"Measuring the World" is a novel by the Austrian writer Daniel Kehlmann who has been hailed as one of the most promising new generation of writers. This novel is the first of his to be translated into English (by Carol Brown Janeway) and has become an international sensation.
The novel examines the themes of Genius and Freedom through the extraordinary lives of two great Enlightenment-era scientists: Gauss and Humboldt. Gauss is a consummate genius who is considered to be the greatest mathematician since Newton. Humboldt is one of the greatest naturalist and explorer the world has ever seen.