
Views of Nature
Description
Alles über E-Books | Antworten auf Fragen rund um E-Books, Kopierschutz und Dateiformate finden Sie in unserem Info- & Hilfebereich.
While the influence of Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) looms large over the natural sciences, his legacy reaches far beyond the field notebooks of naturalists. Humboldt's 1799-1804 research expedition to Central and South America with botanist Aimé Bonpland not only set the course for the great scientific surveys of the nineteenth century, but also served as the raw material for his many volumes-works of both scientific rigor and aesthetic beauty that inspired such essayists and artists as Emerson, Goethe, Thoreau, Poe, and Frederic Edwin Church.
Views of Nature, or Ansichten der Natur, was Humboldt's best-known and most influential work-and his personal favorite. While the essays that comprise it are themselves remarkable as innovative, early pieces of nature writing-they were cited by Thoreau as a model for his own work-the book's extensive endnotes incorporate some of Humboldt's most beautiful prose and mature thinking on vegetation structure, its origins in climate patterns, and its implications for the arts. Written for both a literary and a scientific audience, Views of Nature was translated into English (twice), Spanish, and French in the nineteenth century, and it was read widely in Europe and the Americas. But in contrast to many of Humboldt's more technical works, Views of Nature has been unavailable in English for more than one hundred years. Largely neglected in the United States during the twentieth century, Humboldt's contributions to the humanities and the sciences are now undergoing a revival to which this new translation will be a critical contribution.
Praise for Views of Nature
"Alexander von Humboldt's wide-ranging Views of Nature is a masterpiece of nineteenth-century natural history, at once science and art. Mark W. Person's stunning new translation makes the wonders of this classic accessible to the English-language world of the present." -Daniel Walker Howe, author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning What Hath God Wrought
"From the plains of Venezuela to volcanoes and waterfalls, von Humboldt combines observations with travel narratives and philosophical musings. Annotations really help provide a context to the essays; this work also includes an index, conversions for von Humboldt's various measurement units, an introduction, and preface. This excellent translation of one of von Humboldt's most important works should introduce this great naturalist to an entirely new audience." -Edward J. Valauskas, curator of Rare Books, Library, Chicago Botanic Garden, Current Books on Gardening and Botany
All prices
More details
Other editions
Additional editions

Persons
Content
- Intro
- Contents
- Editors' Preface
- Introduction: Reclaiming Consilience
- Translator's Note
- Humboldt's Ansichten der Natur Measurement Units
- Views of Nature
- Preface to the First Edition
- Preface to the Second and Third Editions
- 1. Concerning the Steppes and Deserts
- Annotations and Additions
- 2. Concerning the Waterfalls of the Orinoco near Atures and Maypures
- Annotations and Additions
- 3. The Nocturnal Wildlife of the Primeval Forest
- Annotations and Additions
- 4. Hypsometric Addenda
- 5. Ideas for a Physiognomy of Plants
- Annotations and Additions
- 6. Concerning the Structure and Action of Volcanoes in Various Regions of the Earth
- Annotations and Additions
- 7. The Life Force, or The Rhodian Genius
- Commentary and Addendum
- 8. The Plateau of Cajamarca, the Old Residential City of the Inca Atahualpa
- First Sight of the Pacific from the Ridge of the Andes Chain
- Annotations and Additions
- Index
System requirements
File format: PDF
Copy-Protection: Adobe-DRM (Digital Rights Management)
System requirements:
- Computer (Windows; MacOS X; Linux): Install the free reader Adobe Digital Editions prior to download (see eBook Help).
- Tablet/smartphone (Android; iOS): Install the free app Adobe Digital Editions or the app PocketBook before downloading (see eBook Help).
- E-reader: Bookeen, Kobo, Pocketbook, Sony, Tolino and many more (only limited: Kindle).
The file format PDF always displays a book page identically on any hardware. This makes PDF suitable for complex layouts such as those used in textbooks and reference books (images, tables, columns, footnotes). Unfortunately, on the small screens of e-readers or smartphones, PDFs are rather annoying, requiring too much scrolling.
This eBook uses Adobe-DRM, a „hard” copy protection. If the necessary requirements are not met, unfortunately you will not be able to open the eBook. You will therefore need to prepare your reading hardware before downloading.
Please note: We strongly recommend that you authorise using your personal Adobe ID after installation of any reading software.
For more information, see our eBook Help page.
File format: ePUB
Copy protection: Watermark-DRM (Digital Rights Management)
System requirements:
- Computer (Windows; MacOS X; Linux): Use a reading software that can process the file format ePUB: e.g., Adobe Digital Editions or FBReader – both free (see eBook Help).
- Tablet/Smartphone (Android; iOS): Before downloading, install the free app Adobe Digital Editions (see eBook Help).
- E-reader: Bookeen, Kobo, Pocketbook, Sony, Tolino and many more (not Kindle).
The file format ePUB works well for novels and non-fiction books – i.e., „flowing” text without complex layout. On an e-reader or smartphone, line and page breaks automatically adjust to fit the small displays.
This eBook uses Watermark-DRM, a „soft” copy protection. This means that there are no technical restrictions to prevent illegal distribution. However, there is a personalised watermark embedded in the eBook that can be used to identify the purchaser of the eBook in the event of misuse and to provide evidence for legal purposes.
For more information, see our eBook Help page.