The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

Andrea Wulf • Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

This edition of The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

ISBN-10: 038535066X · ISBN-13: 978‑0385350662 · 2015 · 1st Edition

Live offer for this book: 10 live copies of this book from $7.64 (as of 2026-09-07).

Dimensions: 9.6 × 6.7 × 1.5 in

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TITLE: The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World AUTHOR: Wulf, Andrea AUTHOR 2 (if applicable): n/a AUTHOR 3 (if applicable): n/a ILLUSTRATOR (if applicable): n/a PUBLISHER: Alfred A. Knopf, Inc., Date: 2015 ISBN: 9780385350662 FORMAT: Hardcover, 473 pages EDITION: First Edition Thus PRINTING [if applicable]: 22nd Printing (May, 2019) BOOK CONDITION: Very Good JACKET CONDITION: Very Good DIMENSIONS (if available): 9.50 x 6.75 x 1.50 in. approx. KEYWORDS: Andrea Wulf, Invention of Nature, Alexander von Humboldt's New World, DESCRIPTION: From the dustjacket flap: The acclaimed author of FOUNDING GARDENERS reveals the forgotten life of Alexander von Humboldt, the visionary German naturalist whose ideas changed the way we see the natural world-and in the process created modern environmentalism. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. In North America, his name still graces four counties, thirteen towns, a river, parks, bays, lakes, and mountains. 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 translating his research into best-selling publications that changed science and thinking. Among Humboldt's most revolutionary ideas was a radical vision of nature, that it is a complex and interconnected global force that does not exist for the use of humankind alone. Now Andrea Wulf brings the man and his achievements back into and his achievements back into focus: his daring expeditions and investigation of wild environments around the world and his discoveries of similarities between climate and vegetation zones on different continents. She also discusses his prediction of human-induced climate change, his remarkable ability to fashion poetic narrative out of scientific observation, and his relationships with iconic figures such as Simón Bolivar and Thomas Jefferson. Wulf examines how Humboldt's writings inspired other naturalists and poets such as Darwin, Wordsworth, and Goethe, and she makes the compelling case that it was Humboldt's influence that led John Muir to his ideas of natural preservation and that shaped Thoreau's Wälden. With this brilliantly researched and compellingly written book, Andrea Wulf shows the myriad fundamental ways in which Humboldt created our understanding of the natural world, and she champions a renewed interest in this vital and lost player in environmental history and science. CONDITION: Some wear to the jacket, a few spots where the lamination is imperfect, would look great in a library-quality mylar cover. Contents appear clean and unmarked, an attractive copy. FROM THE BOOKSELLER: Thank you for visiting the Dactyl Books eBay Store! We are a virtual second-hand and antiquarian reseller of books specialising in History, Science, Literature, and Mystery & Detective Fiction, but we have a little bit of everything in our stocks! We are listing new items all the time, but if you are looking for a specific title or edition, don't hesitate to send it on to us and we will be glad to check and give you an opinion on how best to find your desired title. NOTES ON EDITIONS: We use a number of resources to attempt to determine the edition of the book that we are listing. My most frequently referenced resource is Zempel and Verkler's "First Editions: A Guide to Identification," although we also use other internet sources and make comparisons with listings we find on various internet sites. We strive to be extremely careful and diligent in describing our listings, but if you receive a book and don't feel that it's quite what you ordered, please contact us through the "Contact Seller" link to see what we can do for you.

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