The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt’s New World. By Andrea Wulf. Alfred A. Knopf, New York, 2015. ISBN 978-0-385-35066-2. 472 pp. Hardcover, $30.
So just what is the nature of nature? Andrea Wulf’s book is a spright ly scientific and personal biography of Alexander von Hum boldt, a sadly forgotten giant of the Enlightenment. He was a man who traveled widely, measured rigorously, partied hard, thought deeply, influenced almost everyone, and stumbled onto a highly original and enduring way of thinking about that introductory question.