Alexander von Humboldt was, in his time, one of the most interesting men in the world.

The 19th-century explorer and naturalist climbed volcanoes and raced through anthrax-infested Siberia, and his scientific discoveries changed the way we see the natural world. He noted similarities between climate zones across the world and predicted human-induced climate change, ushering in modern environmentalism.

Author Andrea Wulf examines the man – now largely forgotten outside of his native Germany – and his achievements in a discussion of her book The Invention of Nature. It was named by The New York Times as one of the 10 best books of 2015.