{"product_id":"the-nine-lives-of-floridas-austin-j-bell-9780813066998","title":"The Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat","description":"\u003cp\u003eSecrets of an iconic artifact\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFlorida Book Awards, \u003cbr\u003eBronze Medal for Florida Nonfiction\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eFlorida Trust for Historic Preservation Award for Meritorious Achievement in Preservation Communications\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eSecrets of an iconic artifact\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eExcavated from a waterlogged archaeological site on the shores of subtropical Florida by legendary anthropologist Frank Hamilton Cushing in 1896, the Key Marco Cat has become a modern icon of heritage, history, and local identity. This book takes readers into the deep past of the artifact and the Native American society in which it was created.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\t\u003cp\u003eAustin Bell explores nine periods in the life of the six-inch-high wooden carving, beginning with how it was sculpted with shell and shark-tooth tools and what it may have represented to the ancient Calusa--perhaps a human-panther god. Preserved in the muck for centuries on Marco Island and discovered in pristine condition due to its oxygen-free environment, the Cat has since traveled more than 12,000 miles and has been viewed by millions of people. It is one of the Smithsonian Institution's most irreplaceable items. In this fascinating account, Bell traces the clues to the Cat's mysterious origins that have emerged in its later lives.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\t\u003cp\u003eCaptivating readers with the miracle and beauty of this rare example of pre-Columbian art, Bell marvels at how an object originally understood to hold cosmological power has indeed transformed the people and places around it. \u003ci\u003eThe Nine Lives of Florida's Famous Key Marco Cat\u003c\/i\u003e is the story of a timeless masterpiece of staggering simplicity that has prevailed over impossibly long odds.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/b\u003e Austin J. Bell\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-10:\u003c\/b\u003e 0813066999\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eISBN-13:\u003c\/b\u003e 9780813066998\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/b\u003e University Press of Florida\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eLanguage:\u003c\/b\u003e English\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePublished:\u003c\/b\u003e 09\/21\/2021\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePages:\u003c\/b\u003e 232\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eFormat:\u003c\/b\u003e Hardcover\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWeight:\u003c\/b\u003e 1.10lbs\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eSize:\u003c\/b\u003e 9.10h x 5.90w x 0.90d","brand":"Austin J. Bell","offers":[{"title":"Hardcover","offer_id":43994593657087,"sku":"9780813066998","price":26.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0662\/2982\/9887\/files\/img_3d58cc41-263e-4d01-8f3c-fe404a6bb6aa.jpg?v=1683331074","url":"https:\/\/www.whiterainbookhouse.com\/products\/the-nine-lives-of-floridas-austin-j-bell-9780813066998","provider":"WR Book House","version":"1.0","type":"link"}