Darwin: Rewriting the Book of Nature

Collins Library will be hosting an exhibit called Rewriting the Book of Nature: Charles Darwin and the rise of evolutionary theory during the month of November. This exhibit is partially developed by the National Library of Medicine, and supplemented with materials from our library collections and the Slater Museum. It focuses on Darwin’s development of the idea of evolution by natural selection, but also looks at the afterlife of that idea.

Caricature of Darwin as a monkey

The exhibit covers everything from Darwin’s first, tentative sketches to the ever-changing (arguably evolving) Origin of Species, to Darwin’s supporters, detractors, and elucidators. It touches on how the idea was picked up and applied in completely new contexts–sometimes successfully and sometimes, in retrospect, highly troublingly.

We hope you’ll stop by the library in November to take a look at this display!Engraving of a young Charles Darwin

Since the Galapagos played such and important role in Darwin’s thinking, we thought it would be great to add a talk about them, too! We’re so happy to invite you to a brown bag lunch talk with Elizabeth Knight on Wednesday, November 28, 12-1 p.m., so you can hear about the process of setting up an archive on the Galapagos. You bring the nutritious lunch; we’ll provide the cookies and beverages!

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