Alexander von Humboldt: Perceiving the World

Alexander von Humboldt: Perceiving the World provides an interdisciplinary exploration into Humboldt’s approach to seeing and describing the many subjects he pursued. Though remembered primarily as an environmental thinker, Humboldt’s interests were vast and documented not just in his published works, but also in his extensive correspondence with scientists, artists, poets, and philosophers internationally. Perceiving the World covers Humboldt’s perceptions during intercontinental travels and scientific discoveries, as well as how he visualized nature, geography, environments, and diverse cultures, including Indigenous Peoples.

This collection draws heavily on the English translations of Humboldt’s work housed in the Purdue University Archives, which were collected by John Purdue. The book is divided into three parts: Humboldt’s contributions to science since the nineteenth century; his work on nature, climates, environments, and the cosmos; and his lasting cultural impact, including his imaging techniques, modes of visual presentation, and contributions to the arts. Humboldt’s intricate approach to perception still resonates today, as his nuanced and unique way of seeing the world was just as important as what he wrote.

Beate I. Allert is professor of German, comparative literature, and film studies, and director of comparative literature at Purdue University. She is the author or editor of five books, and her research focuses on the Enlightenment, Weimar Classicism, Romanticism, visuality, text-image debates, environmentalism, temporality, and color. She served as vice president and president of the International Herder Society.

Christopher R. Clason is professor emeritus of German at Oakland University in Rochester, Michigan. He has authored numerous articles on Romantic and medieval subjects, and is the editor of E.T.A. Hoffmann: Transgressive Romanticism. He is a past president of the International Conference on Romanticism and the International Tristan Society.

Niall A. Peach is assistant professor of Spanish at Coe College. His research encompasses the environmental humanities, and the racial, transatlantic, and neo-imperial politics of the nineteenth to twentieth centuries in Latin America. He is a past recipient of the Bilsland Fellowship for his research on race and gardens.

Ricardo Quintana-Vallejo is assistant professor of English at Rhode Island College. He is the author of Children of Globalization: Diasporic Coming-of-Age Novels in Germany, England, and the United States. He has been a Lynn and Fulbright fellow.