Mysterious benefactor returns Charles Darwin's missing notebooks after 20 years
Twenty years ago, two small notebooks written by 19th-century naturalist Charles Darwin mysteriously disappeared from the archives of Cambridge University Library. One of the notebooks even contains Darwin's iconic 1837 sketch of the so-called "Tree of Life." After multiple searches and a public appeal, the notebooks have finally been returned by an anonymous person.
"My sense of relief at the notebooks' safe return is profound and almost impossible to adequately express," said Cambridge University Librarian Jessica Gardner in a statement. "Along with so many others all across the world, I was heartbroken to learn of their loss, and my joy at their return is immense. They may be tiny, just the size of postcards, but the notebooks' impact on the history of science and their importance to our world-class collections here cannot be overstated."
Darwin famously set sail on the HMS Beagle on December 27, 1831, as the ship's naturalist. The expedition's purpose was to chart the coastline of South America, and Darwin's job was to collect and record specimens as well as investigate local geography at the various landing sites. He dutifully recorded all his observations in his notebooks and shipped many of his finds back to England so other scientists could study them. Originally slated to last for two years, the voyage took nearly five years to complete.
The Beagle finally anchored at Falmouth, Cornwall, on October 2, 1836. After a brief stop to visit family, Darwin returned to Cambridge, eager to take part in the study and cataloging of all the specimens he had collected. By the following March, Darwin learned enough to openly speculate in his Red Notebook about the possibility of one species changing into another.
https://arstechnica.com/science/2022/04/darwins-missing-notebooks-returned-to-cambridge-univ-library-after-20-years/
I guess whoever took them had a change of heart and returned them.. Good.