Darwin Online: Darwin's notebooks on geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical enquiries

Darwin's notebooks on geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical enquiries (1837-1844)

These images of Darwin's notebooks are taken from microfilms; excised pages are taken from a colour microfilm made in 1982 in conjunction with the editing and transcription for the definitive edition:

Barrett, P. H., Gautrey, P. J., Herbert, S., Kohn, D., Smith, S. eds. 1987. Charles Darwin's notebooks, 1836-1844 : Geology, transmutation of species, metaphysical enquiries. British Museum (Natural History); Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. (F1817)

Insufficient funds were available to scan the reel in colour. As it may be several years before funding can be found to scan the manuscripts afresh, these images are provided in the interim. They appear for the first time online. A slight colour tint has been added.

Notebook A: Geology (1837-1839). Image CUL-DAR127.-

Notebook B: [Transmutation of species (1837-1838)]. Text Image Text & image CUL-DAR121.-

Notebook C: [Transmutation of species (1838.02-1838.07)]. Image CUL-DAR122.-

Notebook D: [Transmutation of species (1838.07.15-1838.10.02)]. Image CUL-DAR123.-

Notebook E: [Transmutation of species (1838-1839)] Image CUL-DAR124.-

Torn Apart Notebook (1839-1841) [An aggregate of ms pages as explained in F1817] CUL-DAR-TornApartNotebook Image

Notebook M: [Metaphysics on morals and speculations on expression (1838)]. Image CUL-DAR125.-

Notebook N: [Metaphysics and expression (1838-1839)]. Image CUL-DAR126.-

Questions & experiments [1839-1844]. Image CUL-DAR206.1

[An editorial introduction will be provided in future.]

Reproduction permission could be obtained only for early transcriptions:

Barrett, P. H. 1974. Early writings of Charles Darwin. In Gruber. Darwin on man. ...together with Darwin's early and unpublished notebooks. Transcribed and annotated by Paul H. Barrett:

Notebook M

Notebook N

Old and useless notes

Essay on theology and natural selection

Questions for Mr. Wynne

Extracts from B-C-D-E transmutation notebooks

Barrett, P. H. ed. 1960. A transcription of Darwin's first notebook [B] on 'Transmutation of species'. Bulletin of the Museum of Comparative Zoology, Harvard 122: [245]-296, for 1959-1960 (April). Text Image Text & image F1575

There is also the first transcription of the notebooks:

de Beer, G. ed. 1960. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part I. First notebook [B] (July 1837-February 1838). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 2, No. 2 (January): 23-73. Text Image Text & image F1574a [Since superceded by F1817]

de Beer, G. ed. 1960. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part II. Second notebook [C] (February to July 1838). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 2, No. 3 (May): 75-118. Text Image Text & image F1574b [Since superceded by F1817]

de Beer, G. ed. 1960. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part III. Third notebook [D] (July 15 to October 2nd 1838). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 2, No. 4 (July):119-150. Text Image Text & image F1574c [Since superceded by F1817]

de Beer, G. ed. 1960. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part IV, Fourth notebook [E] (October 1838-10 July 1839). Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 2, No. 5 (September): 151-183. Text Image Text & image F1574d [Since superceded by F1817]

de Beer, G., Rowlands, M. J. eds. 1961. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Addenda and corrigenda. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 2, No. 6 (October): 185-200. Text Image Text & image F1574e [Since superceded by F1817]

de Beer, G., Rowlands, M. J. and Skramovsky, B. M. eds. 1967. Darwin's notebooks on transmutation of species. Part VI. Pages excised by Darwin. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History). Historical Series 3, No. 5 (21 March): 129-176. Text Image Text & image F1574f [Since superceded by F1817]

See also: Herbert, S. ed. 1980. The red notebook of Charles Darwin. Bulletin of the British Museum (Natural History) Historical Series 7 (24 April): 1-164. Text Image Text & image F1583e

Requests to reproduce manuscripts must be sent to the owner of the manuscript, not to Darwin Online. In most instances this will be the archivist Adam Perkins at Cambridge University Library (ajp21@cam.ac.uk).

NOTE: These images are copyright Cambridge University Library and may not be reproduced, transmitted, or displayed without the consent of the copyright holders.

Reproduced with the permission of Cambridge University Library and William Huxley Darwin. Thanks to Adam Perkins and Gordon Chancellor for lending copies of the colour microfilm reel.

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File last updated 23 June, 2008