It is a travelogue, a finely argued indictment of colonization and capitalism, a reanimation of scientists lost to the official narrative, and, most ringingly, the story of the way shells and the soft and vulnerable animals within them reflect back both the greatness of human ingenuity and the equally immense and rippling effect of human harm to the natural world. From 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'- Provided by publisher.This is not a scolding book it's an awestruck travelogue and appreciation of something beautiful.With each page, Barnett's meticulous insights soon had me marveling with new appreciation., The Sound of the Sea is as exquisite, many-chambered, and luminous as the shells Cynthia Barnett describes in her wild and hybrid book. 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. 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. The end of abundance Saving the queens Glowing future Trust in nature - Conclusion: The open end.

Money Madness American shells Shell Oil Shell shock - Oracle. First shells Everything from shells The voice of the past Great cities of shell - Capital.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 349-402) and index.

The sound of the sea by cynthia barnett