The Curious World Of Seaweed

Marine algae are the supreme eco-engineers of life: they oxygenate the waters, create habitat for countless other organisms, and form the base of a food chain that keeps our planet unique in the universe as we know it. In this beautiful volume Josie Iselin explores both the artistic and the biological presence of sixteen seaweeds and kelps that live in the thin region where the Pacific Ocean converges with the North American continent--a place of incomparable richness. Each species receives a detailed description of its structure, ecological importance, and humans' scientific inquiry into it, told in scientifically illuminating yet deeply reverent and inspired prose. Throughout the writings are historical botanical illustrations and Iselin's signature, Marimekko-like portraits of each specimen that reveal their vibrant colors--whether rosy, "olivaceous," or grass-green--and whimsical shapes. Iselin posits that we can learn not only about the seaweeds but also from them: their resilience, their resourcefulness, their poetry and magic.

In this captivating book, artist and avid beachcomber Josie Iselin reveals the unexpected beauty of seaweed. Produced on a flatbed scanner, Iselin's vibrant portraits of ocean flora reveal the exquisite color and extraordinary forms of more than two hundred specimens gathered from tidal pools along the California and Maine coasts. Her engaging text, which accompanies the images, blends personal observation and philosophical musings with scientific fact. Now available in paperback for the first time, this edition includes a new foreword and updated nomenclature. An Ocean Garden is a poetic and compelling tribute to the natural world and the wonder it evokes.

Iselin, author of "Beach Stones," has put together a magical collection of 100 heart stones, each one expressing a universal feeling such as love, passion, admiration, obsession, reassurance, joy, intrigue, comfort, wonder, and many other emotions.

Champions seaweed as a staple food while simultaneously explaining its biology, ecology, cultural history, and gastronomy.

Photographer Josie Iselin celebrates the diversity and beauty of these transitory objects with lushly detailed portraits of foliage she has gathered. She arranges natural objects into striking images, which she produces on a flatbed scanner. In her introduction and captions, nature writer Mary Ellen Hannibal thoughtfully examines leaves and pods in all their variety, explaining why they look as they do and their essential role in supporting life on earth.

Seashells celebrates some of nature's loveliest objects and illuminates the mysteries of life undersea.

This exquisite volume--at once a gorgeous art book and a nature guide--presents more than 200 exceptional stones from around the world and describes the fascinating natural processes that produced them. Art lovers and beachcombing spirits everywhere will cherish this gift book.

Say "algae" and most people think of pond scum. What they don't know is that without algae, none of us would exist.