From the Bookshelf of 2018 TCPL Reading Challenge! …

[close] Alexander von Humboldt was a nineteenth century scientist who has been largely forgotten today. This book clearly shows he was incredibly influential in his day while also connecting him to certain people who are remembered. Humboldt traveled to South America as a young man and had many adventures. As he explored there, he recognized that life is interconnected and that humans were altering the environment, making him one of the first ecologists.

Humboldt inspired Darwin to travel around the world and study nature. He also influenced South American independence from Spain, demonstrated by example how to write about nature to Thoreau, and got John Muir interested in conservation. This book did a good job of balancing covering Humboldt's life and the effect he had on others.