Andrea Wulf

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) is the great lost scientist - his colourful adventures read like something out of a Boy's Own story. Taking us on a fantastic voyage in his footsteps, Andrea Wulf shows why his life and ideas remain so important today.

In the 1790s an extraordinary group of friends changed the world. Disappointed by the French Revolution's rapid collapse into tyranny, what they wanted was nothing less than a revolution of the mind. The rulers of Europe had ordered their peoples how to think and act for too long. Based in the small German town of Jena, through poetry, drama, philosophy and science, they transformed the way we think about ourselves and the world around us. They were the first Romantics. Their way of understanding the world still frames our lives and being. This extraordinary group of friends changed our world. It is impossible to imagine our lives, thoughts and understanding without the foundation of their ground-breaking ideas.