Coquillages du Gabon / Shells of Gabon

Coquillages du Gabon / Shells of Gabon
By Pierre A. Bernard

published by the author, copyright 1984, bilingual French & English heavy paper covers, glued binding, 140 pages, page size 6.5 by 9.5 inches (17 by 24 cm) illustrated by 73 half and full size color plates, several b/w plates, 276 species covered almost all illustrated.

This is another of those books that appear in print and then disappear before anyone has a chance to see them or to get them. I was therefore very pleased when I was able to acquire two copies of this book in new condition from another dealers' stock. There is some interesting introductory materail , but the heart of the book is an illustrated look at the shells found along the coast of Gabon which is in the central eastern Atlantic coast. At the time that this book was published it was the only reference to be found in print covering the shells of this faunal region. Sadly, it was a limited printing and very few copies ever were seen in the USA. The plates are well done by the standards of the day but a few have had some problems with "color shift" which gives a muddy appearance to some of the shells, and the choice of backgrounds, to me, often detracts from rather than enhances the shells. But apart from that this is a very good publication and it is one that looks as if it will continue to be an elusive one to get for your library. It forms and excellent "bridge" between the now in print "West African Seashells" and the out of print and very hard to find "Conchas e Moluscos de Angola"