| A Natural History of Shells
by Geerat J. Vermeij
1995 reprint of 193 original, Princeton University Press, paper covers, 2007 pages, 6 by 9 inches (about 15 by 23 cm), black and white photos, maps and charts in text.
I have to admit know of this book's existence for quite a while now and I am ashamed to admit that up to now I have never really read it. Now I regret that I did not get around to reading it sooner and I'll advise you if you do not own a copy to get one now. This book is a treatment of shells as living animals and explores how their unique and often strange formations are part of their adaptation for living in a biological environment where these adaptations can mean the difference between survival and extinction for the individual mollusk and for the species. This is not an identification guide to shells. It is a treatise by a well known and highly respected professor of biology that will allow us to better understand and appreciate the shells that play such a large role in our lives.
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