A biography of the 19th-century explorer Alexander von Humboldt, who has “faded from collective memory” despite being dubbed “the Shakespeare of the sciences” by his peers, has won the £25,000 prize for the best science book of the year. Humboldt, who lived from 1769 to 1859, inspired scientists and writers including Jules Verne and Charles Darwin in his day. Bryson, a previous winner of the award, said that Wulf’s biography, which also won the Costa biography prize, was “a thrilling adventure story as much as a science book about a polymath who had an extraordinary impact on our contemporary understanding of nature”. “The decisive factor for the winning book was that it excited and gripped us as judges the most,” said Bryson. We should be taking our cues from Humboldt – be curious and be informed by science on the big issues.”

Source: The Guardian September 19, 2016 18:45 UTC