Humboldt 17691859 was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. His life was packed with adventure and discovery whether climbing volcanoes in the Andes swimming with crocodiles racing through anthraxinfected Siberia or publishing groundbreaking bestsellers. Ahead of his time he recognized nature as an interdependent whole and he saw before anyone else that humankind was on a path to destroy it. He was one of the first European to study the Inca Aztec and Mayan cultures and his epic fiveyear expedition to Latin America 17991804 prompted him to denounce slavery as the greatest evil ever to have afflicted humanity. To Humboldt the melody of his prose was as important as its content and this selection from his most famous works the Personal Narrative of his travels to Latin America Cosmos Views of Nature Views of the Cordilleras and Monuments of the Indigenous Peoples of the Americas The Geography of Plants and his antislavery essay in Political Essay of the Island of Cuba allows us the pleasure of reading his own accounts of his daring explorations and new concept of nature. Humboldts writings profoundly influenced naturalists and poets including Darwin Thoreau Muir Goethe Wordsworth and Whitman. The Selected Writings is not only a tribute to Humboldts important role in environmental history and science but also to his ability to fashion powerfully poetic narratives out of scientific observations.