I started skimming this book to a brief idea of its contents for this write up. After a few minutes I became deeply engrossed in it and I simply could not stop reading it until it was finished, and I know that I will want to read it again and again. The book is a delightfully written account about the shells, the collectors and the sometimes very amusing behind the scenes look at the history of shell collecting. Dance is an expert and has a great sense of humor and an unlimited number of odd and amusing things that he shares with you. And while the book is "light-hearted", I can guarantee that you will come away with a whole lot of information that you never knew before. This is the hard covered limited edition (500 copies made) autographed by the authors. It has 212 pages, illustrated throughout with photos, drawings and reprints form old manuscripts. The page size is 17.5 by 23.5cm. Now at a super low price,