Powerful ideas from top nonfiction
Try Blinkist to get the key ideas from 5,500+ bestselling nonfiction titles and podcasts. Listen or read in just 15 minutes.
Start your free trial
Blink 3 of 8 - The 5 AM Club
by Robin Sharma
Listen to the Intro
The Invention of Nature summary
Andrea Wulf
Alexander von Humboldt’s New World
4.6 (39 ratings)
26 mins
11 key ideas
Audio & text
What is The Invention of Nature about?
The Invention of Nature (2015) shines a light on the extraordinary life of explorer and scientist Alexander von Humboldt. Discover Humboldt’s amazing perspective on our relationship to the world and find out how his ecological discoveries and observations are just as relevant and profound today as they were in the nineteenth century.
About the Author
Andrea Wulf trained as an art historian at London’s Royal College of Art. Her previous books include Chasing Venus and Founding Gardeners. She has also contributed to the New York Times and the Wall Street Journal.
Table of Contents
The Invention of Nature
summarized in 11 key ideas
Audio & text in the Blinkist app
Key idea 1 of 11
From an early age, Alexander von Humboldt had a longing to see the world.
Let’s travel back in time to meet the adventurous explorer, Alexander von Humboldt. He was born to a respected and aristocratic Prussian family on 14 September 1769. His father was an advisor to King Wilhelm III, and his mother came from a wealthy manufacturing background.
Alexander had one brother, Wilhelm, who was two years older than he was. Unfortunately, their father died when Humboldt was only nine years old. Afterward, their mother grew reclusive and let tutors take most of the responsibility of raising her children as intelligent and honorable young adults.
But unlike his brother, Alexander always preferred nature to studying.
While Wilhelm took to his books, Alexander roamed the countryside estate where he lived, filling his pockets with plants and bugs and earning the nickname, “the little apothecary.” Though his mother wanted both of her boys to be civil servants, Alexander was fascinated by the new age of exploration and grew up dreaming of leaving home and seeing the world.
So, as young Alexander von Humboldt reached adulthood, he spent his non-working hours following his passion for science and nature.
He dutifully continued his education, excelling in science, math and language. But he found a special interest in geology and, at the age of 22, landed steady work as a mining inspector. While improving conditions for miners, Humboldt also studied the underground plant-life of the mines and published his first book on subterranean flora.
Also, whenever he found the time, he obsessed over the latest scientific advances in zoology, botany, and the mechanics of life.
He became particularly interested in galvanism, the study of biological reactions to electric currents, even using his own body to conduct experiments!
But all the while, Humboldt found it more and more difficult to calm a restless mind that longed to escape Europe. But before he could venture to uncharted lands, he met the man who would change the way he saw the world around him.
Want to see all full key ideas from The Invention of Nature?
Key ideas in The Invention of Nature
More knowledge in less time
Read or listen
Get the key ideas from nonfiction bestsellers in minutes, not hours.
Find your next read
Get book lists curated by experts and personalized recommendations.
Shortcasts New
We’ve teamed up with podcast creators to bring you key insights from podcasts.
Best quote from The Invention of Nature
Man can only act upon nature and appropriate her forces to his use by comprehending her laws.
—Andrea Wulf
Who should read The Invention of Nature
- Environmentalists
- Students of environmental history, art and science
- Scientists, especially biologists and botanists
Categories with The Invention of Nature
Books like The Invention of Nature
What our members say
Sven O.
It's highly addictive to get core insights on personally relevant topics without repetition or triviality. Added to that the apps ability to suggest kindred interests opens up a foundation of knowledge.
Thi Viet Quynh N.
Great app. Good selection of book summaries you can read or listen to while commuting. Instead of scrolling through your social media news feed, this is a much better way to spend your spare time in my opinion.
Jonathan A.
Life changing. The concept of being able to grasp a book's main point in such a short time truly opens multiple opportunities to grow every area of your life at a faster rate.
Renee D.
Great app. Addicting. Perfect for wait times, morning coffee, evening before bed. Extremely well written, thorough, easy to use.
Start growing with Blinkist now
25 Million
Downloads on all platforms
4.7 Stars
Average ratings on iOS and Google Play
91%
Of Blinkist members create a better reading habit*
*Based on survey data from Blinkist customers