The Invention of Nature, (Paperback)

from PDCRead

When you think of scientists that have formed the way that we think about world around us, the names that tend to come to mind are Newton, Darwin, Wallace, Davy and Einstein. In the mid-19th Century though the most famous scientist in the world was a man called Alexander von Humboldt, a man very ...

from nog

This could have benefited from staying on subject (too much about Bolivar and Darwin, for instance) and some editing for repetition, especially in the early chapters. I'll look for another book about Humboldt; I'm not sure that one written by a gardening author cuts it.

from St.CroixSue

This was an exceptional book in that the remarkable and amazing life and work of Alexander Von Humboldt has been so completely forgotten by the modern world. It not only brings to light all of his theories and concepts of interconnected global natural consequences and man's early impact on climat...

from steve02476

I never knew who Humbolt was, so I learned a lot about a fascinating and important figure in science history of the early and mid-1800s. Also a lot about his peers and the many people (like Darwin) who directly built on his work for their own. Well-written and interesting, but a little long for...

from Eyejaybee

I choose new books to read in a variety of ways. I tend to pore over the weekly review pages in the press, and I often pick up recommendations from friends or colleagues. Sometimes, however, there is one of those marvellous serendipitous moments when you pick a book up entirely by chance and it t...