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Floating Gold: The Search for Ambergris, The Most Elusive Natural Substance in the World - Softcover
Synopsis
A fascinating modern hunt for a treasure from a most surprising source - a whale's stomach. Journalist and biologist Christopher Kemp discovers, after reading an odd news report, a hidden world of money, intrigue and amazing wealth. A lump of something turns up on a beach in NZ, the lump so strange it may well have come from out of space. But it's not a dead alien, it's ambergris. Ambergris is a by-product of sperm whales, used for centuries as a perfume, medicine and aphrodisiac. It appears on beaches all over the world and depending on what state it's in, can be mistaken for all manner of things. For those in the know, it's an amazing source of wealth - ambergris trades for US$20 a gram, which is nearly as much as gold but it's harder to find and it cannot be mined. Christopher Kemp travels from the shores of NZ, to the Smithsonian and New Nedford Whaling museum; he meets amateurs, professional hunters, scientists, elusive vendors who traffic ambergris, people who won't confess to have found any, and strangers denying what they are looking for. As he discovers more about ambergris' origins, its uses present day and historic, the outrageous lengths people have gone to find it and the intriguing efforts people go to in order to keep what they know about ambergris a secret, the more his infectious obsession grows.
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About the Author
Christopher Kemp is a frequent contributor to Salon, and a molecular biologist, and FLOATING GOLD is the story of his quest to find ambergris. He is English and now lives in the US.
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- PublisherHarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
- Publication date2012
- ISBN 10 0732291917
- ISBN 13 9780732291914
- BindingPaperback
- LanguageEnglish
- Number of pages328
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FLOATING GOLD
Published by
Fourth Estate/HarperCollins. Sydney. ., 2012
ISBN 10: 0732291917
ISBN 13: 9780732291914
Used
Softcover
Seller: Jean-Louis Boglio Maritime Books, CYGNET, TAS, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
1st printings of the 1st Australian paperback edition. XVI, 304 PP with 20 b/w illustrations (1 newspaper clipping, 1 letter and 18 photos), plus 8 pages with 12 colour photos. Pictorial soft covers. Slight ageing of paper and foxing on outside edges. Near fine. 20.8 x 13.5. Seller Inventory # 75675
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
Floating Gold (Paperback)
Published by
HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, New South Wales, 2012
ISBN 10: 0732291917
ISBN 13: 9780732291914
New
Paperback
Seller: AussieBookSeller, Truganina, VIC, Australia
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: new. Paperback. A fascinating modern hunt for a treasure from a most surprising source -- a whale's stomach. Journalist and biologist Christopher Kemp discovers, after reading an odd news report, a hidden world of money, intrigue and amazing wealth. A lump of something turns up on a beach in NZ, the lump so strange it may well have come from out of space. But it's not a dead alien, it's ambergris. Ambergris is a by-product of sperm whales, used for centuries as a perfume, medicine and aphrodisiac. It appears on beaches all over the world and depending on what state it's in, can be mistaken for all manner of things. For those in the know, it's an amazing source of wealth - ambergris trades for US$20 a gram, which is nearly as much as gold but it's harder to find and it cannot be mined. Christopher Kemp travels from the shores of NZ, to the Smithsonian and New Nedford Whaling museum; he meets amateurs, professional hunters, scientists, elusive vendors who traffic ambergris, people who won't confess to have found any, and strangers denying what they are looking for. As he discovers more about ambergris' origins, its uses present day and historic, the outrageous lengths people have gone to find it and the intriguing efforts people go to in order to keep what they know about ambergris a secret, the more his infectious obsession grows. An entertaining and lively history that covers ambergris--a digestive byproduct from whales that is in most perfumes and one of the world's most expensive substances. Kemp presents an informative account of the natural history of whales, squid, ocean ecology, and the perfume industry. Shipping may be from our Sydney, NSW warehouse or from our UK or US warehouse, depending on stock availability. Seller Inventory # 9780732291914
Quantity: 1 available