Popular Works
Kosmos: Entwurfeiner physischen weltbeschreibung. 5 vols. Stuttgart-Tübingen, 1845-1847.
This ambitious work, written towards the end of his life, was Humboldt's most influential. Written for the lay person, it covered every aspect of the material universe, from the stars and galaxies to earth's geography, geology, zoology, and plants. With this publication, Humboldt hoped to interest the populace in science, and to stimulate the study of nature. The work includes over 9,000 references and so serves as a guide to the history of science as known at that time. The success of Kosmos is indicated by the number of times it has been published over the years, and by the multitude of languages. Shown here is the work in its original German, and in later editions in French and English. Kosmos is still being published and read today in many different languages.
Ansichten der Natur: mit wissenschaftlichen rläuterungen. Stuttgart : J.G. Cotta'scher Verlag, 1849.
Translated variously as Views of Nature or Aspects of Nature, this was Humboldt's favorite work. Like Kosmos it has been published numerous times over the years and in various languages. In Ansichten, Humboldt presents nature more poetically than in Kosmos, revealing his appreciation of and enthusiasm for the aesthetic and noble aspects of nature.
