Book: Paperback | 129 x 198mm | 400 pages | ISBN 9780140445534 | 30 Nov 1995 | Penguin Classic
Alexander von Humboldt visited the tropics of the New World between 1799 and 1804. On his return he wrote this book, a classic work of travel that is also one of the great products of Enlightenment natural science. In his lifetime, Humboldt was described as "next to Napoleon, the most famous man in Europe". An admirer of the French Revolution, a Neptunist, an anti-slavist, a lover of Rousseau and Bernardin de Saint-Pierre, and a close friend of Goethe (whom he resembled), he was also a profound influence upon Darwin and the course of Victorian science, as well as upon the proponents of new world independence.
Translated by Jason Wilson with an Introduction by Malcolm Nicolson
Map
Historical Introduction by Malcolm Nicolson
Introduction by Jason Wilson
Acknowledgments
Chronology
Further Reading
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