The Invention of Nature: The Adventures of Alexander von Humboldt, the Lost Hero of Science: Costa & Royal Society Prize Winner: The Adventures of … Science: Costa & Royal Society Prize Winner

WINNER OF THE 2015 COSTA BIOGRAPHY AWARD WINNER OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY SCIENCE BOOK PRIZE 2016 x27A thrilling adventure storyx27 Bill Bryson x27Dazzlingx27 Literary Review x27Brilliantx27 Sunday Express x27Extraordinary and grippingx27 New Scientist x27A superb biographyx27 The Economist x27An exhilarating armchair voyagex27 GILES MILTON, Mail on Sunday Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) is the great lost scientist – more things are named after him than anyone else. There are towns, rivers, mountain ranges, the ocean current that runs along the South American coast, therex27s a penguin, a giant squid – even the Mare Humboldtianum on the moon. His colourful adventures read like something out of a Boyx27s Own story: Humboldt explored deep into the rainforest, climbed the worldx27s highest volcanoes and inspired princes and presidents, scientists and poets alike. Napoleon was jealous of him; Simon Bolívarx27s revolution was fuelled by his ideas; Darwin set sail on the Beagle because of Humboldt; and Jules Vernex27s Captain Nemo owned all his many books. He simply was, as one contemporary put it, x27the greatest man since the Delugex27. Taking us on a fantastic voyage in his footsteps – racing across anthrax-infected Russia or mapping tropical rivers alive with crocodiles – Andrea Wulf shows why his life and ideas remain so important today. Humboldt predicted human-induced climate change as early as 1800, and The Invention of Nature traces his ideas as they go on to revolutionize and shape science, conservation, nature writing, politics, art and the theory of evolution. He wanted to know and understand everything and his way of thinking was so far ahead of his time that itx27s only coming into its own now. Alexander von Humboldt really did invent the way we see nature.

– ASIN: 1848549008 | ISBN13: 9781848549005 | ISBN-13: 978-1848549005