They are transparent artworks of unique fragile beauty and withal highest scientific precision: the filigree glass models from astonishing sea creatures - created over 100 years ago by glass blowers Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka in Dresden, Germany. The prizewinning photographers Heidi and Hans-Jürgen Koch took brilliant close shots of the last few retained objects.

"The author makes an eloquent plea for marine biodiversity conservation."—Library Journal "Harvell seems to channel the devotion that motivated the Blaschkas."—The Guardian Winner of the 2016 National Outdoor Book Award, Environment Category It started with a glass octopus. Dusty, broken, and all but forgotten, it caught Drew Harvell’s eye. Fashioned in intricate detail by the father-son glassmaking team of Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka, the octopus belonged to a menagerie of unusual marine creatures that had been packed away for decades in a storage unit. More than 150 years earlier, the Blaschkas had been captivated by marine invertebrates and spun their likenesses into glass, documenting the life of oceans untouched by climate change and human impacts. Inspired by the Blaschkas’ uncanny replicas, Harvell set out in search of their living counterparts. In A Sea of Glass, she recounts this journey of a lifetime, taking readers along as she dives beneath the ocean's surface to a rarely seen world, revealing the surprising and unusual biology of some of the most ancient animals on the tree of life. On the way, we glimpse a century of change in our ocean ecosystems and learn which of the living matches for the Blaschkas’ creations are, indeed, as fragile as glass. Drew Harvell and the Blaschka menagerie are the subjects of the documentary Fragile Legacy, which won the Best Short Film award at the 2015 Blue Ocean Film Festival & Conservation Summit. Learn more about the film and check out the trailer here.

Delicate jellyfish and anemones, octopus, tentacled squid, and bizarre-looking soft-bodied sea creatures were meticulously recreated in glass by father and son artists Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka in the late nineteenth century. Renowned for their beauty and exacting detail, the Blaschka invertebrate models were commissioned by universities and museums throughout the world as teaching models for students of natural science and marine life. Illustrated here for the first time with breathtaking new photography are 60 of the most exquisite models from the exceptional collection of Harvard University's Museum of Comparative Zoology. Together with Harvard's famous Glass Flowers, a new exhibit of these restored glass animals now comprises the largest Blaschka collection on display in the world. Bursting with intricate details and stunning photography, this elegantly designed book will be a must for all those interested in marine biology, the delicate art of glass craftsmanship, the history of science, and the quiet beauty of the natural world."

They are transparent artworks of unique fragile beauty and withal highest scientific precision: the filigree glass models from astonishing sea creatures - created over 100 years ago by glass blowers Rudolf and Leopold Blaschka in Dresden, Germany. The prizewinning photographers Heidi and Hans-Jürgen Koch took brilliant close shots of the last few retained objects.

Exquisite detail is captured in this full-illustrated, beautifully designed publication celebrating Harvard University's unique and treasured 'Glass Flowers' collection. One of Harvard University's most famous treasures is the internationally acclaimed Ware Collection of Blaschka Glass Models of Plants, the "Glass Flowers." From orchids to bananas, rhododendrons to lilies, Leopold and Rudolf Blaschka created a stunning array of glass models of plants from around the world. Working exclusively for Harvard in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the Blaschkas applied their artistic expertise and botanical knowledge to craft an extraordinary collection for Harvard students, researchers, and the public. Exquisite detail is captured in this dazzling new publication, featuring new photography of models that inspire wonder and blur the line between the real and man-made. The collection demonstrates the majesty of plants and the artistry and scientific acumen of this father and son team, and is the only one of its kind in the world.

There is a growing crisis in our oceans: mysterious outbreaks of infectious disease are on the rise. Marine epidemics can cause mass die-offs of wildlife from the bottom to the top of food chains, impacting the health of ocean ecosystems as well as lives on land. Portending global environmental disaster, ocean outbreaks are fueled by warming seas, sewage dumping, unregulated aquaculture, and drifting plastic. Ocean Outbreak follows renowned scientist Drew Harvell and her colleagues into the field as they investigate how four iconic marine animals—corals, abalone, salmon, and starfish—have been devastated by disease. Based on over twenty years of research, this firsthand account of the sometimes gradual, sometimes exploding impact of disease on our ocean’s biodiversity ends with solutions and a call to action. Only through policy changes and the implementation of innovative solutions from nature can we reduce major outbreaks, save some ocean ecosystems, and protect our fragile environment.