The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt (Pantheon Graphic Library)

****From the****__New York Times__****bestselling author of****__The Invention of Nature__****, comes a breathtakingly illustrated and brilliantly evocative recounting of Alexander Von Humboldt's five year expedition in South America.****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, but his most revolutionary idea was a radical vision of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone. His theories and ideas were profoundly influenced by a five-year exploration of South America. Now Andrea Wulf partners with artist Lillian Melcher to bring this daring expedition to life, complete with excerpts from Humboldt's own diaries, atlases, and publications. She gives us an intimate portrait of the man who predicted human-induced climate change, fashioned poetic narrative out of scientific observation, and influenced iconic figures such as Simón Bolívar, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, and John Muir. This gorgeous account of the expedition not only shows how Humboldt honed his groundbreaking understanding of the natural world but also illuminates the man and his passions. From the Prologue... When nature is perceived as a web, its vulnerability also becomes obvious. Everything hangs together. If one thread is pulled, the whole tapestry may unravel. After he saw the devastating environmental effects of colonial plantations at Lake Valencia in Venezuela in 1800, Humboldt became the first scientist to talk about harmful human-induced climate change. Deforestation there had made the land barren, water levels of the lake were falling and with the disappearance of brushwood torrential rains had washed away the soils on the surrounding mountain slopes. Humboldt was the first to explain the forest's ability to enrich the atmosphere with moisture and its cooling effect, as well as its importance for water retention and protection against soil erosion. He warned that humans were meddling with the climate and that this could have an unforeseeable impact on ‘future generations'. The Invention of Nature traces the invisible threads that connect us to this extraordinary man. Humboldt influenced many of the greatest thinkers, artists and scientists of his day. Thomas Jefferson called him ‘one of the greatest ornaments of the age'. Charles Darwin wrote that ‘nothing ever stimulated my zeal so much as reading Humboldt's Personal Narrative,' saying that he would not have boarded the Beagle, nor conceived of the Origin of Species, without Humboldt. William Wordsworth and Samuel Taylor Coleridge both incorporated Humboldt's concept of nature into their poems. And America's most revered nature writer, Henry David Thoreau, found in Humboldt's books an answer to his dilemma on how to be a poet and a naturalist – Walden would have been a very different book without Humboldt. Simón Bolívar, the revolutionary who liberated South America from Spanish colonial rule, called Humboldt the ‘discoverer of the New World' and Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, Germany's greatest poet, declared that spending a few days with Humboldt was like ‘having lived several years'. From The New York Times Bestselling Author Of The Invention Of Nature, Comes A Breathtakingly Illustrated And Brilliantly Evocative Recounting Of Alexander Von Humboldt's Five Year Expedition In South America. 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, But His Most Revolutionary Idea Was A Radical Vision Of Nature As A Complex And Interconnected Global Force That Does Not Exist For The Use Of Humankind Alone. His Theories And Ideas Were Profoundly Influenced By A Five-year Exploration Of South America. Now Andrea Wulf Partners With Artist Lillian Melcher To Bring This Daring Expedition To Life, Complete With Excerpts From Humboldt's Own Diaries, Atlases, And Publications. She Gives Us An Intimate Portrait Of The Man Who Predicted Human-induced Climate Change, Fashioned Poetic Narrative Out Of Scientific Observation, And Influenced Iconic Figures Such As Simón Bolívar, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, And John Muir. This Gorgeous Account Of The Expedition Not Only Shows How Humboldt Honed His Groundbreaking Understanding Of The Natural World But Also Illuminates The Man And His Passions-- Written By Andrea Wulf And Illustrated By Lillian Melcher. "From the New York Times bestselling author of The Invention of Nature, comes a breathtakingly illustrated and brilliantly evocative recounting of Alexander Von Humboldt's five year expedition in South America. 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, but his most revolutionary idea was a radical vision of nature as a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone. His theories and ideas were profoundly influenced by a five-year exploration of South America. Now Andrea Wulf partners with artist Lillian Melcher to bring this daring expedition to life, complete with excerpts from Humboldt's own diaries, atlases, and publications. She gives us an intimate portrait of the man who predicted human-induced climate change, fashioned poetic narrative out of scientific observation, and influenced iconic figures such as Simón Bolívar, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin, and John Muir. This gorgeous account of the expedition not only shows how Humboldt honed his groundbreaking understanding of the natural world but also illuminates the man and his passions"-- Provided by publisher Alexander von Humboldt fue un intrpido explorador y el cientfico ms famoso de su poca. Su agitada vida estuvo repleta de aventuras y descubrimientos. Esta es la historia de su viaje al corazn de la naturaleza. De la autora del best seller del New York Times: La invencin de la naturaleza , llega un relato increblemente ilustrado y evocador de la expedicin de cinco aos de Alexander von Humboldt por Amrica del Sur. Ahora Andrea Wulf se asocia con la artista Lillian Melcher para dar vida a esta audaz expedicin, completa con extractos de los diarios, atlas y publicaciones de Humboldt. Ella nos da un retrato ntimo del hombre que predijo el cambio climtico inducido por los humanos, elabor una narrativa potica a partir de la observacin cientfica e influy en figuras icnicas como Simn Bolvar, Thomas Jefferson, Charles Darwin y John Muir.