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Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History Of Ambergris (2012)

by Christopher Kemp(Favorite Author)

3.62 of 5 Votes: 5

ISBN

0226430367 (ISBN13: 9780226430362)

languge

English

genre

Nonfiction

publisher

University Of Chicago Press

review 1: I was so excited to learn of this book! How much more esoteric can you get than an exploration of ambergris - this is a by-product made up of squid beaks found in the guts specifically of sperm whales. The beaks aren't digestable so they create large balls of a sticky black substance that are eventually released (in several ways) by the whale. The material can float in the ocean for many years, eventually washing up on beaches around the world. The most coveted aged material is almost white and is highly valued in the perfume industry, with chunks selling for $15 per ounce. There continues to be a market for this material which looks like a volcanic rock, but smells like a combination of cow dung and old wood. Told in a very engaging manner, anyone with an interest in natu... moreral history, whaling, or perfumerie (I know, what a stretch!)will find it fascinating.
review 2: I bought this book because I want to know how someone went from finding a sperm whale product of elimination (ambergris is basically undigested squid parts that cause bowel obstructions and often kill the whale) to figuring out that lump could be added to perfume to make a scent linger longer. Early in the book there is one sentence that addresses my question and it says, basically, "who knows." I read the whole thing hoping that surely there must be more, but there wasn't. The rest of the book mainly addressed looking for and selling the stuff. I admire quirky obsessions but this one went on too long for my taste. Plus I was just so disappointed to not get my main question answered. less

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