Lankester Manuscript

Manuscript paper, 'Contributions to evolution theory', sent to the zoologist Sir John Graham Kerr on 1 September 1922. All red marks, and probably all ink marks, done by Kerr.

Lankester was born in May 1847 and was educated at Downing College Cambridge (1864-1866) and Christ Church Oxford (1866-1868). From 1874 to 1890 he was Jodrell Professor of Zoology and Comparative Anatomy at University College London. In 1891 he was appointed Linacre Professor of Comparative Anatomy at Oxford. In 1898 he became Director of the Natural History Departments of the British Museum, a post he held till 1907. Lankester was the founder (1884) of the Marine Biological Association. He was a member of many scientific societies. He published many books and articles on science and zoology. He was knighted in 1907. He died in August 1929.

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Presented by Mr R B Freeman in October 1975.

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University College London Special Collections also holds 13 letters to Karl Pearson [1887]-[1921] (Ref: PEARSON 738/8); letters relating to University College London business, 1875-1879 (Ref: COLLEGE CORRESPONDENCE); four letters to (Sir) Francis Galton [1889]-[1905] (Ref: GALTON 271/5, 142/2B, 133/2, 133/6); two letters to Sir John Scott Burdon-Sanderson [1882], 1895 (Ref: MS ADD 179/4/59, 179/7/43); a letter to Sir Edwin Chadwick [1890] (Ref: CHADWICK 1174); an undated letter to Arthur Birch, an undated letter to an unknown man, and an undated letter on Lankester's inability to write articles for the 'Encyclopaedia Britannica' for six months (Ref: MS MISC 3L); material in the papers of Sir William Ramsay (Ref: RAMSAY); notes and sketches by H J Harris on a course of lectures on zoology given by Lankester, c1889-c1890 (Ref: MS ADD 95).

The Natural History Museum, London, holds papers of Lankester; letters to C E Fagan, 1898-1920 (Ref: DF939); 42 items of correspondence with Albert and R W T Gunther, 1884-1908 (Ref: L MSS GUNTHER COLL (20) ). The British Library, Manuscript Collections, holds correspondence with Macmillans, 1869-1919 (Ref: Add MS 55219) and four volumes of letters to J Moir relating to prehistoric flint discoveries in East Anglia, 1910-1928 (Ref: Add MSS 44968-71). Imperial College Library holds 54 letters to Thomas Huxley, 1872-1907 (Ref: B/HUXLEY). The Wellcome Library for the History and Understanding of Medicine holds correspondence with the Lister Institute (Ref: SA/LIS). The Royal College of Surgeons of England holds lecture notes, 1876. The Marine Biological Association of the United Kingdom holds Lankester's correspondence and papers as its honorary secretary, 1884-1888 (Ref: MB2.1). Oxford University, Museum of Natural History, holds letters to Sir E B Poulton, 1883-1899 and undated. Oxford University, Department of Zoology, holds correspondence. Leeds University, Brotherton Library, holds 33 letters to Sir Edmund Gosse, 1898-1927 (Ref: Library Publications no 3). The National Archives of Scotland holds letters to F Maitland (Ref: GD433/2/103).