The Invention of Nature

Alexander von Humboldt's New World

De: Andrea Wulf

Narrado por: David Drummond

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, whether climbing the highest volcanoes in the world or racing through anthrax-infested Siberia. He came up with a radical vision of nature, that it was a complex and interconnected global force and did not exist for man's use alone. Ironically, his ideas have become so accepted and widespread that he has been nearly forgotten.

Now Andrea Wulf brings the man and his achievements back into focus: his investigation of wild environments around the world; his discoveries of similarities between climate zones on different continents; 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 Bolívar and Thomas Jefferson. Wulf examines how his writings inspired other naturalists and poets such as Wordsworth, Darwin, and Goethe, and she makes the compelling case that it was Humboldt's influence on John Muir that led him to his ideas of preservation and that shaped Thoreau's Walden.

Humboldt was the most interdisciplinary of scientists and is the forgotten father of environmentalism. With this brilliantly researched and compellingly written audiobook, she makes clear the myriad, fundamental ways that Humboldt created our understanding of the natural world.

©2015 Andrea Wulf. Recorded by arrangement with Doubleday, an imprint of the Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC. (P)2015 HighBridge, a division of Recorded Books

Rediscover Humboldt's impressive influence

Would you consider the audio edition of The Invention of Nature to be better than the print version?

No opinion

What did you like best about this story?

Simon Bolivar, Charles Darwin, Frederic Edwin Church, Henry David Thoreau, John Muir and many other influential politicians, naturalists, writers and artists have been deeply affected by and inspired by the passion and scientific insight of Alexander von Humboldt. His insights are still pertinent today, yet he is no longer well known in the west.

Which scene was your favorite?

I enjoyed many 'favorite' passages, especially those where famous naturalists like Muir and Darwin repeatedly return to Humboldt's writings for inspiration.

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

The book is emotionally moving and at times upset me and took my breath away. More importantly this book deserves credit for renewing interest in an important and influential historical figure who lost respect and fame after the west rejected anything German after World War 2.

Any additional comments?

Alexander von Humboldt should regain his rightful fame for his affect on modern studies in Ecology, Climatology, Natural History and Wildlife Art. Anyone interested in nature should become familiar with his work.

Incredible Story with an Average Reader

I loved the book. It's an incredible adventure story, but the reader is just OK.

EXCELENTE DESCRIPCIÓN

ME GUSTÓ EL CONTENIDO AUN ESTOY EN PROCESO DE ADAPTARME A LOS AUDIOLIBRO, PERO ME MOTIVO A BUSCAR MÁS DE VON HUMBOLDT DIRECTAMENTE.

HUMBOLDT

Humboldt is a widely recognized name in the 21st century. However, knowledge of who carries the name is not well-remembered. Andrea Wulf’s book title, “The Invention of Nature”, gives an inkling of Alexander von Humboldt’s stature as a renowned explorer who recognizes the interconnection of the world in which we live. Humboldt lived among 18th and 19th century conquerors, philosophers, artists, and political leaders. From personal relationships with Goethe, Schiller, the royals of Prussia, the king of Spain, and leaders in Russia and Bolivia, Humboldt observed and categorized nature in its glory and frailty.

With Russia’s 1829 invitation, Humboldt explores the Eastern frontier. With that expedition, and his many years in Latin America, Humboldt is prepared to draw a (then) startling conclusion. He publishes the first two volumes of “Kosmos” in 1845 and 1847. Humboldt concludes human beings live on a planet that is a part of a greater natural environment; i.e. an environment in which human existence and actions change the world’s eco-system. When forests are cut, when rivers are diverted, when dams are built, there is a cascading number of changes that occur in the world’s eco-system. Until Humboldt’s “Kosmos”, there is little to no understanding of the importance of man’s actions on the world’s eco-system.

Humboldt dies of old age with a history that offers immortality through the naming of national monuments throughout the world.

What an interesting life!

The story of Humboldt's life is amazing. The material bogs down in spots with minutia, and I would have preferred a different narrator. Still, an excellent piece of work.

Humboldt’s history: our history, our future

This book is a must listen!!
Humboldt’s visions should guide our present and help us create a better future.
This book not only tells the life of a great man, but also the history of Europe and South America (amongst so many other things).
Highly recommended!!!

Best book around

What a great man and mind. I am almost embarrassed that I knew little of him. He was far ahead of his time.

Inspiring

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

So many more facts about other people of interest. Walden, Thoreau, and others. I was left wanting to know more about the other people mentioned.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

Getting to know how truly challenged each of the characters were.

Any additional comments?

It was an easy listen to. I loved how adventure and facts were able to be intertwined so smoothly.

A history for every student of ecology/evolution

This should be on the reading list of every graduate student in the fields of biology, ecology, evolution, or geology. It would also be a valuable read for students in the liberal arts.

One of the best books I’ve “read”

Inspiring, beautiful, thorough, informational and so much fun. I wish I’d known more about this incredible man earlier. Glad to now! (Narrator is also awesome.)