Charles Darwin’s Library

In 1882, there were some 1400, principally scientific, books in Darwin’s library.
A books shelf containing a variety of Darwin's books
A bookshelf of Darwin's books
Courtesy of Cambridge University Library

About half were annotated by Darwin. We have made some 80% of the heavily annotated books accessible online through a collaborative effort with Cambridge University Library and the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL). Annotated books are principally located at Cambridge University Library and the remainder are displayed at Down House.

Charles Darwin’s Library is a website run by the Biodiversity Heritage Library in collaboration with the Darwin Manuscripts Project. BHL curated digital editions and virtually reconstructed Charles Darwin's library. Click on the link below to view and research their website and collection.