The Complete Works of Charles Darwin Online
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online (or Darwin Online) is a freely-accessible website containing the complete print and manuscript works of Charles Darwin, as well as related supplementary material.
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[edit] Overview
Darwin was a Cambridge alumnus, and the website was based upon the famous Cambridge University Library collection of his manuscripts. It includes all available print and manuscript material except the letters, which are being made available separately as the Darwin Correspondence Project. In addition it includes related history and commentary--some from published sources and some prepared for the project.
The project began in 2002 and first produced a pilot website, The writings of Charles Darwin on the web, replaced in October 2006 by the new website. The launch was widely reported, [1] [2] and the project has been widely reviewed by professional publications in biology [3], [4], and librarianship. [5]
The site contains at least one copy of all known Darwin publications, both as searchable text (40,000 pages) and full colour images (78,000 images). Much of it was not previously available on the internet – or even never reproduced in any form. New items are still being found and added, along with further editions and translations. One notable item is the Diary of Emma Darwin (1808-1896), Darwin's wife. [6][7]
The site is accessible open access free of charge. It is copyright, with permission for non-commercial use.
[edit] Sponsorship
The project is sponsored by the United Kingdom Arts and Humanities Research Council and the Charles Darwin Trust. The principal grantees John van Wyhe of Christ's College. University of Cambridge is the director of the actual project; James Secord of the Department of History and Philosophy of Science, University of Cambridge and Janet Browne of the Wellcome Trust Centre for the History of Medicine, University College London were the the principal investigators for the grant.
[edit] References
- ^ "Charles Darwin's works go online" BBC, Oct. 19, 2006
- ^ Interview with John van Wyhe [1]
- ^ "Darwin unlimited," by N. Williams in Current Biology, 16(22) R938
- ^ "A Life online" Nature
- ^ Review: The Complete Work of Charles Darwin Online in D-Lib Magazine
- ^ "Wife's diaries shed light on Darwin" Guardian Books, March 12, 2007
- ^ Diaries of Darwin's wife to be published online Telegraph March 13, 2007
