Charles Darwin's years as a student at the University of Cambridge were some of the most important and formative of his life. Thereafter he always felt a particular affection for Cambridge. For a time he even considered a Cambridge professorship as a career and sent three of his sons there to be educated. Unfortunately the remaining traces of what Darwin actually did and experienced in Cambridge have long remained undiscovered. Consequently his day-to-day life there has remained unknown and misunderstood. This book is based on new research, including newly discovered manuscripts and Darwin publications, and gathers together recollections of those who knew Darwin as a student.
This book therefore reveals Darwin's time in Cambridge in unprecedented detail. Readership: The book is aimed at undergraduate students, Historians and Scientists.
This book was selected as most outstanding book of 2014 by the Cambridgeshire Association for Local History.

Introduction xi

Early life 1809–1825 1

Edinburgh University 1825−1827 5

Coming Up to Cambridge 9

First Year at Cambridge 33

Second Year at Cambridge 65

Third Year at Cambridge 81

Last Terms at Cambridge 93

Voyage of the Beagle — and Return to Cambridge 103

The Origin of Species and Honorary Cambridge Degree 111

1909: The First Darwin Centenary in Cambridge 125

2009: The Second Darwin Centenary in Cambridge 137

Acknowledgements 147

Appendix 1 149

Appendix 2 175

References 183

Index 191

John van Wyhe is a historian of science who specializes on Darwin and Wallace. He is a well-known writer, lecturer and broadcaster and the founder and Director of Darwin Online, Wallace Online, and a former Bye-Fellow of Christ's College, Cambridge. His other books include: Dispelling the Darkness: Voyage in the Malay Archipelago and the discovery of evolution by Wallace and Darwin. (World Scientific Publishing, 2013), Alfred Russel Wallace: Letters from the Malay Archipelago. With K Rookmaaker, Foreword by Sir David Attenborough. (Oxford University Press, 2013), Darwin. (Andre Deutsch: 2008, National Geographic, 2009), Charles Darwin's shorter publications 1829–1883. (Cambridge University Press, 2009), Charles Darwin's notebooks from the voyage of the Beagle. (Cambridge University Press, 2009, with G Chancellor and K Rookmaaker).

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