Helmut De Terra (1900–1981)

A really good and early biography of Alexander von Humboldt. The author was a noted and respected geologist of his time. This book was published in 1955 and the writing seems to be outdated; not as crisp as many of the present day biographies however the scholarship is excellent and It worth seeking out this book. One of the real problems with this biography or an other biography about Humboldt was the wide range of subjects that he studied, the massive volumes of correspondence and the number of books that he publish culminating with the publication of Cosmos which contained 5 volumes. His work influenced Darwin as well as the transcendentalists Thoreau and Emerson. To add to the difficulties of writing the complete and definitive biography is that many of his papers were either scattered or destroyed. Despite these problems, this is an excellent first book about Humblodt.… (mere)