Stephen T. Jackson is professor of botany and ecology at the University of Wyoming. Sylvie Romanowski is associate professor of French literature at Northwestern University.
"Alexander von Humboldt was a seminal explorer and natural
philosopher of the nineteenth century whose work was fundamental to
the development of botany, ecology, geography, geology,
meteorology, and other disciplines. . . . His groundbreaking work
on plant geography is translated here for the first time in highly
readable English, with a perceptive, thought-provoking introduction
that lends context and added interest to the general text."--
"Choice"
"In this book, our first planetary thinker, Alexander von Humboldt,
announces his life's work and catalyzes not just a new way of doing
science--opening the way to biogeography, evolution, ecology,
environmental science, the study of climate change and a host of
other disciplines--but a new way of seeing the world that includes
the role of humans in changing the face of the planet and the role
of nature in human thought, perception, and imagination. Thanks to
this fine and scholarly translation, richly supported by
introductory essays, readers of English at last have access to
Humboldt's provocative questions and visionary tools. Here
scientific precision and artistic beauty fuse into an argument for
transdisciplinary thought in free and democratic societies. In
Darwin's day, every educated person read Humboldt; today, every
educated person interested in forging a path to the future should
start with this book, Humboldt's manifesto for the twenty-first
century."--Laura Dassow Walls, author of Passage to Cosmos:
Alexander von Humboldt and the Shaping of America
"Stephen T. Jackson provides an invaluable service to modern
science--complementing Sylvie Romanowski's meticulous translation
of Humboldt's essay and the careful reproductions of Humboldt's
seminal illustrations of geographic variation in climate and
vegetation along the slopes of Mount Chimborazo--with an eloquent
account of the historical development and intellectual impact of
Humboldt's masterpiece. The result is a precious opportunity to
rediscover a lost classic in the history of science; one that can
once again serve as an exemplary case study for advancing the
frontiers of natural science through enlightened integration across
diverse but interdependent disciplines."--Mark V. Lomolino, College
of Environmental Science and Forestry, Syracuse, New York
"Virtually a Rosetta Stone, this book provides entry to the work of
the great polymath naturalist who inspired Darwin, and reveals
Humboldt as the grand figure that he was. Not just a translation,
but greatly enriched by essays and supporting material, this is a
must read for anyone interested in natural science--and, indeed,
science in general."--Thomas E. Lovejoy, The Heinz Center for
Science, Economics and the Environment
 |
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
