Andrea Wulf's Exploration of Alexander von Humboldt's New World

By: Andrea Wulf (Author)

"Discover the incredible life and legacy of Alexander von Humboldt in Andrea Wulf's 'The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World' - one of the best Environmental Science Books of its genre. With easy-to-read prose and clear explanations, this book is a great value for money and provides an insightful look into one of the greatest minds in history.
90
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73 reviews

Review rating details

Value for money
93
Overall satisfaction
98
Genre
94
Easy to understand
94
Easy to read
99
Binding and pages quality
93

Details of Andrea Wulf's Exploration of Alexander von Humboldt's New World

  • Item Weight ‏ ‎: 1.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ ‎: 5.2 x 1.2 x 8 inches
  • Traveler & Explorer Biographies: Traveler & Explorer Biographies
  • ISBN-10 ‏ ‎: 0345806298
  • Environmentalism: Environmentalism
  • Paperback ‏ ‎: 576 pages
  • Publisher ‏ ‎: Vintage; Reprint edition
  • ISBN-13 ‏ ‎: 978-0345806291
  • Best Sellers Rank: #31 in Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies#74 in Environmentalism#143 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies
  • Language ‏ ‎: English
  • Customer Reviews: 4.6/5 stars of 4,442 ratings
  • Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies: Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies

Comments

Emine Noyan: This is a beautifully written book about Humboldt and how his discoveries and view of nature influenced science, literature, and poetry throughout Europe and beyond. It's eye-opening to learn about how one man, one idea can have a ripple effect and influence so many things, even start a revolution. I would recommend this book to nature lovers, scientists, poets, writers, bookworms, gardeners...

United Kingdom on Aug 31, 2023

verce: Mi aspettavo un libro noioso e invece devo dire che il racconto è steso veramente bene
Mostra i legami tra Humboldt e tutte le personalità importanti del suo tempo
L'ultima parte post morte è un po una divagazione e poteva essere evitata

Italy on Aug 24, 2023

Scays: In my research on Climate Change, it's interesting to see how Humboldt had realised the problem in the early 1830s, this book is a must to understand the importance of Alexandra Humboldt and his brother. So many great scientists right on the back of his books, Darwin especially. I downloaded the Kindle edition, simply because of the vast number of references I knew I would make.

United Kingdom on May 18, 2023

ACT I: This biography of AH also contains important information about individuals who influenced his thought, (such as Johann Friedrich Blumenbach [1752- 1840], Friedrich Schelling [1755 -1854], Johann Wolfgang von Goethe [1749 – 1832]), as well as individuals whose thought he influenced (such as Charles Darwin [1809 - 1882], Henry David Thoreau [1817 - 1862], George Perkins Marsh [1801 - 1882], and (Sierra Club co-founder) John Muir [1828 - 1914]. The book is based mainly on primary sources, and in being well-written is engaging!

Ms. Wulf wishes to make two points in particular about AH’s importance. First, as AH stood at the top of Mt. Chimborazo (south of Quito, in what is now Ecuador), he (p. 2) “began to see the world differently. He saw the earth as one great living organism where everything was connected, conceiving a bold new vision of nature that still influences the way that we understand the natural world.” In addition, though, because (p. 3) AH was “driven by a sense of wonder,” AH “also believed that a great part of our response to the natural world should be based on the senses and emotions.”

AH (p. 6) “invented the web of life [concept], the...

United States on Jul 01, 2017

AmazonCustomer: The book was recommended by a friend, who tremendously enjoyed reading it. I must admit, I was slightly dismayed by the tightly packed script when the book arrived, portending a prodigious read. Any such thoughts were quickly dispelled as soon as I started reading this lucidly written, extremely informative, well researched, sensitive biography on Alexander von Humboldt. Andrea Wulf has undoubtedly produced a masterpiece, a symphony of a book.

Humboldt was a giant of an intellectual, a visionary generations ahead of his time, the father, mother and grandparent of modern environmentalism and theories on climate change, a biologist, a naturalist, an explorer, adventurer, a writer, a generous mentor for budding scientists. His original pathbreaking views from the eighteenth and nineteenth century have shaped modern day perception of the environment, underpinned green politics, embracing a holistic vision of mankind, material progress, nature, politics, art, history under one umbrella.
His expeditions to discover the secrets of nature took him to the Latin America, America, Russia, exotic islands in the Atlantic, Cuba, Mongolia, China. His biggest regret remained that the...

Germany on Sep 25, 2016

therealus: Andrea Wulf’s biography of the polymath Alexander von Humboldt has rightly earned plaudits and prizes. It is a masterful account not only of Humboldt’s long and fruitful life but also of the wide-ranging influence he had on the world and people around him. That influence transcended an isolated study of the natural world, with Humboldt vociferously opposed to institutions such as slavery, and also began a realisation that organisms did not exist in isolation, that everything interrelated with everything, and that seemingly beneficial human activities today could have devastating effects later by disrupting the natural balance of life.

Humboldt began to develop his view of the natural world as a fully interconnected web of life in South America during his first major expedition. Wulf shows him to have been a relentless explorer during that journey. On Mount Chimborazo his porters refused to undergo the hardships of attempting to reach the summit, leaving Humboldt and his companions to carry on unaided, suffering nausea, dizziness, bloodshot eyes, bleeding gums and constant vertigo. This doggedness never left him, and even in old age his younger companions would be amazed...

United Kingdom on Feb 04, 2016

Ashutosh S. Jogalekar: If I ask my learned friends to make a list of the top ten scientists in history, Alexander von Humboldt probably won't figure on the list; he probably wouldn't have figured on my own. And yet when he was alive, for a while Humboldt was the most famous scientist in the world. Thousands thronged to hear him speak, and the most distinguished personalities of the age visited him at his home in Paris and Berlin. He was a polymath in the true sense, excelling in science, philosophy, writing and adventure. He also laid the foundations for modern environmentalism and inspired scores of later writers and naturalists, including Charles Darwin, Henry David Thoreau, George Perkins Marsh and John Muir. Dozens of streets, mountains, forests, universities and scholarships around the world are named after him.

Andrew Wulf has written an excellent biography of this remarkable mind which secures Humboldt’s place both as a brilliant scientist and explorer and as one of the founding fathers of modern environmentalism. It would not be off the mark to say that he paved the way for Darwin and natural selection. He was born in Prussia in 1769, when Europe was starting to crackle with reform and...

United States on Feb 01, 2016

Andrea Wulf's Exploration of Alexander von Humboldt's New World Uncover the Secrets of Nature with Diana Beresford-Kroeger's "To Speak for the Trees Uncovering the Secrets of Nature: Exploring the Wisdom of the Mother Tree
Andrea Wulf's Exploration of Alexander von Humboldt's New World Uncover the Secrets of Nature with Diana Beresford-Kroeger's "To Speak for the Trees Uncovering the Secrets of Nature: Exploring the Wisdom of the Mother Tree
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Total Reviews 73 reviews 59 reviews 261 reviews
Item Weight ‏ ‎ 1.2 pounds 15.2 ounces 12.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ ‎ 5.2 x 1.2 x 8 inches 5.87 x 1.04 x 8.53 inches 5.14 x 0.76 x 7.97 inches
Traveler & Explorer Biographies Traveler & Explorer Biographies
ISBN-10 ‏ ‎ 0345806298 0735275076 052556599X
Environmentalism Environmentalism
Paperback ‏ ‎ 576 pages 384 pages
Publisher ‏ ‎ Vintage; Reprint edition Random House Canada Vintage; First Edition
ISBN-13 ‏ ‎ 978-0345806291 978-0735275072 978-0525565994
Best Sellers Rank #31 in Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies#74 in Environmentalism#143 in Traveler & Explorer Biographies #69 in Trees in Biological Sciences#85 in Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies#182 in Environmental Science #14 in Botany #21 in History & Philosophy of Science #21 in Environmental Science
Language ‏ ‎ English English English
Customer Reviews 4.6/5 stars of 4,442 ratings 4.7/5 stars of 831 ratings 4.7/5 stars of 3,640 ratings
Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies Environmentalist & Naturalist Biographies
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