How did Darwin gather data for his work? What do his surviving letters reveal about him, both as a man and as a scientist? He often seems like a solitary figure, but was this really the case? This album looks at the Darwin Correspondence project, an enormous endeavour that has been running for over thirty years. Today the project web site contains over five thousand letters, and there are plans to more than double that number. Shelley Innes, a historian of science and Alison Pearn, the assistant director of the Darwin Correspondence project, talk about the letters and how in particular they offer great insights into Darwin the man and Darwin the collaborator.

The tracks on this album were produced by The Open University in collaboration with the British Council. They form part of Darwin Now, a global initiative celebrating the life and work of Charles Darwin and the impact his ideas about evolution continue to have on today’s world. © British Council 2009.