Can I read Floating Gold : A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris on EtoBox?

Floating Gold : A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris by Christopher Kemp is a science book available to read on EtoBox.

What is Floating Gold : A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris about?

ZPreternaturally hardened whale dungy is not the first image that comes to mind when we think of perfume, otherwise a symbol of glamour and allure. But the key ingredient that makes the sophisticated scent linger on the skin is precisely this bizarre digestive by-product--ambergris. Despite being one of the world's most expensive substances (its value is nearly that of gold and has at times in history been triple it), ambergris is also one of the world's least known. But with this unusual and highly alluring book, Christopher Kemp promises to change that by uncovering the unique history of ambergris. A rare secretion produced only by sperm whales, which have a fondness for squid but an inability to digest their beaks, ambergris is expelled at sea and floats on ocean currents for years, slowly transforming, before it sometimes washes ashore looking like a nondescript waxy pebble. It can appear almost anywhere but is found so rarely, it might as well appear nowhere. Kemp's journey begins with an encounter on a New Zealand beach with a giant lump of faux ambergris--determined after much excitement to nothing more exotic than lard--that inspires a comprehensive quest to seek out amberg

Who reads Floating Gold : A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris?

Author

Christopher Kemp

Publisher

The University of Chicago Press

Published

2012

Language

EN

ISBN

9780226821054

Category

science

Subjects

Nature, History, Biology

Rating

3.6 / 5 (196 ratings)

Updated

2026-03-13