Humboldt Current

<b>A masterly and beautifully written account of the impact of Alexander von Humboldt on nineteenth-century American history and culture</b> <p/> The naturalist and explorer Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) achieved unparalleled fame in his own time. Today however he and his enormous legacy to American thought are virtually unknown. In <i>The Humboldt Current</i> Aaron Sachs traces Humboldt's pervasive influence on American history through examining the work of four explorers--J. N. Reynolds Clarence King George Wallace and John Muir--who embraced Humboldt's idea of a chain of connection uniting all peoples and all environments. A skillful blend of narrative and interpretation that also discusses Humboldt's influence on Emerson Whitman Thoreau Melville and Poe <i>The Humboldt Current</i> offers a colorful passionate and superbly written reinterpretation of nineteenth-century American history.