Hawaiian Marine Shells
by E. Alison Kay
ISBN 0910240264, 1979, Bishop Museum Press, Hawaii, red cloth cover with dust jacket, 652 pages, about 7¼ by 10¼ inches (17 by 25 cm), 195 text figures include many full page b/w photographs,
Until the books "Shells of the Hawaiian Islands" was published this was the best and most complete book ever written about the shells
found in the Hawaiian Islands. Although the book was published in 1979,
the information that it contains is still very much current.
Unfortunately there was only a small printing of this book and they
have now been out of print for many years. There is one full color plate as the frontispiece
showing the endemic Hawaiian cowries and another showing typical
Hawaiian collecting regions and a few others scattered among the text.
The book covers all of classes of shells found in Hawaii and there is
an excellent introduction. This is a rich faunal region that stretches
about 1600 miles in the mid-ocean. We have 2 used copies of this book in stock. They both lack their dust jackets but have the scanned information that was on the inner flaps of the jacket. They both also include an extensive list revisions and corrections which is in itself something that is hardly ever seen with this book. The books are in great condition but may have some and some rough spots inside their covers. This is a great chance to save on this classic work.