Seashells of the Northern Hemisphere

Large, full color photos illustrate 550+ species of gastropods & bivalves from the Eastern Pacific, Western Atlantic, & Eastern Atlantic. Species information includes size, characteristics, range, and habitat. Introduction discusses ecology, classification, field collecting & more. This is a very attractive coffee-table type book with excellent information for identification.

Imagine wandering around rocky coasts and tidepools observing and collecting marine life: the tiny snails and clams that cling to starfish and sea urchins, the periwinkles and dogwinkles that hide under festoons of algae, clusters of mussels, and the mud-loving nassa snails that can be dug up on tidal flats. Today toxic drainage, oil spills, and pollution of our coastlines threaten these populations of shell-bearing creatures and make them even more precious.

This complete guide to the common shelled mollusks of three great temperate regions, the Eastern Pacific (from the Arctic seas south to northern California), the Western Atlantic (from Newfoundland south to Cape Cod), Eastern Atlantic (from the British Isles to northern Portugal), explains the variation in habitats and illustrates over 550 species of gastropod and bivalve shells in a splendid array of full-color photographs. Each species is identified with scientific and common name, together with a clear description of its size, characteristics, range and habitat.

A major feature is the book's introduction, which describes those regions providing the richest variety of molluskan species and the mollusks' wide range of food sources, as well as their extraordinary sexuality. Clear instructions are also given on how best to collect samples and care for a shell collection.

Written by one of the world's leading malacologists, this superb volume with high quality illustrations, will be an invaluable possession for anyone who wants to delve further into the life of the shoreline.