I love niche books; curious collections, quirky hobbies, borderline obsessions I’ll probably enjoy it. This book recommended by my friend Tracey of Carpe Librum book blog was just like that. Secret and obsessive ambergris hunters, a bit of marine biology, history, natural science this book was really interesting. An added surprise was seeing one of my friends named as one of the marine experts the author needed to talk to while investigating the ambergris industry. Very enjoyable read. ( )

Everything I ever wanted to know about a whale's digestive system, ambergris and beach combing I learned by reading Floating Gold: A Natural(and Unnatural)History of Ambergris. ( )

A slim book, looking into a secretive world. But do we learn that much more for having read it?

Ambergris is well known, at least to the level of sundry half-truths about it. This is the best text I've seen on really sorting out what is known about it. We find out that it does come from whales, but it's neither vomit, nor "the secretion of a diseased whale". Yet whether it's passed by whales, or only emerges when they die - if not actually killing them - we're never sure. What we do gain here is a look into the very strange world of the collectors and their secretive brokers. But everything in here is as vague and foggy as the weather on a Stewart Island beach. Does the author ever even find some for themself?

I was left somewhat disappointed by this. Which is a shame because the writing is a delight. But ambergris just remains too elusive for this book to act as a fixative. ( )

Kemp, Christopher (2012). Floating Gold: A Natural (and Unnatural) History of Ambergris. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. 2012. ISBN 9780226430379. Pagine 232. 10,44 €.

Dell’ambra grigia ho parlato di recente: questa è infatti la rtecensione del libro che mi sono affrettato a comprare e a leggere dopo l’articolo A Taste of Edible Feces pubblicato su un blog dello Smithsonian Institute.

Non ho quindi molto da aggiungere sull’ambra grigia. Posso posso dire però che Kemp è bravo e il suo libro è scritto in modo molto piacevole: si alternano parti in cui si racconta in modo molto personale come sia nata e cresciuta in lui una specie di ossessione scientifica per l’elusiva sostanza, a racconti delle sue passeggiate su diverse spiagge della Nuova Zelanda, a eruditi racconti sulle citazioni dell’ambra grigia e sulle credenze sulle sue origini nel passato remoto e recente, alla visita a diversi studiosi o cercatori o utilizzatori. Una lettura che, nonostante il tema limitatissimo, o forse proprio per questo, non mi ha mai stancato.

E naturalmente, Kemp mi ha trasmesso la curiosità di sperimentare di persona quale odore (o profumo) abbia l’ambra grigia. Lui stesso lo scopre ben oltre la metà del testo.

There are no reference points. It is like a single, remote point on a map with no landmarks anywhere by which to find it. Describing its odor to someone who has never smelled it is like trying to describe a rainbow to a blind person. Words are inadequate, but they are all we have. [1683. Il riferimento è come di consueto alle posizioni sul Kindle]

E chissà se, come uno scrittore di romanzi seriali, Kemp quando parla di alghe con un esperto, si sta lasciando aperta la strada per una nuova esplorazione:

“There’s Chondrus crispus, or Irish moss,” he says, “which is a seaweed from which you get carrageenan – a thickener for ice cream. […].” [3310] ( )

What is ambergris? From the old French ambre gris meaning "grey amber", Ambergris is a grayish waxy substance found only in the intestines of 1% of sperm whales.

Sperm whales cannot digest the beaks (mouths) of squids, and these accumulate in their stomachs, triggering the slow layering of squid beaks with concrete like faeces to create a hard ball that whale waste can pass.

Once secreted, it can float for years on ocean currents before finally washing ashore. Ambergris is incredibly valuable and is used as a fixative in the perfume industry although was also used in the recipes of the rich many hundreds of years ago.

Review
I've always been fascinated and intrigued by ambergris, both how it is formed and why it is so highly valued. After reading Floating Gold by Christopher Kemp, all my questions have been answered, and I have a new-found respect for this substance and the whales that produce it.

Kemp has a natural and engaging writing style, mixing his personal search for ambergris with all manner of information sprinkled in between. Despite the non-fiction topic, I was never distracted or bored reading Floating Gold. In fact, the ending made me exclaim out loud, and was probably the BEST ending in a non-fiction book I've read in years! (I'm not going to spoil it for anybody wanting to check it out though).

There's also a lot to enjoy for Kiwi readers too, as much takes place in New Zealand and Stewart Island.

Floating Gold is full of interesting tidbits, including that Elizabeth I was more than partial to ambergris, her cooks including it in quail dishes. I recall one of my favourite segments was when Kemp mentioned:

"...a French perfumer whose nose was so sensitive that he could smell a vial of jasmine essence and identify not only the country in which the flowers were grown but whether the machines they were processed in were made of aluminium or stainless steel."- Page 137

How incredible! Floating Gold is full of amazing and incredible information, and I thoroughly enjoyed exploring this secretive and widely unknown world. ( )