Strange Harvests : The Hidden Histories of Seven Natural Objects

In a centuries-old tradition, farmers in north-western Iceland scour remote coastal plains for the down of nesting eider ducks. High inside a cave in Borneo, men perched on rickety ladders collect swiftlets' nests, a delicacy believed to be a cure for almost anything. These luxury products are two of the seven natural wonders whose stories this book tells: eiderdown, vicuña wool, sea silk, vegetable ivory, civet coffee, guano and edible birds' nests.

Following their journey from the wildest parts of the planet—traversing Iceland, Indonesia, and Peru—to its urban centres, Strange Harvests draws on the voices of the gatherers, shearers and entrepreneurs who harvest, process and trade them. Blending interviews, history and travel writing, it sets these human stories against our changing economic and ecological landscape.

The result is a book that makes us see the world with wonder, curiosity and new concern. 'Exceptional...a subtle, fascinating braiding of travel, cultural and natural history... It is a pleasure and an education to journey with Posnett in these pages' Robert Macfarlane