What We Are Reading Today: Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell

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Updated 13 September 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Goethe: A Life in Ideas by Matthew Bell

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe (1749–1832) was a poet, a novelist, a scientist and an essayist on a dizzying range of topics. 
In the 19th century, he was widely regarded as one of the most important thinkers of modern Europe. In this important and ambitious work, Matthew Bell offers a wide-ranging intellectual biography of Goethe, tracing the evolution of his thought and reassessing its value.
Bell examines the full spectrum of Goethe’s writing, from his most well-known works, including the dramatic poem “Faust” and the novels “Wilhelm Meister” and “The Sorrows of Young Werther,” to lesser-known essays and reviews.
Throughout, Bell draws on Goethe’s letters and diaries, most of which are still only available in German, embedding Goethe’s thought in his lived experience and in the cultural and intellectual life of Europe from the 1750s to the 1830s.


What We Are Reading Today: Habitats of Europe

Updated 06 December 2025
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What We Are Reading Today: Habitats of Europe

Authors: Dale Forbes, Iain Campbell, and Pete Morris

Europe is a place of natural wonders, from the icy expanses of the tundra to the arid beauty of deserts and the lush vibrancy of rainforests.

This illustrated guide covers all the continent’s major habitats, providing an invaluable resource for understanding and preserving its breathtaking landscapes, ecosystems, and wildlife.

Unlike standard habitat classification systems that focus solely on plant communities, Habitats of Europe offers a unique approach to understanding habitats by combining animal assemblages with descriptions of habitat structure, climate, soils, and vegetation.