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Andrea Wulf

アンドレア・ウルフ

Andrea Wulf

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1967 （New Delhi, India）
Nationality
German, British
Languages
English, German
Residence History
New Delhi (birth — early childhood) → Hamburg, Germany (grew up) → London, UK (residence and base)

Career

Occupations
Writer, Historian, Non-fiction author, Public speaker
Active Years
1998-
Memberships
Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
Influenced By
Alexander von Humboldt
Influenced
Contemporary environmentalists and science communicators

Education

University of Lüneburg
Country: Germany
Undergraduate studies (details not specified)
The Royal College of Art
Design History
Country: United Kingdom
Studied design history

Awards

CBHL Annual Literature Award
2010
Work: The Brother Gardeners
Organization: Council on Botanical and Horticultural Libraries (CBHL)
Result: 受賞
Costa Biography Award
2015
Work: The Invention of Nature
Category: 伝記
Organization: Costa Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Royal Society Insight Investment Science Book Prize
2016
Work: The Invention of Nature
Category: 科学書
Organization: The Royal Society
Result: 受賞
Ness Award
2016
Work: The Invention of Nature
Organization: Royal Geographical Society
Result: 受賞
Samuel Johnson Prize longlist
2008
Work: The Brother Gardeners
Organization: Samuel Johnson Prize
Result: 長期候補
Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature
2018
Organization: Royal Society of Literature
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

This Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History

2005 Non-fiction (garden history)

A history of seven great English gardens across 300 years, examining the relationship between gardens and social and political history.

GardensSocial historyEnvironment and culture

The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession

2008 Non-fiction (natural history / garden history)

Examines 18th-century plant collectors and gardeners and how their networks shaped modern horticulture and plant exchange.

Plant explorationGarden historyInternational exchange

Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation

2012 Non-fiction (history / natural history)

Explores how the founding generation's engagement with gardens and plants influenced the shaping of the United States and its view of nature.

Founding historyGardens and politicsConceptions of nature

Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens

2012 Non-fiction (history of science)

Tells the story of international expeditions in 1761 and 1769 to observe the transit of Venus, and how those observations advanced scientific measurement and collaboration.

History of astronomyInternational cooperationScientific exploration

The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World

2015 Non-fiction (biography / natural history)

A biography of Alexander von Humboldt that argues he synthesized diverse fields into a vision of nature as an interconnected system and influenced scientists, activists, and the public.

BiographyInterconnected natureHistory of science

The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt

2019 Non-fiction (illustrated biography for younger readers)

Co-authored with an illustrator to present Humboldt's adventures and discoveries for younger readers.

AdventureScience educationBiography

Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self

2022 Non-fiction (literary history)

Studies early Romantic writers and the invention of the self, tracing literary developments and identity formation.

RomanticismSelf-formationLiterary history

Bibliography

  • This Other Eden: Seven Great Gardens and 300 Years of English History (2005)
  • The Brother Gardeners: A Generation of Gentlemen Naturalists and the Birth of an Obsession (2008)
  • Founding Gardeners: The Revolutionary Generation, Nature, and the Shaping of the American Nation (2012)
  • Chasing Venus: The Race to Measure the Heavens (2012)
  • The Invention of Nature: Alexander von Humboldt's New World (2015)
  • The Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt (2019)
  • Magnificent Rebels: The First Romantics and the Invention of the Self (2022)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
Readable, evidence-based non-fictionA narrative style that blends biography and history of science
Recurring Motifs
Interconnected natureExploration and travelGardens and plants

Legacy

Andrea Wulf is internationally recognized for her works on Humboldt and history of nature and science. She has influenced both scholarly debate and public understanding, connecting science and environmental awareness for a broad readership.

Academic Societies

  • Royal Society of Literature

In Popular Culture

  • Lectures at festivals and observatories, mentions in documentaries and media

Quotes

  • The view of nature as an interconnected system is Humboldt's legacy and offers important insights for us today.
    Source: The Invention of Nature (author commentary) (2015)

Trivia

  • Born in New Delhi and raised in Hamburg.
  • Elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2018.