Description

The list of species named after him is long. His contributions to the foundations of modern science are inestimable. German naturalist and explorer ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT (1769-1859) was called by Charles Darwin "the greatest traveling scientist who ever lived" and by Thomas Jefferson "the most important scientist whom I have met." From 1799 to 1804, Von Humboldt traveled with French botanist AIMÉ JACQUES ALEXANDRE BONPLAND (1773-1858) in Latin America, the first exploration from a scientific perspective of this vital region of the planet, and afterward, they produced this groundbreaking three-volume work, which introduced Europeans to this previously mysterious land. First published in French in 1807, this is a replica of an 1851 English-language edition. Volume I begins with the preparations for the journey, the departure from Spain, and a landing on the Canary Islands, and goes on to describe a visit to the island of Tobago, the mountains of New Andalusia, the culture of the Chaymas Indians of Venezuela, a sighting of "extraordinary meteors," and much more.