Scientific Studies

Authoritative English translations of Goethe’s most illuminating essays on science

Goethe’s scientific work may be 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 reflect Goethe’s conviction that scientists must develop their perceptions both inwardly and outwardly in pursuing the continuum of nature in an interconnected and living world.

The Collected Works of Goethe presents modern translations of a representative portion of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe’s vast body of work. Selected from more than 140 volumes in German, this twelve-volume series remains the standard collection in English and features poetry, drama, fiction, memoir, criticism, and scientific writing.

Edited and translated by Douglas Miller