Since my early youth, I have had a burning desire to travel to distant lands. A passion for travel, an insatiable thirst for knowledge, and an energy that could have sustained two lives: Alexander von Humboldt was the greatest traveler and the most famous scientist of his time. The true discoverer of America climbed the highest volcanoes, navigated unknown rivers, explored the flora and fauna of exotic countries, inspired contemporaries like Goethe and Darwin, and engaged in correspondence with American President Thomas Jefferson and freedom fighter Simón Bolívar. This wonderfully illustrated book makes us companions on Humboldt's journey and allows us to marvel with him at the web of life.