Book Review
The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World
Jeanne DeBenedetti Keyes
Do you remember your first experience in nature? Do you have a philosophy of nature, of how the world relates together?
Andrea Wulf lays the invention and our modern concept of nature at the feet of Alexander von Humboldt. It's fascinating that the world celebrated this man's birthday with parades and parties, and named rivers, towns, forests, and Universities after him — even in places he had never visited. The modern world has all but forgotten about one of the worlds’ most famous polymaths.
Wulf introduces Alexander Von Humboldt with a chronological description of his life, beginning with his early family life and education. It gives the reader an excellent idea into who he was — a brother, scientist, and poet. Influenced by his teacher Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, showed him that art and poetry are a part of science. Wulf describes Von Humboldt’s life as he lived it — everything he did informed his ideas on nature.
Von Humboldt spent 5 years in South America climbing mountains and exploring the Orinoco river delta. He catalogued plant and animal life along the route. During this very important expedition, Humboldt began to form his concept that nature is a living whole and that individual phenomena is only important in their relation to the whole.
He conceived of nature as a web of life and a global force. On his climb up the Venezuela mountain Chimborazo, he sketched cross sections of the distribution of the plant life he observed as he ascended. These sketches became his Naturgemalde, a painting of nature that would later be an important part of his book Essay on the Geography of Plants, supporting the idea that one could find plants with similar characteristics at similar elevations around the world.
As he traveled through South America, Humboldt began to understand and describe how nature and the human condition intertwined. Humboldt was the first person to describe the institution of slavery as unnatural, because what is against nature is unjust, bad, and without value. Humboldt believed that no matter what nationality, color, or religion, all humans come from one root.
At the age of fifty-nine, Humboldt’s second and last expedition took him to the Steppes of Russia and Mongolia. When the trip ended he was able to assemble the remaining great bulk of ideas.
His greatest wish had been to visit the Himalayas; however, the East India Company never granted his many petitions due to his opinions on Spanish colonialism expressed in his Political Essay on the Kingdom of New Spain.
The author Wulf wrote, "His views on nature were already spreading through the minds of thinkers in Europe and America with seemingly unstoppable force." Humboldt was very influential in developing the thoughts and ideals of people such as Charles Darwin, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and John Muir, to name a few. Darwin said, "My admiration of his famous personal narrative (part of which I almost know by heart) determined me to travel in distant countries and led me to volunteer as naturalist in her Majesty’s ship Beagle."
The Invention of Nature is a pleasure to read. Wulf tells a great story, with very descriptive text and fine drawings depicting places Humboldt lived and visited, people he met, etc. As an added bonus foot notes are included at the bottom of each page. It’s nice to be able to read the sourcing of the quotes and background information without having to flip to the back of the book.
In an effort to understand von Humboldt, Ms. Wulf traveled to many of the places he visited. She climbed Chimborazo, one of the first mountains Humboldt climbed on his South American tour.
That’s what I call going above and beyond in the call of duty to bring the story of this great naturalist to life!
Gardening for the Homebrewer: Grow and Process Plants for Making Beer, Wine, Gruit, Cider, Perry, and More
By co-authors Debbie Teashon (Rainy Side Gardeners) and Wendy Tweton