Goethe's scientific work is less familiar to the reading public than his poetry, yet his understanding of natural phenomena displays the same sensitivity and brilliance as his depictions of human relationships. Based on Goethe's research in anatomy, botany, physics, chemistry, zoology, meteorology, and geology, these forty selections call upon scientists to devlop their perceptions both inwardly and outwardly in pursuing the continuum of nature through an interconnected and living world.