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Helferich, Gerard ListingsIf you cannot find what you want on this page, then please use our search feature to search all our listings. Click on Title to view full description
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HUMBOLDT'S COSMOS: ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT AND THE EPIC JOURNEY OF EXPLORATION THROUGH LATIN AMERICA THAT CHANGED THE WAY WE SEE THE WORLD
Helferich, Gerard
2004 14854 Alexander von Humboldt was the reigning scientific mind of the early nineteenth century, a unique combination of naturalist and adventurer. With his companion Aime Bonpland, Humboldt cut a six-thousand-mile swath across the New World, through what is now Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Mexico, and Cuba. Risking his life in treacherous terrain, he conducted the first extensive scientific explorations of the Andes and the Amazon, literally redrawing the map of the Americas and dramatically expanding our knowledge of the natural world. He brought back to Europe more than 60,000 plant specimens and a multitude of exotic New World animals, set an altitude record while climbing the volcano Chimborazo, made revolutionary discoveries regarding volcanoes and the Earth's magnetic field, and introduced millions of Americans and Europeans to the astonishing cultures of the Aztecs and the Incas. At the completion of his epic journey, Humboldt became one of the most celebrated men in the world, feted by Thomas Jefferson in Washington and invited to Napoleon's coronation in Paris. His ideas revolutionized scientific research; laid the groundwork for entire new fields of study, such as climatology, oceanography, and several branches of geography; and his adventures and insights profoundly influenced followers such as Charles Darwin and Louis Agassiz. Today, more places and geographical features are named after Humboldt than any other historical figure, and scientists continue to build on the foundations he established. A tale of rousing adventure and groundbreaking science, Humboldt's Cosmos is a fascinating portrait of a brilliant mind and a bold spirit whose momentous journey of exploration greatly expanded the scope of his world -- and ours. From The Critics Publishers Weekly His name may be vaguely familiar, although you may not know why. But in his time, Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an explorer and scientist of unparalleled fame, whose work largely inspired Charles Darwin and influenced the course of a number of scientific disciplines ranging from geology to meteorology. Helferich's lush and engaging biographical adventure tale, which covers mainly the years Humboldt spent exploring Latin America (1799-1804), successfully recreates the New World when it was still very novel to European eyes. A Prussian sailing under a Spanish flag, Humboldt and his trusty (but poorly fleshed out) sidekick, Aim Bonpland, carve a path from the Old World through the Canary Islands, to the parts of South America now known as Venezuela, Colombia and Peru; later, he travels to Cuba and Mexico. Through the Amazon and the Andes, the flies and mosquitoes, the crocodiles, piranha and jaguars, Humboldt and a small but changing group of assistants lug all manner of scientific instrumentation, boxes of botanical samples and provisions over thousands of miles, through uncharted territories and back again, discovering in the process the faded glory of the Aztec and Inca civilizations, the unsustainable nature of the slave trade and innumerable new species of plants. Helferich's eye for telling detail does justice to Humboldt's own obsessive culling of observed particulars about the world around him, laying bare in the process many of the foundations of modern scientific method. Agent, Deirdre Mullane. (On sale Apr. 12) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information. Library Journal While the name Humboldt evokes the image of a cold ocean current or is associated with a county or a road (it is, in fact, the name of the street on which this reviewer lives), the significance of Prussian scientist Alexander von Humboldt himself and his astounding accomplishments have faded. Helferich, a former editor and publisher, hopes to change that with his heroic narrative, whose title recalls that of Humboldt's five-volume chronicle summarizing his view of the universe and his vision of a single unifying force of nature in which everything is interrelated. Reading like an adventuresome diary, the book carries the reader along the Latin American.... Gotham Books 1-59240-052-3 / 9781592400522
Hardcover As New Condition New York
Price:
28.59 USD
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