A pair of notebooks belonging to naturalist Charles Darwin was returned to the University of Cambridge’s library two decades after they were stolen.
The two manuscripts were delivered to the library via a pink gift bag and a Happy Easter note, the English university announced Tuesday.
The notebooks disappeared in 2001 after they were taken out to be photographed, according to a report.
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One included Darwin’s renowned 1837 “Tree of Life” sketch, the report noted.
Staff initially thought the notebooks may have been misplaced, and they spent roughly the next 19 years combing through the library’s 10 million material catalog until they finally reported the journals stolen in October 2020.
Local authorities notified Interpol, and the hunt for the journals, worth millions, was on.
The pair was returned on March 9 in an area visible on security cameras.
“Librarian Happy Easter X,” the accompanying note read.
Relief following the return was “profound and almost impossible to adequately express,” director of library services Jessica Gardner said.
“The notebooks can now retake their rightful place alongside the rest of the Darwin Archive at Cambridge, at the heart of the nation’s cultural and scientific heritage, alongside the archives of Sir Isaac Newton and Professor Stephen Hawking,” Gardner said.
The notebooks are slated to return to public display in July, according to the report, and the investigation into their disappearance will continue, Cambridgeshire Police said.
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“We also renew our appeal for anyone with information about the case to contact us,” the police said.
