Charles Darwin (1809–1882)
First ‘Pencil sketch’ of species theory
Maer and Shrewsbury, May-June 1842

Darwin’s cover sheet for the ‘Pencil sketch’, his first attempt at outlining his evolutionary theory. The sketch was written in 1842, seventeen years before the publication of On the origin of species, and includes Darwin’s first known use of the term ‘natural selection’. The note is on the back of the first page of an enlarged, 230-page, version of the essay written in 1844. Both manuscripts were found after his death, in a parcel under the stairs at his home, Down House in Kent.

MS DAR 6: 3