Before Longitude no one remembered John Harrison. The Invention of Nature does the same for Alexander von Humboldt

Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) is the great lost scientist: more things are named after him than anyone else including towns, rivers, mountain ranges, a penguin, a giant squid - even the Mare Humboldtianum on the moon.
His colourful adventures read like something from Boy's Own: Humboldt explored deep into the rainforest, climbed the world's highest volcanoes and inspired princes and presidents, scientists and poets.
Taking us on a fantastic voyage in his footsteps, Andrea Wulf shows why his life and ideas remain so important today.

Historians of science have long recognized the naturalist and traveller Alexander von Humboldt as a pivotal figure in the history of science, but for too long he has been undervalued in the English-speaking world. This beautifully written biography effectively conveys his significance to a wide audience, in an animated and adventurous narrative that echoes the liveliness of Humboldt's own writings. The award of the Dingle Prize particularly recognizes Andrea Wulf's mastery of the vast range of history of science scholarship on Humboldt and her command of original sources in multiple languages. Timely and significant-particularly given current attacks on climate change science - this is scientific biography at its best