Call number
Publication
London, UK ; New York, NY : Bloomsbury Sigma, 2015.
Pages
304
Description
Offers an examination of mollusks, their shells, and their role in human culture, as well as their susceptibility to the effects of humans on the environment.
Awards
The Observer Book of the Year (Nature — 2015)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2015
Physical description
304 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
9781472911360
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User reviews
LibraryThing member SheTreadsSoftly
Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells by Helen Scales is a very highly recommended, fascinating nonfiction book about conchology, and, honestly, who doesn't appreciate seashells? (Just a quick glance through my home makes it clearly evident that I do.) "Members of the
Spirals in Time is not only interesting and entertaining, it is also a thoroughly engaging look at the history, biology and the scientists (and mathematicians) who study seashells, primarily mollusks. The information is presented through stories and personal experience. As author Helen Scales writes in her introduction: "This book is made up of my choice of shell stories, ones that together paint a picture of a remarkable company of animals along with some of the more offbeat, forgotten and little-known tales of how those shells have made their way into the human world."
Scales is a wonderful story teller. Her sound science and knowledge of the subject matter combined with the ability to present the information in an entertaining and engaging manner made Spirals in Time an utterly delightful and accessible book. She has some great stories to tell that just happen to pass along a bountiful amount of information.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Bloomsbury USA for review purposes.
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phylum Mollusca are among the most ancient animals on the planet. Their shells provide homes for other animals, and across the ages, people have used shells not only as trinkets but also as a form of money, and as powerful symbols of sex and death, prestige and war."Spirals in Time is not only interesting and entertaining, it is also a thoroughly engaging look at the history, biology and the scientists (and mathematicians) who study seashells, primarily mollusks. The information is presented through stories and personal experience. As author Helen Scales writes in her introduction: "This book is made up of my choice of shell stories, ones that together paint a picture of a remarkable company of animals along with some of the more offbeat, forgotten and little-known tales of how those shells have made their way into the human world."
Scales is a wonderful story teller. Her sound science and knowledge of the subject matter combined with the ability to present the information in an entertaining and engaging manner made Spirals in Time an utterly delightful and accessible book. She has some great stories to tell that just happen to pass along a bountiful amount of information.
Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Bloomsbury USA for review purposes.
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LibraryThing member unclebob53703
Interesting overview of the subject of both the life and afterlife of marine animals with shells. The author's enthusiasm is palpable, though I have to admit to being sometimes overwhelmed with tiny details. This is not a book about shell collecting, though the subject is examined in the larger
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context of history and biology. Show Less
LibraryThing member Helenliz
For a book describing something in very visual terms, this could have done with rather more pictures and illustrations. Some of the shells described I couldn't imagine, which left some of the magic stuck in the box. It could also have benefited from a species tree (or whatever it's called) as the
Starting from the experience of collecting shells on the beach the author takes you through how shells evolved, their shapes and purposes, the different creatures that have them and use them, and what humans do with them. She passes through those that can be eaten (my home town gets a section on how we poisoned the Bishop of Winchester and his guests) and those that are of scientific interest.
If you have an interest in shells and the creatures that make them, then this will be interesting, I'm just not sure how well it would go down with someone without an interest in the first place.
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author kept referring to certain species and their relation ship to other species, but I got somewhat lost without a point of reference. At times this gets rather too technical, at other times rather too evangelical about climate change and over-fishing. Not that I want to imply that these are not important, but it did sometimes feel like a lecture than an enjoyable reading experience. Starting from the experience of collecting shells on the beach the author takes you through how shells evolved, their shapes and purposes, the different creatures that have them and use them, and what humans do with them. She passes through those that can be eaten (my home town gets a section on how we poisoned the Bishop of Winchester and his guests) and those that are of scientific interest.
If you have an interest in shells and the creatures that make them, then this will be interesting, I'm just not sure how well it would go down with someone without an interest in the first place.
Show Less