Library, UB team up to celebrate Darwin’s influence
Exhibit highlights the 150th anniversary of the publication of ‘On the Origin of Species’ INSIDE: Lotteries / Page D2 • Neighborhood News / Page D3 • Obituaries / Page D4 • Weather /
Published: November 28, 2009, 12:30 am
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You don’t have to know the layout of the downtown library to find the exhibit about naturalist Charles Darwin.
Follow the footprints.
A pair of primitive prints, on the floor just inside the Washington Street entrance, evolve into distinctly human form near the music section and lead to the rare book room. There, an exhibit of books, documents and photographs commemorate the 150th anniversary of Darwin’s revolutionary book, “On the Origin of Species,” which was first published Nov. 24, 1859.
The Buffalo & Erie County Public Library and the University at Buffalo contributed the materials for the exhibit, titled “Darwin: The Origin of Influence.”
“This exhibition is an important first step in what we hope to be a continuing series of collaborative endeavors . . . bringing together an array of resources from two nationally and internationally significant collections in one place,” said Library Director Bridget Quinn-Carey.
Visitors have reacted with enthusiasm.
“Wonderful!” one wrote in the exhibit’s guest register. “I read about
Darwin in high school, have been fascinated ever since.”
For years, Darwin’s theory on evolution fueled a rift between science and religion. But earlier this year, the Vatican acknowledged that Darwin’s theory is compatible with the Christian view of Creation.
This year, events have been held worldwide to commemorate Darwin 200 years after his birth and the publication of “On the Origin of Species.”
At an auction in London on Tuesday, a first edition of the book sold for more than $150,000.
According to the Daily Mirror, an Oxford family had bought the book 50 years ago for a few shillings. It was left on a bathroom shelf, until a relative who had visited an exhibit recognized its importance.
The exhibit is free and open during regular library hours through Feb. 12, 2010, on the 201st anniversary of his birth.
Two lunchtime talks are scheduled: “Darwin, The Origin of Influence” is the subject on Dec. 10 and “Galapagos, A Place of Science and Surprise” on Jan. 7.
The exhibit also offers discount coupons for admission to the Buffalo Zoo to encourage visits to the “Rainforest Falls,” which echoes the habitats and creatures Darwin studied during his voyage to South America aboard the HMS Beagle.
jhabuda@buffnews.com
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