A portrait of the German naturalist reveals his ongoing influence on humanity's relationship with the natural world today, discussing such topics as his views on climate change, conservation, and nature as a resource for all life. Alexander von Humboldt (1769-1859) was an intrepid explorer and the most famous scientist of his age. In North America, his name still graces counties, towns, a river, parks, bays, lakes, and mountains. His restless life...

"Thure Kumlien was a Swedish American settler who studied birds and plants in the forests, swamps, and prairies near Lake Koshkonong, Wisconsin, from the mid- to late 1800s. Though he never became as famous as John Muir, Increase Lapham, or Aldo Leopold, he was similar to these naturalists in that he possessed an unparalleled knowledge of (and respect for) the natural world in this part of Wisconsin. He made an indelible impression on many, including...

"With masterful storytelling, Bergland and Hayes demonstrate how Lapham blended his ravenous curiosity with an equable temperament and a passion for detail to create a legacy that is still relevant today. -John Gurda In this long overdue tribute to Wisconsin's first scientist, authors Martha Bergland and Paul G. Hayes explore the remarkable life and achievements of Increase Lapham (1811-1875). Lapham's ability to observe, understand, and meticulously...

Washington Black is an eleven-year-old field slave who knows no other life than the Barbados sugar plantation where he was born. When his master's eccentric brother chooses him to be his manservant, Wash is terrified of the cruelties he is certain await him. But Christopher Wilde, or "Titch," is a naturalist, explorer, scientist, inventor, and abolitionist. He initiates Wash into a world where a flying machine can carry a man across the sky; where...

As a young boy, Charles Darwin hated school and was often scolded forconducting “useless” experiments. Yet his passion for the natural world was so strong that he suffered through terrible seasickness during his five-year voyage aboard The Beagle. Darwin collected new creatures from the coasts of Africa, South America, and the Galapagos Islands, and expanded his groundbreaking ideas that would change people's understanding of the natural...

Kenny Salwey is a modern-day American hermit who has lived most of his life in the Mississippi river bottoms, coming to know the river ecosystem with an intimacy unavailable to most. Now, Kenny shares his love of, and knowledge about, the mighty river. The Last River Rat is a seasonal look at Kenny's unique life. Each chapter covers a month of Kenny's year and starts by detailing his activities—such as deer hunting, ginseng digging,

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"It is 1950. London is still reeling from World War II, and Margery Benson--a sensible schoolmarm and lonely spinster-- is just trying to get through life. But one day, she reaches her breaking point, abandoning her job and her tidy, circumscribed life, to set out on an expedition to the other side of the world in search of an insect that may or may not exist: the golden beetle of New Caledonia, Margery's childhood obsession ever since her father...

In the 150 years since the publication of Origin of Species, Charles Darwin's reputation has wavered between two extremes—secular saint or heretic. But the truth is much more complicated than that. While he was by all accounts a kind and virtuous man, Darwin's theory of evolution and natural selection has been one of the most destructive ideas in history.

So who is Charles Darwin? What did he really believe—and what did his research

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Shares the life of the French naturalist, including his childhood in the French countryside, his life-long interest in insects, and how he eventually met the president of France.