num_pages: 473
description: Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was the most famous scientist of his age a visionary German naturalist and polymath whose discoveries forever changed the way we understand the natural world. Among his most revolutionary ideas was a radical conception of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone. In North America Humboldts name still graces towns counties parks bays lakes mountains and a river. And yet the man has been all but forgotten. In this illuminating biography Andrea Wulf brings Humboldts extraordinary life back into focus: his prediction of human-induced climate change; his daring expeditions to the highest peaks of South America and to the anthrax-infected steppes of Siberia; his relationships with iconic figures including Simn Bolvar and Thomas Jefferson; and the lasting influence of his writings on Darwin Wordsworth Goethe Muir Thoreau and many others. Brilliantly researched and stunningly written The Invention of Nature reveals the myriad ways in which Humboldts ideas form the foundation of modern environmentalismand reminds us why they are as prescient and vital as ever.
language: English
title: The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World
publisher: Knopf