A breathtakingly illustrated and brilliantly evocative recounting of Alexander Von Humboldt's five-year expedition in South America—from the author of Magnificent Rebels and the New York Times bestseller The Invention of Nature.
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 passion
ANDREA WULF lives in London. She is the author of
Chasing Venus, Founding Gardeners, The Brother Gardeners, which was long-listed for the Samuel Johnson Prize and awarded the American Horticultural Society Book Award, and
The Invention of Nature, a national best seller that won the
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, the Costa Biography Award, and the Royal Geographical Society Ness Award and was named one of
The New York Times Top 10 Books of the Year. She has written for
The New York Times, the
Financial Times, The Wall Street Journal, and the
Los Angeles Times.
LILLIAN MELCHER is an illustrator living and working in Boston, MA. Lillian graduated in 2016 from Parsons School of Design with a degree in illustration. She has been honored with the SCBWI Student Illustrator Scholarship for her picture book portfolio.
