Shells (Jacques and Rita Senders Collection)

A showcase of the staggering beauty and variety of seashells, suggesting parallels to art and architecture. Stunningly detailed photos celebrate nature's designs.

Molluscs are extraordinary builders; indeed, their architectural skills are almost unparalleled in the animal world. Who among us has failed to marvel at the wonderful structure of the smallest shell picked up on the beach? Some enthusiasts collect them throughout their lives – attracted by their beauty if they are aesthetes, or sought out for scientific purposes, as in the case of Jacques Senders. In this book, Paul Starosta’s spectacular photographs take the reader on a journey through this astounding collection, first started 50 years ago.

These shells, marvels of nature as they are, naturally suggest exotic or futuristic architecture, ancient or Art Nouveau vases, or even precious stones or volcanic rocks, and reaffirm the importance of nature as a source of inspiration for artists and architects. By celebrating the extraordinary variety and architectural refinement of the shells in Jacques and Rita Senders’s collection, the book reveals a world where nature far surpasses human imagination and invention.

At the end of the volume, miniature photographs are accompanied by scientific information on shells, their life, characteristics and different families.

Paul Starosta is a biologist and photographer. Combining his twin passions of nature and photography, he has published over 40 award-winning books on plants and animals. He is the subject of issue 129 (2010) of Photo Poche, a series created by Robert Delpire and published by Actes Sud, which has become a yardstick in its field throughout the world.