Ivorys Ghosts, John Frederick Walker
Ivorys Ghosts, John Frederick Walker
3 Rating(s)
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Ivory's Ghosts
The White Gold of History and the Fate of Elephants

Author: John Frederick Walker

Narrator: David Colacci

Unabridged: 10 hr 2 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download (DRM Protected)

Published: 01/06/2009


Synopsis

Long before gold and gemstones held allure, humans were drawn to the “jewels of the elephant” – its great tusks. Ivory is a supreme organic treasure, prized throughout the world for its pale, lustrous beauty and ability to be finely carved. In Ivory’s Ghosts, John Frederick Walker layers rich history and firsthand reportage to tell the fascinating and sometimes savage story of ivory’s enormous impact on both human history and that of its most important source: the majestic African elephant. Coveted since prehistory, ivory was the master carver’s medium in cultures from ancient Egypt to the industrializing United States. It was used for sacred amulets, classical nudes, intricate Baroque sculptures, Japanese netsuke, piano keys, and billiard balls. By the nineteenth century ivory had become the plastic of its age, and a global addiction drove the exploration and exploitation of Africa at immense human and animal cost. Insatiable demand led to the wholesale slaughter of elephants. By the 1980s, organized poaching reached record levels in East Africa, provoking an international outcry that led to an ivory trade ban still in effect today. Yet the ban has failed to stop poaching – or end the bitter, emotional debate over what to do with the legitimate and growing stockpiles of ivory from elephants that die of natural causes. In Ivory’s Ghosts, John Frederick Walker builds a wrenching – and utterly compelling – argument that it is time to ask whether a controlled return to the ivory trade could help, rather than hurt, elephants. A richly detailed account of the troubled relationship between material desire and environmental welfare, Ivory’s Ghosts is a deeply felt examination of both ivory’s past and its uncertain future – and the future of elephants themselves.

About John Frederick Walker

John Frederick Walker is the author of the highly praised A Certain Curve of Horn: The Hundred-Year Quest for the Giant Sable Antelope of Angola. His work has appeared in The New York Times, National Geographic Traveler, Wildlife Conservation, and many other publications.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Andrea on November 14, 2008

A readable and engaging history of the use and allure of ivory in human history and how the fate of elephants both has been affected by ivory's popularity and has influenced the use and availability of the material. Also, how ivory was bound up in the African slave trade and the development history......more

Goodreads review by Janine on March 21, 2021

3.5 stars. I chose this book as part of my 2021 book challenge to read a “motif” that incorporated “countries and cultures”. This book traces the history of the ivory trade across time, countries and cultures and incorporates the issue of how to help conserve rather than endanger the elephant. The i......more

Goodreads review by Troy on November 14, 2024

A surprisingly non-political and refreshing take on Africa's longstanding struggle to balance sustainable wildlife in light of "the ivory problem". As a long time Conservationist and hunter of wild game I've come to appreciate proven efforts and methodologies of sustainable and proper herd managemen......more

Goodreads review by Boyd on January 23, 2019

A fine book full of interesting facts about the Ivory trade. The pacing is a bit slow at points. I would describe it as a good but idiosyncratic book.......more

Goodreads review by JS on May 01, 2014

This is a brief history of the ivory trade followed by an illuminating look at the thorny problem of elephant conservation. It's problematic because the ivory trade can, if done legally and without violence to elephants, be a solution to elephant conservation and how the local people live in harmony......more