Recently, two "stolen" notebooks written by Charles Robert Darwin, a British biologist and founder of evolution, were returned by mysterious people to the library of the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom, 22 years after their last appearance.
On November 24, 2020, the Cambridge University Library said two of Darwin's notebooks had been missing for 20 years and "could have been stolen." The two notebooks are believed to be worth millions of pounds, and one contains a sketch of The Evolutionary Tree of Life drawn by Darwin.
After a lapse of 15 months, the lost Darwin notebook is intact.
(Darwin's notebook cover.) ）
The mysterious package appeared outside the office, along with another letter
Announcing the news to the media, Cambridge University librarian Jessica Gardner said: "I'm so happy it's broken that they're finally coming home. Now that the notebook has been handed over to a very safe place, no traces of excessive damage have been found for the time being, and it has been kept intact. ”
In the process of announcing the news, Jessica couldn't stop laughing. She said it had not yet been ascertained which "Mystery Man X" had returned the two postcard-sized notebooks, all too much like the plot that would only occur in detective novels.
Mystery X put them in a bright pink gift bag containing the blue box from the time the notebook was lost, along with a brown letter that read, "Happy Easter, Librarian."
(Gift bags that appear in the library.) ）
(X's message: Librarian, Happy Easter.) ）
Jessica said that on March 9, when she went to work, she found a package outside her office thrown on the floor, and inside there was something thickly wrapped in plastic wrap and packed in a gift bag.
Jessica cautiously opened the bag and looked through the contents, and there was an anonymous letter wishing her a happy Easter, which left her scratching her head, because easter was still some time away.
It happens to be in the blind spot of surveillance, and the mysterious person cannot be photographed
Then she looked through the plastic wrap and found that the wrapped things might be two of Darwin's notebooks that had disappeared for many years. She said: "I was shaking and couldn't believe that something that had been looking for so long could magically appear at the door of my office. But I resisted the urge to tear open the plastic wrap, not 100% sure of the truth of the notebook, and afraid of damaging the object. ”
So Jessica called the police and asked for help. From finding the packages, to the time the police approved the opening of plastic wrap, checking the notebooks and confirming they were genuine, Jessica went through five painful days. More coincidentally, that place was a dead end for library surveillance, and there was no trace of the mysterious person who delivered the package.
After confirming the news, Jessica was very excited and tearful, she said: "I was worried that I would never see these two notebooks in my lifetime, and my mood was like a roller coaster." When I first learned that the notebook was missing, I was sad. Now that I've found it, I'm incredibly relieved that the notebook means a lot to us. ”
The notebook contains the famous "Tree of Life"
These two notebooks were once called " one of the greatest documents in the entire history of science " .
They date back to the late 1830s, when Darwin, after returning from the Galapagos Islands, drew an elongated tree sketch on one of the pages, which was the inspiration for his theory of evolution, which was later hailed as the "Tree of Life" sketch. More than 20 years later, it became the central theory of pioneering work on the origin of species.
The notebook contains many of Darwin's scientific manuscripts. Jim Secord, a professor of history and science at the University of Cambridge, said: "The theory of natural selection and evolution is probably the most important theory in the science of life and the earth's environment, and this theory is integrated in a notebook. ”
("Tree of Life" manuscript image)
The last appearance of the notebooks was in November 2000, when they were handed over from the library's special collection room to a secure area for photography and retention due to certain "internal requests". It wasn't until a routine check two months later that they were found to be missing.
At first, librarians thought they had been misplaced to be found, and the Cambridge University Library contained more than 10 million books, maps and manuscripts. Later, a carpet search was conducted at cambridge university and they were never found.
It wasn't until 2020 that the Cambridge University Library announced that two of Charles Darwin's notebooks had been missing for 20 years and could have been stolen. The two notebooks are believed to be worth millions of pounds, and one contains a sketch of The Evolutionary Tree of Life drawn by Darwin. Jessica, then the librarian, called the police and contacted Interpol to search for it.
(Plastic wrap-wrapped notebook.) ）
The thief kept the notebook well over the years
Several scholars and experts were organized to identify and examine the notebooks, and Jim Sekod was one of them. They examined the returned notebooks and the manuscripts inside and concluded that they belonged to Darwin and that the notebooks were genuine.
Professor Secord said in an interview: "We conducted a comprehensive identification of the notebook and submitted a complete chain of evidence to the organization. ”
He introduced that Darwin used different types of ink in notebooks. For example, on the famous "Tree of Life" page, there are both brown and gray inks, and this change is difficult to forge. At the location of the notebook hinge, you can see the small copper sheet falling off. Paper was also the type of paper used in Darwin's time.
Jessica said: "The Cambridge University Library has a research team that can be found even the slightest sign. So far, they have proven to be genuine. The notebooks were "in very good condition," she confirmed: "Every page that should be there, is there." ”
(The Tree of Life sketch page.) ）
Until now, there are still a few questions left, that is, where have the notebooks gone over the years? Who took them? And who sent them back?
Jessica said: "Obviously the notebook has not been handled much, it is well preserved. It can be speculated that they are dry and not damp. Well, we can't come to any conclusion other than that the people who own them put them in a safe place. ”
The notebooks now continue to be kept in a secure vault at the Cambridge University Library, and in July they will appear for free in the Darwin Dialogues exhibition along with other works by Darwin.
As for who returned the notebook, it is not clear. Although no surveillance was installed in the place where the gift bags were placed last month, there are cameras outside the building that monitor the front and back of the library, as well as the professional reading room and the vault inside. Jessica said: "The police conducted a live investigation, and the surveillance video was also copied to find clues. ”
Meanwhile, Cambridgeshire Police said: "The investigation into this case is still ongoing and is currently open. We are following up on some investigative leads, please contact us for anyone with information about the case. ”
Correspondent Luo Weirui