticulous work, an international team of researchers has virtually recreated for the first time the vast library of Charles Darwin, the famous British naturalist known for his theory of evolution. The digital collection, available on Darwin Online, includes almost 7,400 titles for a total of 13,000 volumes spanning a vast range of topics, from biology to geology, from philosophy to history, from travel to art. This undertaking made accessible nearly 9,500 works, many of which were previously unknown or unpublished, revealing the eclecticism and depth of Darwin’s interests. The books range from foundational scientific texts to curiosities such as articles on epileptic guinea pigs, demonstrating how Darwin drew on a broad spectrum of knowledge to develop his revolutionary theories. Charles Darwin’s library «Until now 85% of its contents were unknown or unpublished», explained the coordinator of the project since 2006, John van Wyhe, a British historian who works at the Department of Biological Sciences of the National University of Singapore. “So previous lists of what was in Darwin’s library only covered 15% of what was actually there,” he noted. «Numerous documents belonged to private collections and had sometimes been sold at auction, so research work therefore required patience, meticulousness and perseverance» Some of the books date back to the times of Darwin’s school, such as the «History of England» by Oliver Goldsmith (1821). The researchers also used auction records to determine what else was in the collection. For example, an auction report reveals that Darwin owned a copy of an 1826 article by ornithologist John James Audubon, titled “Account of the habits of the Turkey Buzzard (Vultura aura), particularly with the view of exploding the opinion generally entertained by its extraordinary power of smell”. What Charles Darwin read Among the various books in Darwin’s library there are also important works such as Thomas Pennant’s “History of Quadrupeds” from 1793, which presents a complete index of animals with illustrations by various artists. Also featured is John Playfair’s 1802 “Illustrations of the Huttonian Theory of the Earth”, which offers insights into the geological theories of the time. Furthermore, an 1863 publication entitled “The Varieties of Dogs, as They are Found in Old Sculptures, Pictures, Engravings, and Books” highlights the Darwin’s interest in the diversity of life forms. Another publication is the coffee table book «Sun Pictures» from 1872: a series of twenty heliotype illustrations of ancient and modern art. “The breadth and range of works in the library make clear the extraordinary extent of Darwin’s research into the work of other scientists of his era,” Van Whye told the Guardian, adding that the great scientist “was not a figure isolated person who worked alone, but an expert of his time who relied on sophisticated science and the studies and other knowledge of thousands of people.” Darwin’s book collection is notable for its eclecticism. Books on biology, geology, philosophy, psychology, history, art and religion are accompanied by more bizarre contents: for example an article on epileptic guinea pigs or on the anatomy of a four-legged chicken, but also novels and travel diaries . Although half of the works are in English, it is not uncommon to find documents in German, French, Italian, Danish, Dutch, Swedish, Spanish or Latin.

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