Alexander Von Humboldt - by Andreas W Daum (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

An engaging account of the life and work of the legendary polymath Alexander von Humboldt

In this lucid biography, Andreas Daum offers a succinct and novel interpretation of the life and oeuvre of Alexander von Humboldt (1769―1859). A Prussian nobleman born into the age of European Enlightenment, Humboldt was a contemporary of Napoleon, Simón Bolívar, and Charles Darwin. As a naturalist and scholar, he traveled the world, from the Americas to Central Asia, and recorded his observations in multiple volumes. Humboldt is still admired today for his interdisciplinary outreach and ecological awareness.

Moving beyond the conventional views of Humboldt as either intellectual superhero or gentleman colonizer, Daum's incisive account focuses on Humboldt in the context of the tumultuous period of history in which he lived. Humboldt embodied the contradictions that marked the age of Atlantic Revolutions. He became a critic of slavery and embraced the emerging civil society but remained close to authoritarian rulers. He dedicated his life to scientific research yet was driven by emotional impulses and pleaded for an aesthetic appreciation of nature. Daum introduces a man passionately striving to establish a "cosmic" understanding of nature while grappling with the era's explosion of knowledge.

This book provides the first concise biography of Humboldt, covering all periods of his life, exploring his personality, the vast range of his works, and his intellectual networks. Daum helps us understand Humboldt as a seminal historical figure and illuminates the role of science at the dawn of the global world.

Review Quotes

"Daum shows that good things come in small packages and delivers a factual, nuanced, and admirably concise biography."-- "The Inquisitive Biologist"

"An impressively balanced and engaging account of Alexander von Humboldt's importance during his lifetime (1769-1859) and his enduring relevance in the present. Daum's historical eye offers an illuminating perspective for better understanding Humboldt. . . . [A] valuable volume."-- "Choice Reviews"

"This book is a fascinating and readable account--partly due to its brevity--of the life of an important scientist much ignored by modern scholarship."---Ian Mitchell, Think Scotland

"Offering a compact yet thorough account, this biography examines all stages of Humboldt's life, his personality, prolific works, and the intellectual networks that shaped him."-- "The Flora Journal"

"The discoveries of the Prussian nobleman, cave botanist, and humanitarian Alexander von Humboldt, who was born in 1769, are the central attraction of this concise biography. . . . Daum interweaves these exploits with noteworthy episodes that took place during the nine decades of Humboldt's life."-- "New Yorker"

"The key virtue of this biography is its concision, and Daum does an admirable job of sorting through Humboldt's numerous contradictions. . . . This gets the job done."-- "Publishers Weekly"

About the Author

Andreas W. Daum is professor of history at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo and a recipient of the Humboldt Research Award. He is the author of Kennedy in Berlin and Popularizing Science in the Nineteenth Century (in German), among others.