MEASURING THE WORLD

Daniel Kehlmann's novel tells two interrelated stories based on real-life figures. Explorer Alexander von Humboldt travels South America's Orinoco basin, and German mathematician Carl Friedrich Gauss studies the world through calculation and observation. Rider Strong brings excitement and drama to both stories--in Humboldt's case, an adventure story; in Gauss's case, a tale of personal loss as he copes with the deaths of his wife and child. Strong brings touches of humor as well, as he reads anecdotes about Humboldt's hallucinations atop a mountain and Gauss's mathematical thoughts on his wedding night. Strong's narration brings a human touch to a larger-than-life story of scientific discovery and politics. J.A.S. © AudioFile 2007, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN/ JUL 07]