An instant classic of nature history―a science-driven work of literature full of seaside grandeur.' - Douglas Brinkley, best-selling author of The Wilderness Warrior 'In the deeply researched tradition of Rachel Carson's sea trilogy, Cynthia Barnett enchantingly weaves poetic musings with deep-seated conservation wisdom and ocean science. ' riveting study.Barnett delivers the goods with erudition and evocative prose.an entertaining, colorful tour of a surprisingly dynamic part of nature.' - Publishers Weekly An absolutely captivating nature book.' - Kirkus Reviews (starred review) 'In this well-researched, consistently illuminating work, the author smoothly combines environmental science and cultural history to trace the origins and decline of mollusks.Fans of Rebecca Giggs' excellent Fathoms will find much to savor here as well. 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.įrom 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. 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. 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. They were money before coins, jewelry before gems, art before canvas. Seashells have been the most coveted and collected of nature's creations since the dawn of humanity. 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.

Cynthia barnett the sound of the sea