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A Sea of Glass
Searching for the Blaschkas' Fragile Legacy in an Ocean at Risk
Series: Organisms and Environments
Ratings/reviews counts are updated frequently.
Check link for latest rating. ( 63 ratings, 15 reviews)
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A Sea of Glass
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Description
"The author makes an eloquent plea for marine biodiversity conservation."—Library Journal
"Harvell seems to channel the devotion that motivated the Blaschkas."—The Guardian
Winner of the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award, Environment Category
It started with a glass octopus. Dusty, broken, and all but forgotten, it caught Drew Harvell’s eye. Fashioned in intricate detail by the father-son glassmaking team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, the octopus belonged to a menagerie of unusual marine creatures that had been packed away for decades in a storage unit. More than 150 years earlier, the Blaschkas had been captivated by marine invertebrates and spun their likenesses into glass, documenting the life of oceans untouched by climate change and human impacts.
Inspired by the Blaschkas’ uncanny replicas, Harvell set out in search of their living counterparts. In A Sea of Glass, she recounts this journey of a lifetime, taking readers along as she dives beneath the ocean's surface to a rarely seen world, revealing the surprising and unusual biology of some of the most ancient animals on the tree of life. On the way, we glimpse a century of change in our ocean ecosystems and learn which of the living matches for the Blaschkas’ creations are, indeed, as fragile as glass.
Drew Harvell and the Blaschka menagerie are the subjects of the documentary Fragile Legacy, which won the Best Short Film award at the 2015 Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. Learn more about the film and check out the trailer here.
Series: Organisms and Environments
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A Sea of Glass
"The author makes an eloquent plea for marine biodiversity conservation."—Library Journal "Harvell seems to channel the devotion that motivated the Blaschkas."—The Guardian Winner of the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award, Environment Category It started with a glass octopus. Dusty, broken, and all but forgotten, it caught Drew Harvell’s eye. Fashioned in intricate detail by the father-son glassmaking team of Leopold...Paperback$4799Unit price /UnavailableAvailableShips in 3-4 weeks
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Drew Harvell's A Sea of Glass receives high praise for its passionate advocacy of marine biodiversity conservation and its beautiful intertwining of science and art. Reviewers appreciate Harvell's vivid encounters with diverse marine creatures, which make an urgent call to change human behaviour regarding ocean preservation. The book is celebrated for its stunning photographs, which highlight significant ecological changes over time, and for its ability to engage and inspire a broad audience with the wonder of ocean life.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9780520303577
Publisher: University of California Press
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 02 April 2019
Country: United States
Imprint: University of California Press
Illustration: 50 color images
Contributors:
- Foreword by Harry W. Greene
Audience: Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 15.0mm
Width: 178.0mm
Height: 229.0mm
Weight: 499g
Pages: 232
About the Author
Drew Harvell is Professor of Ecology at Cornell University, Curator of the Blaschka Glass Marine Invertebrate Collection, and author of Ocean Outbreak: Confronting the Rising Tide of Marine Disease.
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