Die Abenteuer des Alexander von Humboldt
Graphic Novel by Andrea Wulf / illustrated by Lillian Melcher
A while ago, my sister lent me her copy of Andrea Wulf's biography of Alexander von Humboldt. Clicking here will take you to my review of that great book.
Recently, she found out that there is a graphic novel about Humboldt's adventures, written by the same author and illustrated by Lillian Melcher.
She ordered it and lent me the book when I was housebound last week because of a cold. Her clever reasoning was that, if I had something to really capture my attention, I would take more time off work and get more rest, which in turn would help me getting well soon.
Of course she was right (mothers and big sisters often are), and I thoroughly enjoyed the book, not only because I'd read the biography relatively recently.
As a kid, I loved comics. Well, I loved ALL books, really, and still do. I simply loved reading, and comics were for reading AND looking at pictures. Graphic novels are like that, too, although I understand they intend to be a bit more than a comic.
In this case, just holding the book in your hands will appeal to the true bibliophile - it is big and relatively heavy, beautifully made with cover shimmering with brass and copper, and a dark green ribbon serving as a book sign. Most pages look like collages, and the author explains that they used facsimiles of Humboldt's diaries and letters as well as photos of the plants and other things he and his companions collected during their expeditions.
Here is an example of a double page:
The book focuses on Humboldt's South American adventures, touching his visit to the (very young) United States of America only briefly, and mentioning his other travels and work more or less to add context to what is described in more detail.
It is a book I can recommend to anyone, no matter whether they are interested in Natural Science or not. It makes great reading but is not too "heavy".
Once again, a big Thank You to my sister for lending me her copy (and therefore contributing to my health)!
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