The Sound of the sea : : Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans

Locations
Call Number: 594.147 Ba, Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Barnett, Cynthia
On Shelf At: Downtown Library, Traverwood Branch

Location & Checkout Length	Call Number	Checkout Length	Item Status
Downtown 2nd Floor 4-week checkout	594.147 Ba	4-week checkout	On Shelf
Traverwood Adult Books 4-week checkout	Adult Book / Nonfiction / Science & Nature / General / Barnett, Cynthia	4-week checkout	On Shelf

Introduction: Cockles -- Miracle. First shells ; Everything from shells ; The voice of the past ; Great cities of shell -- Capital. Money ; Madness ; American shells ; Shell Oil ; Shell shock -- Oracle. The end of abundance ; Saving the queens ; Glowing future ; Trust in nature -- Conclusion: The open end.
"A compelling history of seashells and the animals that make them, revealing what they have to tell us about nature, our changing oceans, and ourselves. Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's creations since the dawn of humanity. They were money before coins, jewelry before gems, art before canvas. In The Sound of the Sea, acclaimed environmental author Cynthia Barnett blends cultural history and science to trace our long love affair with seashells and the hidden lives of the mollusks that make them. Spiraling out from the great cities of shell that once rose in North America to the warming waters of the Maldives and the slave castles of Ghana, Barnett has created an unforgettable account of the world's most iconic seashells. She begins with their childhood wonder, unwinds surprising histories like the origin of Shell Oil as a family business importing exotic shells, and charts what shells and the soft animals that build them are telling scientists about our warming, acidifying seas. From the eerie calls of early shell trumpets to the evolutionary miracle of spines and spires and the modern science of carbon capture inspired by shell, Barnett circles to her central point of listening to nature's wisdom-and acting on what seashells have to say about taking care of each other and our world"-- Provided by publisher.

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COMMUNITY REVIEWS

Beautiful submitted by emroon on July 17, 2022, 3:32pm This was a beautiful book about the cultural and environmental value of seashells all over the world. The author picked examples from all over the world, conch shells in Incan ruins to shells as currency in the South Pacific. it seems across space and time humans have valued shells. This book sheds light on climate change, the affects of colonialism and imperialism, evolution and more. I gained more of an appreciation for the little things around us and I am excited to look for shells next time I am at the beach.