Charles Darwin’s Library Containing 13,000 Books Is Made Public For First Time In History

For the first time, the public can take a look at Charles Darwin’s library containing 13,000 books.

The library was virtually reassembled and showcases a myriad of books, pamphlets, and journals that were read and cited by Darwin himself. To celebrate Darwin’s 215^th birthday, the research team of the Darwin Online project released a 300-page catalog of Darwin’s library.

The catalog consists of 7,400 original titles and 13,000 volumes owned by Darwin. It also includes 9,300 links to the copies of the contents in the library that the public can view for free online.

“This unprecedentedly detailed view of Darwin’s complete library allows one to appreciate more than ever that he was not an isolated figure working alone but an expert of his time building on the sophisticated science and studies and other knowledge of thousands of people. Indeed, the size and range of works in the library makes manifest the extraordinary extent of Darwin’s research into the work of others,” said Dr. John van Wyhe, project leader and a historian of science at the National University of Singapore.

Putting Together Charles Darwin’s Library

When Darwin was alive, he was known to keep meticulous records of the library, including a 426-page handwritten “Catalogue of the Library of Charles Darwin” that he wrote in 1875. The library was preserved even after Darwin’s death in 1885 but soon after, much of it ended up lost or elsewhere.

Many people asked for specific books from Darwin’s library which led to Van Wyhe and his colleagues to restore Darwin’s original library. Initially, only 15 percent of Darwin’s library was available at University of Cambridge and Down House, Darwin’s family home in Downe, England, that is still open to the public today.

“Scholars have been researching Darwin’s life and works for over a century,” van Wyhe said. “One of the most important elements in understanding Darwin’s theories is his sources — the publications by others that he used in his research.”

Now, it is all available online, making it easier for researchers and anyone interested in Charles Darwin’s personal library.

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