Floating Gold: The Search for Ambergris, The Most Elusive Natural Substance in the World

Floating Gold: The Search for Ambergris, The Most Elusive Natural Substance in the World by Christopher Kemp


ISBN
9780732291914
Published
Binding
Paperback
Pages
320
Dimensions
135 x 205 x 24mm

Journalist and biologist Christopher Kemp discovers, after reading an odd new report, a hidden world of money, intrigue and amazing wealth. A lump of something turns up on a beach in NZ, the lump so strange it may well have come from out of space. But it's not a dead alien, it's ambergris.

Ambergris is a by-product of sperm whales, used for centuries as a perfume, medicine and aphrodisiac. It appears on beaches all over the world and depending on what state it's in, can be mistaken for all manner of things. For those in the know, it's an amazing source of wealth -- ambergris trades for US$20 a gram, which is nearly as much as gold but it's harder to find and it cannot be mined.

Christopher Kemp travels from the shores of NZ, to the Smithsonian and New Nedford Whaling museum; he meets amateurs, professional hunters, scientists, elusive vendors who traffic ambergris, people who won't confess to have found any, and strangers denying what they are looking for. As he discovers more about ambergris' origins, its uses present day and historic, the outrageous lengths people have gone to find it and the intriguing efforts people go to in order to keep what they know about ambergris a secret, the more his infectious obsession grows.
Christmas Catalogue 2024 x BookFrenzy
21.24
RRP: $24.99
15% off RRP


This product is unable to be ordered online. Please check in-store availability.
Instore Price: $24.99
Enter your Postcode or Suburb to view availability and delivery times.

Other Titles by Christopher Kemp

The Lost Species
39.95
39.95
_% Off

You might also like

Tracks
22.99
19.54
15% Off
Everest Inc
34.99
29.74
15% Off
Wild
24.99
21.24
15% Off
Why The Dutch Are Different
24.99
21.24
15% Off
Road To Little Dribbling
24.99
21.24
15% Off
From Scratch
29.99
25.49
15% Off
The Wild Silence
22.99
19.54
15% Off
On The Trail Of Genghis Khan
22.99
19.54
15% Off

RRP refers to the Recommended Retail Price as set out by the original publisher at time of release.
The RRP set by overseas publishers may vary to those set by local publishers due to exchange rates and shipping costs.
Due to our competitive pricing, we may have not sold all products at their original RRP.