Smithsonian Handbooks Shells: The Photographic Recognition Guide to Seashells of the World

Rating:
Summary: Very reliable handbook.
Review: This handbook on shells is very reliable in the field or in a studio. Dozens of mollusks, crustaceans, and other exotic shell collectibles are listed here, turning out at more than two hundred species listings! However, most featured here are east coast species or found way out of the United States, which makes it not as reliable for an American beachcoming in Santa Barbara or Baja California. For those living out on the east coast or in the Caribbean, this is an excellent and very reliable resource. Also quite fun to read as a coffee table or easy chair book.
There is a catch however, as the book is bound in low quality paperback. May show wear more quickly than Audubon leatherback guides or Peterson solid lamination and paper. Best for a landlocked ocean lover wanting to take an extraordinary look at the seas marvels and shell collectibles at a nearby store.