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Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects
An intriguing exploration of the possibility of a more mutually beneficial relationship with nature through the stories of seven uncommon objects
In this beguiling book, Edward Posnett journeys to some of the most far-flung locales on the planet to bring us seven wonders of the natural world - eiderdown, vicuña fiber, sea silk, vegetable ivory, civet coffee, guano, and edible birds' nests - that promise ways of using nature without damaging it. To the rest of the world these materials are mere commodities, but to their harvesters they are imbued with myth, tradition, folklore and ritual, and form part of a shared identity and history.
Strange Harvests follows the journeys of these objects from some of the remotest areas in the world to its most populated urban centers, drawing on the voices of the people and little-known communities who harvest, process, and trade them. Blending history, travel writing, and interviews, Posnett sets these human stories against our changing economic and ecological landscape. What do they tell us about capitalism, global market forces and overharvesting? How do local micro-economies survive in a hyper-connected world?
Strange Harvests makes us see the world with wonder, curiosity, and new concern. It is an original and magical map of our world and its riches.
In this beguiling book, Edward Posnett journeys to some of the most far-flung locales on the planet to bring us seven wonders of the natural world - eiderdown, vicuña fiber, sea silk, vegetable ivory, civet coffee, guano, and edible birds' nests - that promise ways of using nature without damaging it. To the rest of the world these materials are mere commodities, but to their harvesters they are imbued with myth, tradition, folklore and ritual, and form part of a shared identity and history.
Strange Harvests follows the journeys of these objects from some of the remotest areas in the world to its most populated urban centers, drawing on the voices of the people and little-known communities who harvest, process, and trade them. Blending history, travel writing, and interviews, Posnett sets these human stories against our changing economic and ecological landscape. What do they tell us about capitalism, global market forces and overharvesting? How do local micro-economies survive in a hyper-connected world?
Strange Harvests makes us see the world with wonder, curiosity, and new concern. It is an original and magical map of our world and its riches.
323 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2019
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2138 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
December 12, 2019
3.5 stars round up.
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects is a combination of two subjects I like: nature, and quirky, less known history of our world. The seven natural objects are: eiderdown, edible birds' nests, civet coffee, sea silk, vicuna fiber, tagua, and guano. The author wavers animal biology, historical accounts and firsthand observations into a continuous narrative in which he contemplates the nature of our relationship with other creatures on earth. I find the history of these objects fascinating and the book educational.
However, after exploring the seven uncommon objects, it is not clear what "the possibility of a more mutually beneficial relationship" is. The author has not found a pattern or two where such mutually beneficial relationship can be formed. The opposite is true: there is no way, as least according to the book, to achieve the ecological and economical equilibrium. We are not good at harmony. The history of human race is a history of exploitation.
The demand for edible birds' nests, which have no proven nutrition superiority, nearly destroyed the black swiftlets' natural habitat. Today the white edible birds' nests on the market are mostly harvested in man-made bird houses--who domesticate whom? The civet coffee industry is mostly a scam. The sea silk museum in Sant'Antioco is built on a lie. The commercialization of vicuna fiber has caused more poaching and disturbance of the animal habitat, and it has not brought wealth to the local population. And to bring back tagua to replace plastics is more or less a dream. As to guano harvesting, perhaps they should be left alone. The Guano Era, which refers to a period of stability and prosperity in Peru during the mid-19th century, was a hellish time for the imported Chinese coolies. Even the idealized Icelandic eiderdown harvesting has its dark side.
A fascinating read becomes a depressing read. Perhaps it is the subject, or perhaps it's the writing.
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects is a combination of two subjects I like: nature, and quirky, less known history of our world. The seven natural objects are: eiderdown, edible birds' nests, civet coffee, sea silk, vicuna fiber, tagua, and guano. The author wavers animal biology, historical accounts and firsthand observations into a continuous narrative in which he contemplates the nature of our relationship with other creatures on earth. I find the history of these objects fascinating and the book educational.
However, after exploring the seven uncommon objects, it is not clear what "the possibility of a more mutually beneficial relationship" is. The author has not found a pattern or two where such mutually beneficial relationship can be formed. The opposite is true: there is no way, as least according to the book, to achieve the ecological and economical equilibrium. We are not good at harmony. The history of human race is a history of exploitation.
The demand for edible birds' nests, which have no proven nutrition superiority, nearly destroyed the black swiftlets' natural habitat. Today the white edible birds' nests on the market are mostly harvested in man-made bird houses--who domesticate whom? The civet coffee industry is mostly a scam. The sea silk museum in Sant'Antioco is built on a lie. The commercialization of vicuna fiber has caused more poaching and disturbance of the animal habitat, and it has not brought wealth to the local population. And to bring back tagua to replace plastics is more or less a dream. As to guano harvesting, perhaps they should be left alone. The Guano Era, which refers to a period of stability and prosperity in Peru during the mid-19th century, was a hellish time for the imported Chinese coolies. Even the idealized Icelandic eiderdown harvesting has its dark side.
A fascinating read becomes a depressing read. Perhaps it is the subject, or perhaps it's the writing.
July 19, 2024
These connected essays on seven natural objects are well-written and engaging. I’m just thankful that I probably won’t encounter any of these objects in the course of my life, due to either their scarcity or their cost. The story of each item echoes with exploitation, suffering, and greed; I found myself feeling more and more depressed with each page. Whether exploring outright slaughter or decades of deception, the desire to possess these rare objects has ruined many lives and ecosystems and, while these stories need to be told, I’m just not in an emotional place to read them. Thus, the author is very talented and the book worthwhile, just be prepared for the weight of the subject matter.
July 17, 2019
At a time when human consumption is threatening our very survival, along with the survival of thousands of other species, comes this book examining the strange histories and travels of several natural items from harvest to marketplace. Possnet takes the reader on a fascinating, sometimes sad, journey through time and place. This is a book to savor. Recommended for those who enjoy natural and social history.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for providing me with an ARC in exchange for a fair review.
January 29, 2025
This is a cross between nature writing and travelogue, with a side of quirky history. I learned a ton about a whole bunch of stuff I didn't even know existed. While some chapters were much more interesting (birds nests, civet coffee) than others (vicuna wool, sea silk), overall I had a pretty good time with this. The narration of the audiobook is also very good!
June 29, 2024
In this book, Posnett takes us on a backstage tour of how eiderdown, edible birds' nests, civet coffee, sea silk, vicuna fiber, tagua products and guano are harvested, processed and commercialised. I already knew a fair bit about the horrors that go into producing civet coffee thanks to James Hoffmann, but I had a lot to learn about everything else. The chapter about sea silk was particularly and unexpectedly engrossing, devolving into a very delicate situation involving Chiara Vigo and the dubious claims she made about the origins of the fabric.
A very sobering look at the way capitalism wrecks ecosystems and people's lives all over the world. If I hear "trickle down" one more time I won't be accountable for my actions.
A very sobering look at the way capitalism wrecks ecosystems and people's lives all over the world. If I hear "trickle down" one more time I won't be accountable for my actions.
October 5, 2022
A book of essays on just what the title says. Start with the publisher's introduction, then read the Guardian's review, the best I saw online: https://www.theguardian.com/books/201...
Excerpt:
"Posnett moves from one example to another with moral precision, wryness and a refusal to be discouraged. Stories build subtly and sometimes with sudden drama; all are entangled in complex political, cultural and ecological circumstances."
The book itself is variable but always interesting. The opening story on the harvest of eiderdown in Iceland was my favorite, but they are all worth reading, and cover a remarkable range of topics. Book could have used maps! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
Excerpt:
"Posnett moves from one example to another with moral precision, wryness and a refusal to be discouraged. Stories build subtly and sometimes with sudden drama; all are entangled in complex political, cultural and ecological circumstances."
The book itself is variable but always interesting. The opening story on the harvest of eiderdown in Iceland was my favorite, but they are all worth reading, and cover a remarkable range of topics. Book could have used maps! 3.5 stars, rounded up.
September 20, 2019
A book that makes you think and even Goggle a few things.
April 27, 2020
What do Eiderdown; Edible Birds Nests; Civet Coffee; Sea Silk; Vicuna fiber; Tagua nuts; and Guano all have in common? They are all the subject of Edward Posnett's investigation into each of these objects.
He goes into the biology of the animal that creates each of these commodities, how history of how humans have used and taken advantage of them - in some pretty disturbing ways - along with his own firsthand observations as he travels across the world to experience the natural environment as well as talk with the various collectors. Collectors and/or guardians which have becoming more rare as most locations are off the beaten path and nearly all require hours of processing.
A few bits that I took away from each object -
Harvesters are constructing enormous birdhouses within their cities for the swifts - creators of the edible nests - in order to keep access to their own 'flocks'.
Civet coffee which has coffee beans eaten and excreted by a small cat-like animal that were originally brought to the attention of Europeans because their anal glands produce a yellow musk that was used as a base for perfume. Eew.
Eider have learned to live with the harvesters since the humans will protect their nests from predators during nesting season in exchange for the eider down discarded once the fledglings have grown. Also the term 'eider' has been used to include other bird feathers and down as well as any fiber filling.
Tagua nut or vegetable ivory was originally used for buttons but is very biodegradable. Moisture can cause the buttons to swell, crack and pop off whatever they are attached to. But since it so resembles ivory, it is also carved into small figurines and other objects.
When lemon juice is applied to sea silk or byssus or the beards of the mollusks, it turns to a golden color and has been woven into cloth since Roman times. Sardinia is where the only weavers currently live and their stock is running out since the pen mollusk is a protected species of the level which forbids any human interaction.
Vicuna fiber is all from their backs and sides as their belly is bare to enable the animal to sweat. Wonderfully soft and warm, it is also quite expensive. Ten years ago, the price of a yard ranged in the US$1500 to US$3000 range.
And what can you say about guano. I was not surprised that it was still being mined, in this case, on the islands off the coast of Peru and each island has a guardian to watch over the nesting birds. The job must be tremendously lonely and loud with bird calls.
Posnett provides several thought provoking and interesting views into our interactions with the natural world around us - well, at least with 7 of its creatures. His writing style flows easily and he tries not to propose any easy answers on sustainability, commodification or even conservation itself.
I've come away with several questions as well as reflections on what humanity is doing to the c0-inhabitants of our world. I certainly don't have the answers but Posnett certainly gave me some insight into areas that might get overlooked -- and maybe we should all that a look into seeing what we have in our own curiosity chest which is where he put all the examples he received from these travels.
2020-082
He goes into the biology of the animal that creates each of these commodities, how history of how humans have used and taken advantage of them - in some pretty disturbing ways - along with his own firsthand observations as he travels across the world to experience the natural environment as well as talk with the various collectors. Collectors and/or guardians which have becoming more rare as most locations are off the beaten path and nearly all require hours of processing.
A few bits that I took away from each object -
Harvesters are constructing enormous birdhouses within their cities for the swifts - creators of the edible nests - in order to keep access to their own 'flocks'.
Civet coffee which has coffee beans eaten and excreted by a small cat-like animal that were originally brought to the attention of Europeans because their anal glands produce a yellow musk that was used as a base for perfume. Eew.
Eider have learned to live with the harvesters since the humans will protect their nests from predators during nesting season in exchange for the eider down discarded once the fledglings have grown. Also the term 'eider' has been used to include other bird feathers and down as well as any fiber filling.
Tagua nut or vegetable ivory was originally used for buttons but is very biodegradable. Moisture can cause the buttons to swell, crack and pop off whatever they are attached to. But since it so resembles ivory, it is also carved into small figurines and other objects.
When lemon juice is applied to sea silk or byssus or the beards of the mollusks, it turns to a golden color and has been woven into cloth since Roman times. Sardinia is where the only weavers currently live and their stock is running out since the pen mollusk is a protected species of the level which forbids any human interaction.
Vicuna fiber is all from their backs and sides as their belly is bare to enable the animal to sweat. Wonderfully soft and warm, it is also quite expensive. Ten years ago, the price of a yard ranged in the US$1500 to US$3000 range.
And what can you say about guano. I was not surprised that it was still being mined, in this case, on the islands off the coast of Peru and each island has a guardian to watch over the nesting birds. The job must be tremendously lonely and loud with bird calls.
Posnett provides several thought provoking and interesting views into our interactions with the natural world around us - well, at least with 7 of its creatures. His writing style flows easily and he tries not to propose any easy answers on sustainability, commodification or even conservation itself.
I've come away with several questions as well as reflections on what humanity is doing to the c0-inhabitants of our world. I certainly don't have the answers but Posnett certainly gave me some insight into areas that might get overlooked -- and maybe we should all that a look into seeing what we have in our own curiosity chest which is where he put all the examples he received from these travels.
2020-082
November 9, 2019
In Strange Harvests, Edward Posnett investigates the ways that our "relationship with nature" has been "broken by capitalism" and uses a curiosity cabinet of natural objects to force his readers to look around their own homes and ask where from and by what processes they obtained the ordinary artifacts that make up their daily lives.
Posnett often refers to the Victorian quest genre and his work mimics it, taking him to far away places, subjecting him to trials, and sometimes imparting bleak and sober lessons about our impact on nature. He begins with the Icelandic (and possibly utopic) harvest of eiderdown. He looks into the systems of profit that rules its harvest (most of the profit does not go to those doing the work) as well as the division of labor (women are very involved in this work) and, finally, into what we destroy (arctic foxes, in this case) to protect a species we see as valuable.
Our next stop is in the nearly "insensate cave walls" of Borneo where the subject of the dangerous work of retrieving bird's nests encompasses issues such as clashes between East and West, monocultural agriculture, and fears about dampening or obscuring native voices. Similar chapters on civet coffee, sea silk, tagua nuts, and vicuna wool take on other such hard-hitting issues like conservation, cruelty, fraud, animal display, personal ethics, and slavery.
In the end, the importance of Posnett's work may not be the interesting, modern day curiosity cabinet he assembles, but the ways in which his work asks readers to come to know the products of their own lives. What is natural? Biodegradable? Ethical? What are the origins of the objects we live with? Where have they come from and who helped bring them to us? If more readers grapple with these questions, we might come to live in a more sustainable world.
Posnett often refers to the Victorian quest genre and his work mimics it, taking him to far away places, subjecting him to trials, and sometimes imparting bleak and sober lessons about our impact on nature. He begins with the Icelandic (and possibly utopic) harvest of eiderdown. He looks into the systems of profit that rules its harvest (most of the profit does not go to those doing the work) as well as the division of labor (women are very involved in this work) and, finally, into what we destroy (arctic foxes, in this case) to protect a species we see as valuable.
Our next stop is in the nearly "insensate cave walls" of Borneo where the subject of the dangerous work of retrieving bird's nests encompasses issues such as clashes between East and West, monocultural agriculture, and fears about dampening or obscuring native voices. Similar chapters on civet coffee, sea silk, tagua nuts, and vicuna wool take on other such hard-hitting issues like conservation, cruelty, fraud, animal display, personal ethics, and slavery.
In the end, the importance of Posnett's work may not be the interesting, modern day curiosity cabinet he assembles, but the ways in which his work asks readers to come to know the products of their own lives. What is natural? Biodegradable? Ethical? What are the origins of the objects we live with? Where have they come from and who helped bring them to us? If more readers grapple with these questions, we might come to live in a more sustainable world.
December 25, 2020
Really liked the first chapter and I was excited to read the rest. As the book went on I felt like it got more long-winded. I kept reading because it was peppered with really interesting facts and stories. Sometimes he got really into rabbit holes that were sort of connected but uninteresting, and I'd be skimming to get back on track to the topic of the chapter. Often I found the writing a little too precious for my taste. I think some people will really like his writing style. I didn't particularly appreciate it.
May 26, 2020
The nature travelogue aspect of Strange Harvests is engaging, but the angle that really made this book great is the analysis of capitalism and supply chains. The documentation and analysis of the desire for unique objects and materials and the ways that demand shapes local economies and destroys ecosystems is super interesting, and not a particular angle I often see in books about nature and ecology.
November 3, 2019
nonfiction; natural and social history
I thought this rambled unnecessarily (information cushioned with lots of fluff). But I skipped ahead to find out the origin story of civet coffee (stinky European hygiene plus colonial culture explains a lot).
I thought this rambled unnecessarily (information cushioned with lots of fluff). But I skipped ahead to find out the origin story of civet coffee (stinky European hygiene plus colonial culture explains a lot).
August 24, 2024
zéér interessante dingen geleerd over vanalles waar ik nooit van gehoord had
October 28, 2025
I'm hovering between 4 and 5 stars but going with 5 because ultimately I was fascinated by this book. Here's what it lacked: PICTURES! HOW CAN YOU TALK ABOUT NATURE AND PHYSICAL THINGS AND NOT GIVE ME ANY PICTURES! Well, thankfully we have the internet, so I googled a lot.
My other complaint is more philosophical, and maybe not a complaint. At the end the author suggests, maybe humans are incapable of having a balanced relationship with nature. But I think in the book he did show times where that was possible. The Inca and the vicuna had periods of balance, the eiders did, too. The sea silk, the guano, everything. The problem, to me, is rampant capitalism and make money and exploit at all costs (pun intended), rather than humans. But maybe this is the humanist in me coming out again. I think we are capable of not simply exploiting everything around us until it dies. I think we could live with higher prices and we could create systems that do not allow the rich to hoard the money from the creators and harvesters.
On the other hand, I like my luxuries. Would I want to live in a world where I can't buy unseasonable foods at any time of the year? I'd get used to it.
So Posnett gave me a lot to think about and he did it with my favorite thing, nature and especially animals.
My other complaint is more philosophical, and maybe not a complaint. At the end the author suggests, maybe humans are incapable of having a balanced relationship with nature. But I think in the book he did show times where that was possible. The Inca and the vicuna had periods of balance, the eiders did, too. The sea silk, the guano, everything. The problem, to me, is rampant capitalism and make money and exploit at all costs (pun intended), rather than humans. But maybe this is the humanist in me coming out again. I think we are capable of not simply exploiting everything around us until it dies. I think we could live with higher prices and we could create systems that do not allow the rich to hoard the money from the creators and harvesters.
On the other hand, I like my luxuries. Would I want to live in a world where I can't buy unseasonable foods at any time of the year? I'd get used to it.
So Posnett gave me a lot to think about and he did it with my favorite thing, nature and especially animals.
April 5, 2020
Posnett's book brings the eighteenth-century curiosity cabinet into the twenty-first century, as he traces the cultural histories of natural objects such as birds' nests, vicuna fiber, and guano.
October 16, 2023
Disappointing and from a very white, western POV
September 9, 2019
Lots of interesting facts contained herein, but all I ever want to know with these books is did he get an advance and how did he pay to travel all around the work just to write these essays.
October 9, 2019
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Nature
✱ Seaweed Chronicles
✱ The Seabird's Cry
✱ The Edge of the Sea
✱ Under the Sea Wind
✱ American Serengeti: The Last Big Animals of the Great Plains
✱ Eager: The Surprising, Secret Life of Beavers
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August 7, 2019
Interesting, slightly pedantic. The author tries too hard to make the connections between the objects he focuses on and the modern drive to commercialize and often ultimately destroy the delicate balanced needed to keep these objects safe from man. Could have been half as long. I learned a tremendous amount about these objects and was glad to have a dictionary at my fingertips. I frequently researched more about the objects on my own. The book could have used more photographs to connect the reader to the objects.
September 14, 2019
The first essay (about Icelandic eiderdown) was the strongest. The rest were solid, but it didn't seem to me that the author was as excited about the other topics as they were about the first one.
January 4, 2021
Boring and too long
August 7, 2019
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects by Edward Posnett is a very highly recommended, fascinating look at seven uncommon natural products.
In a synthesis of travel writing, history, interviews, and nature writing, Strange Harvests is a captivating, engaging, and thought-provoking adventure. Posnett traces the current and historical use of seven precious natural objects from their historical origin to their harvesting for use. These natural items include: eiderdown, swiftlet bird nests, civet coffee, sea silk, vicuña fiber, tagua, and guano. As Posnett points out, "Each object served an important purpose in the natural world... yet its removal, its harvest, need not spell discomfort, mutilation, or death." The book includes notes and an index.
"The eider is a fat seabird, more penguin than duck..." that can be found nesting in Iceland today where they are a protected species. Eiders don't naturally nest in large colonies but after years of co-habitation they will congregate close to humans for shelter and protection when nesting. They line their nests with eider down, which can then be collected after the eider's leave. If a harvester cares for the ducks, more will come to nest, which, in turn, will increase the amount of eider to be harvested. The coat of a vicuña is another incredibly soft, insulating fiber that is treasured. Vicuñas roam in the Andean puna,which accounts for the development of their coat. After facing extinction, vicuñas are now protected by the communities that have a stake in their survival, with the reserve of Pampas Galeras at the forefront of the efforts.
The black-nest Swiftlet makes nests that are edible and treasured by the Chinese. The nests have been a major export commodity, perhaps as far back as the T’ang dynasty (618–907). "During breeding season, both male and female birds begin to retch and chew, excreting small strands of a thick, gelatinous substance from these modified salivary glands lying below their tongue. This they spread in arched form across the cave wall, inserting dark brown or black feathers from their plumage. After thirty days, the initial arch has grown to form a shallow cup into which the bird lays one egg." These nests are made on the roof of caves and harvesting them is a physical challenge. Recently harvesters have been making birdhouses to attract swiftlets to live in buildings.
The story of civet coffee, or kopi luwak, is as riveting as it is somewhat disgusting. Civet musk has been collected and sold for years. A more recent development is collecting coffee beans after they have been eaten and excreted by civets, and selling this as kopi luwak, civet coffee. The digestive enzymes are supposed to add a distinctive flavor to the coffee. Along the same excremental lines, guano has been collected off of some eighty islands off the coast of Peru. These island receive little rain, so the guano built up and accumulated to vast amounts of organic fertilizer.
The tagua nut is from a palm, Phytelephas, found mostly in northwestern South America. It is creamy white, dense, and smooth and its cellulose is arranged in concentric circles. In the past, it was discovered that the tagua nut could easily be carved into buttons, figurines, and toys. Plastic has now replaced the market for tagua buttons, but there is hope among botanists and development experts that if people learned they could make money for the harvest of “nontimber forest products” (NTFPs), it might induce forest conservation.
Bivalve mollusks, such as mussels, clams, scallops, and pen shells, produce silken threads known as byssus. This sea silk or byssus, is used as an anchor by the mollusks to tether themselves to the seafloor against the push and pull of the waves. Underwater, the beards look like brown moss, full of algae and small shells, but when cleaned and combed, they appear to be golden threads, commonly known as sea silk. These threads have been prized for their shine and strangeness for nearly two thousand years. Harvesting them is now prohibited. Until October, 2016, a weaver in Sardinia who called herself the "Maestro Chiara Vigo" ran the "The Museum of Byssus" and claimed a history of weaving that discounted others. Now that the museum has been closed, other women in Sant’Antioco, the descendants of the weavers from Italo Diana’s school, are exchange their stories and reclaiming their heritage.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Publishing Group.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/0...
In a synthesis of travel writing, history, interviews, and nature writing, Strange Harvests is a captivating, engaging, and thought-provoking adventure. Posnett traces the current and historical use of seven precious natural objects from their historical origin to their harvesting for use. These natural items include: eiderdown, swiftlet bird nests, civet coffee, sea silk, vicuña fiber, tagua, and guano. As Posnett points out, "Each object served an important purpose in the natural world... yet its removal, its harvest, need not spell discomfort, mutilation, or death." The book includes notes and an index.
"The eider is a fat seabird, more penguin than duck..." that can be found nesting in Iceland today where they are a protected species. Eiders don't naturally nest in large colonies but after years of co-habitation they will congregate close to humans for shelter and protection when nesting. They line their nests with eider down, which can then be collected after the eider's leave. If a harvester cares for the ducks, more will come to nest, which, in turn, will increase the amount of eider to be harvested. The coat of a vicuña is another incredibly soft, insulating fiber that is treasured. Vicuñas roam in the Andean puna,which accounts for the development of their coat. After facing extinction, vicuñas are now protected by the communities that have a stake in their survival, with the reserve of Pampas Galeras at the forefront of the efforts.
The black-nest Swiftlet makes nests that are edible and treasured by the Chinese. The nests have been a major export commodity, perhaps as far back as the T’ang dynasty (618–907). "During breeding season, both male and female birds begin to retch and chew, excreting small strands of a thick, gelatinous substance from these modified salivary glands lying below their tongue. This they spread in arched form across the cave wall, inserting dark brown or black feathers from their plumage. After thirty days, the initial arch has grown to form a shallow cup into which the bird lays one egg." These nests are made on the roof of caves and harvesting them is a physical challenge. Recently harvesters have been making birdhouses to attract swiftlets to live in buildings.
The story of civet coffee, or kopi luwak, is as riveting as it is somewhat disgusting. Civet musk has been collected and sold for years. A more recent development is collecting coffee beans after they have been eaten and excreted by civets, and selling this as kopi luwak, civet coffee. The digestive enzymes are supposed to add a distinctive flavor to the coffee. Along the same excremental lines, guano has been collected off of some eighty islands off the coast of Peru. These island receive little rain, so the guano built up and accumulated to vast amounts of organic fertilizer.
The tagua nut is from a palm, Phytelephas, found mostly in northwestern South America. It is creamy white, dense, and smooth and its cellulose is arranged in concentric circles. In the past, it was discovered that the tagua nut could easily be carved into buttons, figurines, and toys. Plastic has now replaced the market for tagua buttons, but there is hope among botanists and development experts that if people learned they could make money for the harvest of “nontimber forest products” (NTFPs), it might induce forest conservation.
Bivalve mollusks, such as mussels, clams, scallops, and pen shells, produce silken threads known as byssus. This sea silk or byssus, is used as an anchor by the mollusks to tether themselves to the seafloor against the push and pull of the waves. Underwater, the beards look like brown moss, full of algae and small shells, but when cleaned and combed, they appear to be golden threads, commonly known as sea silk. These threads have been prized for their shine and strangeness for nearly two thousand years. Harvesting them is now prohibited. Until October, 2016, a weaver in Sardinia who called herself the "Maestro Chiara Vigo" ran the "The Museum of Byssus" and claimed a history of weaving that discounted others. Now that the museum has been closed, other women in Sant’Antioco, the descendants of the weavers from Italo Diana’s school, are exchange their stories and reclaiming their heritage.
Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of Penguin Publishing Group.
http://www.shetreadssoftly.com/2019/0...
August 14, 2023
I'm glad my time with this book produces enrichment in my world view. This is because the author is an exquisite writer who mixes his attentive historical research with his personal investigative endeavor about seven exotic things that takes him to many places and interview many people. I have absorbed informative narratives about how ideal coexistence between humanity and nature can be like, to how other groups of humanity senselessly extract from nature (living and non-living) and/or exploit other groups of people who happen to be in a lower socioeconomic class without regard to good governance or mercy. In essence, this book imparts enriching stories about those exotics things as much as about our kind and our deeds that exemplify who we are and our place, good and bad, in the grand scheme of nature and our societies.
The author writes eloquently with his vast view of matters involved in the entire scope of this book and his tone is non-pedagogic but sensibly persuasive. His application of critical thinking is a good example for readers to digest and emulate.
The overall enriching picture I get from this book is more about some groups of our humanity than those 7 exotics objects and the lesson is still consistent with what I learned from other history books : that the current glory of the "western world" was based on senseless extraction of natural resources and exploitation of other less "advanced" tribes. (What makes me a bit sad in that many groups in the rest of contemporary world emulate this bad behavior! :-( ) This helps me understand many news pieces I found in the past decade about some national and local governments making statements for apology and reparation to contemporary descendants of many local tribes around the world. I could not wait for the next book from this author.
Readers who want to explore more on contemporary investigative report, I highly recommend 2 books by Adam Minter : Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale and Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade. And this is another good one on giving us correct view of history : Past Mistakes : How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters.
The author writes eloquently with his vast view of matters involved in the entire scope of this book and his tone is non-pedagogic but sensibly persuasive. His application of critical thinking is a good example for readers to digest and emulate.
The overall enriching picture I get from this book is more about some groups of our humanity than those 7 exotics objects and the lesson is still consistent with what I learned from other history books : that the current glory of the "western world" was based on senseless extraction of natural resources and exploitation of other less "advanced" tribes. (What makes me a bit sad in that many groups in the rest of contemporary world emulate this bad behavior! :-( ) This helps me understand many news pieces I found in the past decade about some national and local governments making statements for apology and reparation to contemporary descendants of many local tribes around the world. I could not wait for the next book from this author.
Readers who want to explore more on contemporary investigative report, I highly recommend 2 books by Adam Minter : Secondhand: Travels in the New Global Garage Sale and Junkyard Planet: Travels in the Billion-Dollar Trash Trade. And this is another good one on giving us correct view of history : Past Mistakes : How We Misinterpret History and Why it Matters.
July 31, 2023
What an absolute delight.
It’s difficult to tackle some of these dense topics and still have room for beautiful prose or a sense of levity, but Edward Posnett makes it look easy. This is a stunningly written account of seven harvested living things that have been commodified in one way or another. Posnett offers a truly well-rounded perspective, backing up his thoughts with detailed research and careful consideration of all involved parties. There is an impossible, unavoidable relationship between humans and the natural world, and the messy details of the specific relationships paints the picture of an unsolvable problem. How can there be coexistence without violence or annihilation? How can humans ethically consume without devastating, and is it worth it to try? Is there a dollar amount that would make it worth our while?
Reading about these natural wonders, each story an echo of the last, can feel hopeless. There is a finite amount of nature and an endless supply of greed.
And yet…isn’t it enough to know that someone cares? From the earliest stewards of the land all the way to the modern guardians of guano, is it enough that there are always going to be people who care about the world around us? Is that enough to save something?
Historically speaking, it’s hard to say. We live in a world that glorifies profit above all else. A bird, a tree, a bivalve…these things are just another x on a map, a numerical value to be carried over to whichever party can dish out the most cash.
I’m falling asleep while writing this i gotta finish tomorrow
[ very weird side note: I found this book in the strangest way. I won’t bore you with the long tale but the rabbit hole went something like: origin of the word Argo>Jason and the Argonauts>Jason and the Golden Fleece>real life inspiration for Golden Fleece>sea silk>google search “where can I touch sea silk”>auction house announcing the sale of a sea silk hat>article on aforementioned auction has a note that the author of said article has written a book that discusses sea silk>immediate purchase! Wasn’t that a wild ride? This is why you should always look up the origin of a word, kids! You never know what you might learn!]
And now here I am, feeling like I’ve been taken on an adventure around the world with someone who genuinely cares about the impossible relationship between humans and other living creatures.
It’s difficult to tackle some of these dense topics and still have room for beautiful prose or a sense of levity, but Edward Posnett makes it look easy. This is a stunningly written account of seven harvested living things that have been commodified in one way or another. Posnett offers a truly well-rounded perspective, backing up his thoughts with detailed research and careful consideration of all involved parties. There is an impossible, unavoidable relationship between humans and the natural world, and the messy details of the specific relationships paints the picture of an unsolvable problem. How can there be coexistence without violence or annihilation? How can humans ethically consume without devastating, and is it worth it to try? Is there a dollar amount that would make it worth our while?
Reading about these natural wonders, each story an echo of the last, can feel hopeless. There is a finite amount of nature and an endless supply of greed.
And yet…isn’t it enough to know that someone cares? From the earliest stewards of the land all the way to the modern guardians of guano, is it enough that there are always going to be people who care about the world around us? Is that enough to save something?
Historically speaking, it’s hard to say. We live in a world that glorifies profit above all else. A bird, a tree, a bivalve…these things are just another x on a map, a numerical value to be carried over to whichever party can dish out the most cash.
I’m falling asleep while writing this i gotta finish tomorrow
[ very weird side note: I found this book in the strangest way. I won’t bore you with the long tale but the rabbit hole went something like: origin of the word Argo>Jason and the Argonauts>Jason and the Golden Fleece>real life inspiration for Golden Fleece>sea silk>google search “where can I touch sea silk”>auction house announcing the sale of a sea silk hat>article on aforementioned auction has a note that the author of said article has written a book that discusses sea silk>immediate purchase! Wasn’t that a wild ride? This is why you should always look up the origin of a word, kids! You never know what you might learn!]
And now here I am, feeling like I’ve been taken on an adventure around the world with someone who genuinely cares about the impossible relationship between humans and other living creatures.
September 1, 2022
This was a masterful graphic design, for starters. How could one resist?
This was interesting because it didn't remotely go the way I expected. I sort of imagined a more scientific-minded or adventure-minded exploration of the objects at play. Instead, we get Posnett, who used to work in the I am sure very exciting world of "financial investigations." The book paints him as a former worker in international trade, and that is the lens from which we approach each of our natural wonders.
If this sounds dry, it surprisingly isn't. But it does mean that each object is explored mostly through its history as an item of trade, as opposed to a natural history. We learn quite a bit about the folks exploiting resources, about the inequality between the harvesters and the exporters, etc. To Posnett's credit, he seems to always be seeking an idealized symbiosis, a "crop" that can be harvested at no detriment to its provider. His past in finance does not cloud his eye to the realities of underpaid workers and overworked animals. But it does lend an odd tone, one that feels more realist, tempering the wonder of these natural objects, and approaching them as the commodities they have become. No less weird: his travels seem to come at a whim. He strikes the reader differently than a scientist, or an adventurer, or even a real collector. He just seems like a guy who heard about civet coffee and hopped a jet to the source. This isn't bad, per se. But it does leave a bit of a disconnect.
That aside, the writing does remain engaging, especially when you feel like there's a bigger story. His opening piece on Eiderdown is clearly a work of love, a story he has connected deeply to, and its no wonder that this was the piece that led him to consider expanding to a full book. On the other hand, there is the chapter on Sea Silk, which gets swept up in mythology and mysticism as he explores an almost secretive history of the fiber with as many threads as a garment would have. It's just a surprisingly downer book all in all, where you'd probably expect a celebration of the wonders of the natural world.
This was interesting because it didn't remotely go the way I expected. I sort of imagined a more scientific-minded or adventure-minded exploration of the objects at play. Instead, we get Posnett, who used to work in the I am sure very exciting world of "financial investigations." The book paints him as a former worker in international trade, and that is the lens from which we approach each of our natural wonders.
If this sounds dry, it surprisingly isn't. But it does mean that each object is explored mostly through its history as an item of trade, as opposed to a natural history. We learn quite a bit about the folks exploiting resources, about the inequality between the harvesters and the exporters, etc. To Posnett's credit, he seems to always be seeking an idealized symbiosis, a "crop" that can be harvested at no detriment to its provider. His past in finance does not cloud his eye to the realities of underpaid workers and overworked animals. But it does lend an odd tone, one that feels more realist, tempering the wonder of these natural objects, and approaching them as the commodities they have become. No less weird: his travels seem to come at a whim. He strikes the reader differently than a scientist, or an adventurer, or even a real collector. He just seems like a guy who heard about civet coffee and hopped a jet to the source. This isn't bad, per se. But it does leave a bit of a disconnect.
That aside, the writing does remain engaging, especially when you feel like there's a bigger story. His opening piece on Eiderdown is clearly a work of love, a story he has connected deeply to, and its no wonder that this was the piece that led him to consider expanding to a full book. On the other hand, there is the chapter on Sea Silk, which gets swept up in mythology and mysticism as he explores an almost secretive history of the fiber with as many threads as a garment would have. It's just a surprisingly downer book all in all, where you'd probably expect a celebration of the wonders of the natural world.
August 29, 2020
Just when you think maybe there's a way to harvest in some responsible manner, you learn there's a corporate or self serving issue that's hurting or destroying something else. Starting out with Eiderdown. Nice that the down is harvested AFTER the geese have left for the season. and that they are taken care of and protected while breeding and raising their chicks. BUT the poor fox are killed in the process to protect the valuable nests and their down! UGH! I had no idea. And the eating of puffins! I thought they were endangered?? And Eiderdown has got to be the most ridiculously expensive bunch of feathers on the market. (rolling eyes). I was raised with goose down featherbeds- trust me- they keep you are warm. To say nothing of the synthetics. I use those, too. Just as good! Only the princess from Princess and the Pea could be that sensitive. Get rid of the ooo, ahh of the down and let nature take care of it's own.
Money trumps nature it seems. Bird'sNest soup is selling for hundred's of dollars at the expense of the swifts who produce those nests. Civet coffee (kopi luwak)is way over priced coffee. Its humble origins to it's confining civets in cages to mass produce civet poo to sell at exorbitant prices to unknowing coffee drinkers worldwide. Money to be made at any price.
The book is very well researched and beautifully written, but sad. I am a natural born skeptic, so this book was right up my alley. Everyone should know from where and how their food and goods are sourced. Too often, it's not ethical, and it's not sustainable, it's destructive, and just not truthful.. But the money and greed just keep it going....tragic.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
Money trumps nature it seems. Bird'sNest soup is selling for hundred's of dollars at the expense of the swifts who produce those nests. Civet coffee (kopi luwak)is way over priced coffee. Its humble origins to it's confining civets in cages to mass produce civet poo to sell at exorbitant prices to unknowing coffee drinkers worldwide. Money to be made at any price.
The book is very well researched and beautifully written, but sad. I am a natural born skeptic, so this book was right up my alley. Everyone should know from where and how their food and goods are sourced. Too often, it's not ethical, and it's not sustainable, it's destructive, and just not truthful.. But the money and greed just keep it going....tragic.
I received a Kindle arc from Netgalley in exchange for a fair review.
December 29, 2019
Natural curiosities that shape and are shaped by our tortured relationship with the environment
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects, by Posnett, is a lyrical rumination on a collection of seven odd natural items. Posnett focuses on eiderdown, the famous bird nests of bird nest soup fame (actually dried bird saliva), civet coffee (passed through the alimentary canal of the historically abused civet), sea silk (from mollusks), vicuna wool, tagua (an ivory like nut) and guano.
It’s a fascinating collection of items which, grouped in this way, provides indirect commentary and sly insights into capitalism, consumerism, conservation and the quickening degradation of the natural world. Each item is treated with a unique blend of poetic writing, historical and biological information and firsthand personal experiences as he visits the various sites where each are harvested.
There’s an appropriate undercurrent of the insidious effects of capitalism stressing these various natural resources and threatening to destroy the habitats necessary to support their continued production.
Posnett is a talented writer, if a little too introspective at times, and this book is definitely worth the read. And the thought of vast fortunes being made on bird poop, along with eleven-story towers of guano piled up on a sun-blasted island off the coast, of Peru is pretty startling.
Strange Harvests: The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects, by Posnett, is a lyrical rumination on a collection of seven odd natural items. Posnett focuses on eiderdown, the famous bird nests of bird nest soup fame (actually dried bird saliva), civet coffee (passed through the alimentary canal of the historically abused civet), sea silk (from mollusks), vicuna wool, tagua (an ivory like nut) and guano.
It’s a fascinating collection of items which, grouped in this way, provides indirect commentary and sly insights into capitalism, consumerism, conservation and the quickening degradation of the natural world. Each item is treated with a unique blend of poetic writing, historical and biological information and firsthand personal experiences as he visits the various sites where each are harvested.
There’s an appropriate undercurrent of the insidious effects of capitalism stressing these various natural resources and threatening to destroy the habitats necessary to support their continued production.
Posnett is a talented writer, if a little too introspective at times, and this book is definitely worth the read. And the thought of vast fortunes being made on bird poop, along with eleven-story towers of guano piled up on a sun-blasted island off the coast, of Peru is pretty startling.
January 14, 2021
An interesting read on the procurement of various unique items, as well as their histories. Starting with eiderdown, moving to swiftlets nests, civet coffee, sea silk, guano, and plant "ivory". Telling of the strange histories of all of these particular items, it is an intriguing look into the production and backgrounds of items that most of the time you really only hear about. Giving these "unicorn" items life and their sometimes turbulent pasts, to how we as humans have harbored and facilitated those relationships with these plants and animals, some for commercialization, others for preservation.
While very entertaining and fascinating, I did find a few of the times in the book seem to drag on. For one particular instance, that of the maestro Vigo. Her story ended up feeling quite repetitive and boring after a while. While I understand the significance of telling her story to understand the altered history of Sea silk in Sant'Otioco, the way the author went about it, seemed to drag it on for far too long. Also with some of the items, while giving a history of its use in industrialization, at times the book seems much more about the individuals associated with the items and their procurement rather than the items themselves.
While very entertaining and fascinating, I did find a few of the times in the book seem to drag on. For one particular instance, that of the maestro Vigo. Her story ended up feeling quite repetitive and boring after a while. While I understand the significance of telling her story to understand the altered history of Sea silk in Sant'Otioco, the way the author went about it, seemed to drag it on for far too long. Also with some of the items, while giving a history of its use in industrialization, at times the book seems much more about the individuals associated with the items and their procurement rather than the items themselves.
November 26, 2021
What a borefest. I normally love these kinds of books but this author just put me to sleep. He travels around the world searching for stories about seven pretty obscure items and unexpectedly, the stories surrounding these obsolete and enigmatic items are fairly dull and uninteresting. Or maybe it's just the way the author tells these stories. It's interminably boring and sleep-inducing. I forced myself to finish it just to formulate an honest impression. The author doesn't tell the story of the objects - he tells the story of his interest and search for the objects which, in the hands of a better author (see Jeremy Seal's The Snakebite Survivor Club) might make for intriguing reading, but this author just can't get out of his own way. He goes back in time, then jumps forward in time, then back in time again and then flies off on an unrelated tangent for while, then back to the present....I do not feel any more informed about any of the seven items featured in the book and it was a Herculean effort just to stay awake and finish this mess. It took me over a year just to slam the lid shut on this book. Honestly, this book is the cure for insomnia. Don't they have any editors at Viking Press?
February 19, 2022
Strange Harvests follows Edward Posnett as he travels the world, looking into seven incredibly obscure animal/plant products, and exploring the sustainability (social, economic, environmental) aspects surrounding them. This book asks the question: can we, as modern humans, find a nondestructive way to profit from the environment without harming it.
Back in high school, I did a curiosity cabinet project for Jane Eyre, so I was intrigued that it was the framing device for this book. Posnett goes about creating his own collection of items, a more positive echo of Britain's archaic and slightly concerning "collection" practices from back in the day. However, he goes deeper than the cabinet he creates, because the better curiosity cabinet is this book, made up of a depth of knowledge about each object and a greater understanding of how humans fit into this world.
My personal favorite chapters here were on byssus (sea silk), and vicuna wool. Both presented incredibly rich and nuanced histories of the socioeconomic factors surrounding each item, and extrapolated interpretations of the present day from those histories. Overall, though, each chapter presents a compelling narrative story along with the information it presents, and I honestly would just recommend you check it out for yourself.
The one thing I found off-putting about this book at times was that Posnett's tone often dips into the "look but don't interfere" realm popularized by BBC Nature documentaries. I personally don't love this rhetorical style, because I think that in the long-term it leads to a general lack of action on environmental issues. (BUT after having listened to several nature books lately, I have to admit that this is just the rhetorical style of the genre, and I really can't fault Posnett for going with it.) I do, however, really like that the author doesn't shy away from the fact that he is idealistic, and that his idealism has shaped his travels.
If you love learning about super obscure systems and ecologies, then there couldn't be a better book for you.
Back in high school, I did a curiosity cabinet project for Jane Eyre, so I was intrigued that it was the framing device for this book. Posnett goes about creating his own collection of items, a more positive echo of Britain's archaic and slightly concerning "collection" practices from back in the day. However, he goes deeper than the cabinet he creates, because the better curiosity cabinet is this book, made up of a depth of knowledge about each object and a greater understanding of how humans fit into this world.
My personal favorite chapters here were on byssus (sea silk), and vicuna wool. Both presented incredibly rich and nuanced histories of the socioeconomic factors surrounding each item, and extrapolated interpretations of the present day from those histories. Overall, though, each chapter presents a compelling narrative story along with the information it presents, and I honestly would just recommend you check it out for yourself.
The one thing I found off-putting about this book at times was that Posnett's tone often dips into the "look but don't interfere" realm popularized by BBC Nature documentaries. I personally don't love this rhetorical style, because I think that in the long-term it leads to a general lack of action on environmental issues. (BUT after having listened to several nature books lately, I have to admit that this is just the rhetorical style of the genre, and I really can't fault Posnett for going with it.) I do, however, really like that the author doesn't shy away from the fact that he is idealistic, and that his idealism has shaped his travels.
If you love learning about super obscure systems and ecologies, then there couldn't be a better book for you.
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