Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A selection of the best writings of the visionary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. His restless life was packed with adventure and discovery, whether he was climbing the highest volcanoes in the world or racing through anthrax-infected Siberia or publishing bestsellers that forever changed people's thinking about nature. This unique selection allows us to read his own accounts of his daring investigation of wild environments around the world, and to see his relationships with such icons as Simon Bolivar and Thomas Jefferson. Humboldt's writings inspired naturalists and poets including Darwin, Wordsworth, and Goethe, led John Muir to his ideas of natural preservation, and shaped Thoreau's Walden. The Selected Writings is not only a tribute to von Humboldt's important role in environmental history and science, but also to his remarkable ability to fashion poetic narrative out of scientific observation.
Synopsis
A new hardcover selection of the best writings of the visionary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world. Selected and introduced by Andrea Wulf. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. His life was packed with adventure and discovery, whether he was climbing volcanoes in the Andes, racing through anthrax-infected Siberia, or publishing groundbreaking best sellers. Ahead of his time, he recognized nature as an interdependent whole and he saw before anyone else that humankind was on a path to destroy it. His visits to the Americas led him to argue that the indigenous peoples possessed ancient cultures with sophisticated languages, architecture, and art, and his expedition to Cuba prompted him to denounce slavery as "the greatest evil ever to have afflicted humanity."
To Humboldt, the melody of his prose was as important as its empirical content, and this selection from his most famous works--including Cosmos, Views of Nature, and Views of the Cordilleras and Monuments of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas, among others--allows us the pleasure of reading his own accounts of his daring explorations. Humboldt's writings profoundly influenced naturalists and poets including Darwin, Thoreau, Muir, Goethe, Wordsworth, and Whitman. The Selected Writings is not only a tribute to Humboldt's important role in environmental history and science, but also to his ability to fashion powerfully poetic narratives out of scientific observations.