Drawing on diverse perspectives, this collection of 12 essays and around 150 colour illustrations explores the history and mysteries of the “Coral Road” from the Mediterranean to Japan. From Italy, with its ancient traditions of deep-sea coral fishery, production and trade, the reader is transported to Tibet and India, where coral has long been revered as a Buddhist treasure and amulet. The focus then moves to Japan, with the book highlighting the vivid red coral “tree” of folklore and festivals and the lavish use of the exotic gemstone in the magnificent accessories and craftwork of the Edo Period (1603–1868), before tracing the history of Japanese coral fishery, trade and production in modern times. Inspired by an urgently perceived need to preserve the legacy of precious coral for future generations, this retrospective, yet forward-looking, book will appeal to a wide readership, from marine ecologists to economic, social, cultural and religious historians, as well as scholars of fashion and design.

A literary and cultural history of coral—as an essential element of the marine ecosystem, a personal ornament, a global commodity, and a powerful political metaphor Today, coral and the human-caused threats to coral reef ecosystems symbolize our ongoing planetary crisis. In the nineteenth century, coral represented something else; as a recurring motif in American literature and culture, it shaped popular ideas about human society and politics. In Coral Lives, Michele Currie Navakas tells the story of coral as an essential element of the marine ecosystem, a cherished personal ornament, a global commodity, and a powerful political metaphor. Drawing on a wide range of sources, including works by such writers as Sarah Josepha Hale, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, and George Washington Cable, Navakas shows how coral once helped Americans to recognize both the potential and the limits of interdependence—to imagine that their society could grow, like a coral reef, by sustaining rather than displacing others. Navakas shows how coral became deeply entwined with the histories of slavery, wage labor, and women’s reproductive and domestic work. If coral seemed to some nineteenth-century American writers to be a metaphor for a truly just collective society, it also showed them, by analogy, that society can seem most robust precisely when it is in fact most unfree for the laborers sustaining it. Navakas’s trailblazing cultural history reveals that coral has long been conceptually indispensable to humans, and its loss is more than biological. Without it, we lose some of our most complex political imaginings, recognitions, reckonings, and longings.

This book is an attempt to present a comprehensive view on the aquatic biogeog raphy of a small but very dynamic and complex area of the globe. Luckily, this area, called here the Levant, has attracted much interest in the past and is being increasingly studied in the present. The interphasing between the knowledge of the historical and formative processes and that of the recent distributional aspects is fairly good. The recent years saw also a widening effort which expressed itself in several symposia and monographic books. Therefore I considered it possible to treat the whole subject of the aquatic biogeography of the Levant singlehandedly rather than in the presently widespread manner of an edited book. I am keenly conscious of the shortcommings of my approach of presenting much second-hand information. Possibly this is being compensated by the fact that this book has a more coherent structure and eventually a clearer scientific message. The effort spent in synthesizing the data from the widely different sources hopefully pays off in a presentation which is more easily comprehended by the average reader. For the suspicious reader, I would recommend to read first the closing chapter of this book in which the quintescence of this book and its message is presented in a summariz ing manner.

Global Trade and Cultural Authentication, edited by Joanne Eicher, showcases the complexity and enduring aesthetic and ingenuity of Kalabari artisans. The Kalabari people, most of whom make their homes in the eastern Niger Delta region of western Africa, are renowned for the artistry in working with globally imported textiles and dress for centuries. The 22 essays in this edited volume feature the work of leading Nigerian and American scholars and offer an in-depth, nuanced understanding of Kalabari textiles, aesthetics, and engagement with past and present global trade networks. Using dress and textiles as a lens, Global Trade and Cultural Authentication explores the Kalabari people's centuries-long role in the global trade arena. Their economic interconnectedness demonstrates that Africa was never a "dark continent" but, rather, critically involved in a global trade built around Kalabari resourcefulness and imagination.

Much is being written about China’s new 'One Belt, One Road' initiative, but much of the writing focuses on China itself, on the destinations of the road – Europe and the Middle East – or on the countries through which the road passes, such as Central Asia. This book takes a different approach, assessing the views of East Asian and other countries on the Belt and Road Initiative, both from a transnational and multidisciplinary perspective. The book considers international visions and limitations of the New Silk Road as a new paradigm, explores economic and trade aspects, including infrastructure networks, financial mechanisms, and the likely impact for other countries and regions, and analyses the likely implications for regional and trans-regional cooperation and competition. Western and Asian regional perspectives on the New Silk Road, including from India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia and Japan are considered throughout the book.

The DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Florida is your indispensable guide to this beautiful part of the U.S. The fully updated guide includes unique cutaways, floor plans, and reconstructions of the must-see sites, plus street-by-street maps of all the fascinating cities and towns. This new-look guide is also packed with photographs and illustrations leading you straight to the best attractions. This uniquely visual DK Eyewitness Travel Guide will help you discover everything region-by-region, from local festivals and markets to day trips around the countryside. Detailed listings will guide you to the best hotels, restaurants, bars, and shops for all budgets, while detailed practical information will help you to get around, whether by train, bus, or car. Plus, DK's excellent insider tips and essential local information will help you explore every corner of Florida effortlessly.

Winner of the 2020 Sami Rohr Prize for Jewish Literature "Dramatic and illuminating…[R]aises momentous questions about nationality, religion, literature, and even the Holocaust." —Adam Kirsch, The Atlantic When Franz Kafka died in 1924, his loyal friend Max Brod could not bring himself to fulfill Kafka’s last instruction: to burn his remaining manuscripts. Instead, Brod devoted his life to championing Kafka’s work, rescuing his legacy from both obscurity and physical destruction. Nearly a century later, an international legal battle erupted to determine which country could claim ownership: the Jewish state, where Kafka dreamed of living, or Germany, where Kafka’s three sisters perished in the Holocaust? Benjamin Balint offers a gripping account of the controversial trial in Israeli courts—brimming with dilemmas legal, ethical, and political—that determined the fate of Kafka’s manuscripts.

DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Florida will lead you straight to the best attractions the Sunshine State has to offer. Explore the state's history, architecture, wildlife, beaches, and scenic walks. This in-depth guidebook covers all the major cities and sights, from Miami Beach and the Florida Keys to the Everglades, the Gulf Coast, and more. It provides the insider travel tips you need, whether you are making the most of the nightlife or discovering historic towns. Discover DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Florida. + Detailed itineraries and "don't-miss" destination highlights at a glance. + Illustrated cutaway 3-D drawings of important sights. + Floor plans and guided visitor information for major museums. + Guided walking tours, local drink and dining specialties to try, things to do, and places to eat, drink, and shop by area. + Area maps marked with sights and restaurants. + Insights into history and culture to help you understand the stories behind the sights. + Suggested day trips and itineraries to explore beyond the cities and towns. + Hotel and restaurant listings highlight DK Choice special recommendations. With hundreds of full-color photographs, hand-drawn illustrations, and custom maps that illuminate every page, DK Eyewitness Travel Guide: Florida truly shows you this state as no one else can.

Introducing the most comprehensive guide ever covering one of the most popular vacation getaway spots, from gold coast to gulf coast, including Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, Palm Beach, the Keys, the Everglades, and Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Maps, line drawings.