Dear Benjamin Walsh

On the shelves of the Mary W. Runnells Rare Book Room at the Field Museum's library, there are 18 original letters written by Charles Darwin. They are part of Darwin's extensive correspondence and in 1948 the Museum received them as part of Benjamin D. Walsh's entomology library. Walsh, a British immigrant based in Illinois, was a self taught scientist who admired Darwin's theory of evolution. During his last five years of life, Walsh exchanged several letters with Darwin in which they shared personal stories as well as scientific findings. Thanks to the Library's efforts, these letters are now part of the Darwin Correspondence Project's digital archive.

For more information:

• The Field Museum Library
• More about the letters and Benjamin D. Walsh.
• The Darwin Correspondence Project