The Invention of Nature

This biography explores the life and influence of Alexander von Humboldt, an influential 19th-century German naturalist. Humboldt proposed that nature is a complex, interconnected global force rather than a resource existing solely for human use. The book examines his scientific expeditions, his prescient warnings regarding human-induced climate change, and his profound impact on the work of contemporaries like Darwin, Thoreau, and Muir.