9788433867261.png

… offers a Spanish translation of the first defence of the evolutionary theories of Charles Darwin, published in1864 by the German biologist and physician Fritz Müller (1821-1897) under the title Für Darwin. After Müller received a copy of Darwin’s much debated work On the origen of species (1859), rather than creating another theoretical response, he decided to implement Darwin’s theories in his own work on Brazilian crustaceans in order to testify their scientific validity and accuracy. As a result of his rigorous studies, he argued in his book Für Darwin that the theory of evolution by natural selection was correct, and that Brazilian crustaceans and their larvae could be affected by adaptations at any growth stage. He thus became a strong advocate of Charles Darwin, who immediately had the book translated into English and published as Facts and Arguments for Darwin (1869). This was the beginning of an intense correspondence between both naturalists and a close collaboration that lasted over seventeen years, until Darwin’s death in 1882.

 

…is a Spanish translation of Jefferson and Humboldt: A Transatlantic Friendship of the Enlightenment (UVA Press, 2014), which explores the relationship between the Prussian explorer, scientist, and geographer, Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) and the American statesman, architect, and naturalist, Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), after their personal encounter in Washington in 1804. The intellectual exchange between the two over the next twenty-one years touched on the pivotal events of those times, such as the independence movement in Latin America and the applicability of the democratic model to that region; the relationship between America and Europe; the latest developments in scientific research, and a number of different technological projects. Humboldt and Jefferson explores the world in which these two figures of the Enlightenment  lived, and the ways in which their lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic defined their respective convictions.

Available for download.

 

… examines Alexander von Humboldt´s potential for German foreign cultural and educational policy, and discusses the opportunities and challenges which the initiative “Humboldt y las Américas”, initiated by the German Federal Foreign Office, offers for Hispanoamerica. It is the result of the research project Perception of Humboldt in Iberoamerica: Chances and challenges of a thematic season, carried out in the frame of the programme “Culture and Foreign Policy” at the Institute for Foreign Cultural Relations in Stuttgart (Institut für Auslandsbeziehungen). The study provides answers to the questions: What is Humboldt's most important legacy in America?How does his perception differ between the countries in the New World?And what can we still learn from him while facing the challenges of our world today?

Available for download.

 
 

…explores the relationship between the Prussian explorer, scientist, and geographer, Alexander von Humboldt (1769–1859) and the American statesman, architect, and naturalist, Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826), after their personal encounter in Washington in 1804. The intellectual exchange between the two over the next twenty-one years touched on the pivotal events of those times, such as the independence movement in Latin America and the applicability of the democratic model to that region; the relationship between America and Europe; the latest developments in scientific research, and a number of different technological projects. Humboldt and Jefferson explores the world in which these two figures of the Enlightenment  lived, and the ways in which their lives on opposite sides of the Atlantic defined their respective convictions.

 

… was prepared for the Ignacio Larramendi Foundation's Virtual Library and explores the editorial history of Humboldt´s works in Spain. It offers a detailed analysis of the different translations of his numerous publications that have been undertaken in this country from the beginning of the 19th century onwards, the specific motives that led to the translations of the works in the different cases as well as the persons, the scholarly circles and the publishers that were involved in these enterprises. It also discusses the particular characteristics for the history of the Humboldtian works in Spain as compared to the interest for his publications in other countries. The full text is offered in both languages: Spanish and German.

 

... presents a Spanish translation of a detailed description of Madrid, entitled Gemälde von Madrid, published by the German author, Christian August Fischer (1771-1829), after his travels through the Iberian peninsula in 1797 and 1798. This was probably the first book about the Spanish capital by a foreign traveler and is of interest for its detailed analysis of the society and the academic and political panorama at the end of the 18th century. Fischer published numerous books and articles on Spain and was very influential in circulating information about Spain before the wave of travelers began decades later.

 

PUIG-SAMPER, Miguel Ángel; REBOK, Sandra (ed.), España explora: La expedición Malaspina 2010. Exhibition catalogue. Madrid, Barcelona: CSIC, FFBVA, AC/E, Ministerio de Defensa, Lunwerg, 2011.

… this exhibition catalogue presents several contributions in Spanish, along with their English translation, which deal with the long tradition of scientific expeditions organized from Spain. The work begins with the first explorations in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries and continues with the voyages of the Age of Enlightenment, focusing in particular on the historic expedition by Malaspina and Bustamante (1789-1794). It also shows the development of marine science from its infancy, in the early twentieth century, up to the most recent exploration by the Malaspina expedition in 2010. This voyage of circumnavigation was an interdisciplinary research project whose overall goals were to assess the impact of global change on the oceans and explore their biodiversity.

 

… provides the first complete Spanish edition of all five volumes of Humboldt’s last and conclusive  work, Kosmos, written in German between 1845 and 1859. Kosmos was Humboldt’s attempt to gather all the information on natural history up to his time, and was the book that attracted most attention internationally, with numerous translations into many other languages.

 

…. is the same edition of Humboldt’s Cosmos published in Chile, in order to facilitate the circulation of this work in Latin America.

 

REBOK, Sandra; PUIG-SAMPER, Miguel Ángel (ed.), Viaje por España. Heinrich Friedrich Link. Madrid: Los libros de la Catarata/CSIC, 2011.

… presents the work of Heinrich Friedrich Link (1767-1851), a German botanist, who undertook a journey of exploration from France to Portugal from 1797 to 1801. The work focusses on his travels through different regions of Spain and offers a Spanish translation of the parts of Link’s travel narrative that refer to this country. Of particular interest is his concern for Spanish academic achievements and the way in which his vision of the country differs from descriptions by contemporary travelers.

 

PUIG-SAMPER, Miguel Ángel; REBOK, Sandra (ed.), Alexander von Humboldt. Vistas de las Cordilleras y monumentos de los pueblos indígenas de América (introduction by Miguel Ángel Puig-Samper and Sandra Rebok). Madrid: CSIC/Los libros de los Cataratas, 2010.

… offers a Spanish translation and edition of Humboldt’s work, Vues des Cordilleres, published in Paris between 1810 and1813. This book focuses on the origin and early development of different forms of artistic expression in the diverse American cultures, and also provides impressive visual insight into the natural landscape of the regions he visited during his expedition to the New World (1799-1804).

 

This exhibition catalogue presents contributions from different authors, focusing on the development of German-Spanish academic and scientific relations from the 19th century to the present day. The work analyzes the various facets of their mutual  interest in each other’s country, placing particular emphasis on historical and political circumstances and their influence on this collaboration.

 

… is an updated and adapted version, in Spanish translation, of the book published in German (Alexander von Humboldt und Spanien im 19. Jahrhundert, Vervuert, 2006). It provides a systematic study of both Humboldt’s   and the Spaniards’ perception of each other, as well as the Prussian explorer and scientist’s reception in Spain, as a political/cultural phenomenon during the 19th century. From his visit to this country in 1799, and onwards, this book analyzes, firstly, the image of Spain and Spanish science that Humboldt portrayed. This includes his historical view of the country, shaped by his study of Spanish colonial history through the first chroniclers, particularly, José de Acosta. Secondly, in order to explore the reciprocity of this process, also presented is Humboldt’s reception in the different academic and political circles, thus reflecting the different views of him, as seen  within Spanish society. Finally it discusses how, through the decades, this historical context has conditioned the way the Prussian explorer is now seen in different parts of Spain today.

 

CUESTA DOMINGO, Mariano; REBOK, Sandra (ed.), Alexander von Humboldt. La estancia en España y su viaje americano. Madrid: Real Sociedad Geográfica, CSIC, 2008.

… brings together a number of texts from various authors, focusing on Humboldt’s preparation of his American expedition in Spain and his travels through the different regions of the New World, that were the result of an international conference held at the Royal Geographical Society in Madrid (2005).

 

… provides a detailed analysis of Humboldt’s scientific and administrative preparation in Spain at the beginning of 1799 for his American expedition  before his departure to the New World. It also provides a broad overview of the situation of Spanish science that he encountered, and discusses his interaction with the scholarly community during his visit, as well as those in later years. Furthermore, it presents Humboldt’s contribution to the geographic, botanical and climatologic study of the Spanish peninsula and the Canary island of Tenerife, and provides a rich appendix with numerous hitherto unknown documents.

 
9788488252684.jpg

PUIG-SAMPER, Miguel Ángel; REBOK, Sandra, Un viaje del espíritu: Alexander von Humboldt en España. Exhibition Catalogue (Instituto Cervantes). Aranjuez: Doce Calles, 2006.

This exhibition catalogue provides the texts and visual material used in the exhibition prepared in conjunction with the Instituto Cervantes in 2006, to present Humboldt’s stay in Spain prior to undertaking his American expedition (1799-1804). It describes his travels through this country, his interaction with the Spanish academic community; the image of this country he disseminated in his letters and publications; and the different ways he was perceived in different sectors of Spanish society over the course of  the 19th century (online version of this exhibition: There is available an online version of this exhibition.

 

… provides a systematic study of the mutual perception and reception of the Prussian explorer and scientist in Spain, as a political/cultural phenomenon during the 19th century. From his visit to Spain in 1799, and onwards, this book analyzes, firstly, the image of Spain and Spanish science that Humboldt disseminated. This includes his historical view of the country, shaped by his study of Spanish colonial history through the first chroniclers, particularly José de Acosta. Secondly, in order to explore the reciprocity of this process, also presented is Humboldt’s reception in different academic and political circles, reflecting the diversity of views  within Spanish society. Finally it discusses how, over the decades, this historical context has conditioned the way the Prussian explorer is seen in different parts of Spain today.

 

… offers a Spanish translation and edition of Humboldt’s work Ansichten der Natur (Aspects of Nature), published in German in a first edition in 1808, and in later extended editions in 1826 and 1849. It contains a collection of descriptions of the plant and animal life the scientist encountered in America, and was one of his most popular books.