Marx’s “Das Kapital” gift to Darwin reveals an “amusing insight.”

Experts claim that although Karl Marx sent scientist Charles Darwin a signed copy of “Das Kapital,” the book was mainly ignored and only partially read, offering an “amusing insight” into the relationship between the two thinkers.

The economist and philosopher Karl Marx examined the workings of the capitalist system and its propensity for self-destruction in his book “Das Kapital.”

The book was sent to Charles Darwin more than 150 years ago, and now that it has been restored, it will be on display at the renowned biologist’s home.

In June 1873, Marx delivered the book to Darwin, writing on it, “on the part of his sincere admirer, Karl Marx.”

But in a statement released on Thursday, English Heritage, the organization in charge of looking for Darwin’s home, Down House, stated that the gift “appears not to have been very well received.”

The statement continues, “With most of its pages remaining uncut, it seems Darwin gave up any attempt to read it,” and it also mentions that Darwin took nearly three months to write Marx a brief note of gratitude.

The gift copy of “Das Kapital” with Marx’ inscription top right. Cambridge University LibraryDarwin wrote, “I wish that I was more worthy to receive it, by understanding more of the deep and important subject of political Economy. I thank you for the honor which you have done for me by sending me your great work on Capital.”

Darwin, a prolific writer, is most known for his book “On the Origin of Species,” published in 1859 and which popularized the idea of evolution as a basic scientific theory.

According to Tessa Kilgarriff, English Heritage’s curator of collections and interiors, the two men were among the greatest thinkers of the late 1800s.

“Marx was clearly a disciple of Darwin’s theories, as evidenced by his personal gift and later work; however, the uncut pages (and absence of typical pencil marks) suggest Darwin was less enthralled with Marx’s writing – or quite possibly that his German was simply not up to scratch,” she stated in the statement.

Kilgarriff continued, “Down House’s copy of Das Kapital is a fantastic piece of social history, highlighting how Darwin’s theories filtered through Victorian society and transformed popular ideas of biology and nature, as well as providing us with an entertaining glimpse into the dynamics between these two well-known intellectuals.”

Despite the fact that Darwin was known to read German, Francis Darwin, Darwin’s son, said that his father had difficulty with the language, according to English Heritage.

Francis noted, “When reading a book after him, I was often struck at seeing, from the pencil-marks made each day where he left off, how little he could read at a time.”

Darwin’s lack of interest in political economy and these language barriers, according to English Heritage, could account for the book’s widespread unread status.

Following conservation work done by Cambridge University Library, the book’s owner, visitors to Down House will be able to see the tome on exhibit for the first time in five years.

In observance of Darwin’s 215th birthday on February 12, a study team electronically assembled his remarkable library.

A 300-page catalog that includes all 7,400 titles and 13,000 volumes that Darwin originally had was made available via the Darwin Online initiative. To encourage the public to read what Darwin read, the catalog contains 9,300 links to free online versions of the library’s contents.