HUMBOLDT CURRENT: Nineteenth-Century Exploration and the Roots of American Environmentalism.
Edition: First printing.
New York: The Viking Press, (2006.) dj. Hardcover first edition - While almost forgotten now, Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) 'was a towering figure of his time - scientist, explorer, and polymath, imbued with Enlightenment ideas - and he left a profound impact on the intellectual life of 19th century America.' Sachs traces HumboldtÕs influence on American history, focusing on the lives of several 19th-century explorers, including J. N. Reynolds, who explored the South Seas from 1829 to 1831; Clarence King, first director of the U.S. Geological Survey; George Melville, Arctic explorer and chief engineer of the U.S. Navy; and John Muir, founder of the Sierra Club and explorer of Alaska and Siberia. Among the writers and artists who were influenced by Humboldt were Emerson, Whitman, Thoreau, Melville, Poe, and Frederic Church. Illustrated with photographs. Includes a chronology, extensive notes and bibliography, index. xii, 496 pp. ISBN: 0-670-037753.
Condition: Fine in a fine dust jacket (as new.)