Florida's Seashells: A Beachcomber's Guide Paperback – September 1, 2007

We bought this book from Amazon before going to the Florida Gulf Coast earlier this month based, in part, on the reviews of other readers. It has proved itself invaluable in helping us identify our shell treasures. So, I thank all those reviewers for steering us in the right direction. I have consulted it many times since getting back home and organizing our shells. It has added to our knowledge of shells that we have also picked up along the Virginia, North and South Carolina beaches, as well as Sanibel, Captiva, Cayo Costa, and Marco Island in Florida. I liked, in particular, that the photos were of both sides of the shell, further aiding in identification. As another reviewer noted, the "Did You Know?" section at the bottom of each page adds another dimension of information about the mollusks presented in the book. I'm thinking I'll have to purchase other Blair and Dawn Witherington books--they are just right for the novice sheller and beach aficionado, packed full of fascinating reading.

I own the authors' excellent guide, Florida's Living Beaches. I purchased their Florida's Seashells, naively assuming it was a more comprehensive treatment of Florida's shells as compared to "Living Beaches". Should have checked the page numbers on this one first, though, would have seen it's the same as the shell treatment in "Living Beaches". Yes, the publishers just lifted the almost exact mollusk section from "Living Beaches" and made it into a new book! Still giving it 4 stars, because it is so well done, and I didn't do my homework first, my fault. Do yourself a favor, though, skip this one and get their "Living Beaches", has all the same info on the shells, plus 200 plus additional pages on Florida's other beach fauna, flora, and beachcombing treasures.

Their other book - living beaches, is a better book - tells you so much more - not that this book is bad. It's just not as complete for Florida Gulf Coast.

Yes, it is absolutely true that this is the same material lifted from the authors Florida's Living Beaches book.However having to flip through a rather thick heavy unwieldy volume to identify a shell many times finally convinced me it was worth it to have this slim book around too. If you are only a casual sheller, don't bother but if you have a lot of shells and will be referring to the shell section in the big book often it's worth it.

Each page features specie detail, 3 or 4 high quality photographs with scale/size information, and a fun "Did You Know?" section covering specific shells. I had to smile when I read that area regarding Augers on page 24 where the "auger's summer mating swarms" is compared with "the style portrayed by Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr in From Here to Eternity...".This guide uses the same format as the thicker and more expansive 2007 work (by the same authors) "Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber". In fact, I would say about 95% of the content comes from that volume directly, so I recommend paying a little extra to get that excellent guide which covers most anything you see at a Florida beach (unless you are specifically and only interested in Florida shells).

Trying to find a good ID book for JUST Florida shells, has been a challenge - this challenge was more than met with this book. The info on each animal was great, perfect for a true naturalist. I would love to see another book by these authors on Florida crabs, and perhaps other crustaceans. They do a great job!I'd recommend this book to anyone who wants to look beyond the name of a shell, and find out how that sea jewel came to be on the beach. Hopefully, that's everyone who gets up at dawn to walk the beach for treasures ...

Jim and I are really getting into visiting Fl and planning to retire in the Panhandle. Part of the fun is the amazing variety of seashells. We have  Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber  by the same authors and love it. We wanted a book dedicated to shells though. Wonderful descriptions, clear pictures, maps, and tips on collecting shells make this book a real winner for anyone interested in the variety and beauty of Florida's seashells. The writing is clear, interesting, and full of information on each shell.

This is the same content as the seashell portion of Florida's Living Beaches. I wish I'd seen another reviewer's comment before I purchased this. There is no need to purchase both books. That said, both are beautiful, well researched, and very informative books!

Olá,tudo muito bom com informações preciosas ,referentes ao habitat das especies em referencia com fotos interessantes das espécies , gostei bastante,