An adjective describing "less noticed"

Question

I am looking for an adjective that describes something as "less noticed."

For example, a piece of work in literature that is "less noticed" by many contemporary people, or some important work that would have deserved to be noticed by many people, but wasn't.

I don't mean something ignored or undervalued; rather, something "not getting enough attention." For example, an important piece of work in literature that, despite its importance, has not been cited enough, because many people are not aware of it.

An example: The work by John Doe is an important contribution to the Theory of Evolution, but it is less noticed in literature.

Answer 1

"John's important contribution to the theory of evolution went mostly unnoticed"

Unnoticed — Collins

adjective not perceived or observed

Answer 2

Obscure (adj.)

: not well-known : not known to most people

b : not prominent or famous

Merriam-Webster

I knew they were special from their jeans and T-shirts, their knowing, ironic looks when obscure works of literature were referred to. —Julia Alvarez, How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents, 1991

Answer 3

Little-known — Collins

adjective not widely known; not famed

Examples:

"The internet companies Google and Bandwidth.com have turned that little-known fact into a business opportunity." - NY Times
"To celebrate the blockbuster fashion film, we’ve rounded up 13 little-known facts about the movie that will make you feel just like an industry insider." - Time
"Beyond what Canada is famous for – among them mountains, hockey, maple syrup, and copious use of the phrase "eh?" – there are some strange, little-known facts." - US News

Answer 4

Overlooked. It is not attaching a judgement of value, but conveys the idea of being missed without intent.