{"product_id":"the-book-of-shells-a-lifesize-guide-to-identifying-and-classifying-six-hundred-seashells-lifesize-guides-to-the-best-of-nature-9780226315775","title":"The Book of Shells: A Life-Size Guide to Identifying and Classifying Six Hundred Seashells (Life-Size Guides to the Best of Nature)","description":"\u003cp\u003eWho among us hasnt marveled at the diversity and beauty of shells? Or picked one up  held it to our ear  and then gazed in wonder at its shape and hue? Many a lifelong shell collector has cut teeth (and toes) on the beaches of the Jersey Shore  the Outer Banks  or the coasts of Sanibel Island. Some have even dived to the depths of the ocean. But most of us are not familiar with the biological origin of shells  their role in explaining evolutionary history  and the incredible variety of forms in which they come.  Shells are the external skeletons of mollusks  an ancient and diverse phylum of invertebrates that are in the earliest fossil record of multicellular life over 500 million years ago. There are over 100 000 kinds of recorded mollusks  and some estimate that there are over amillion more that have yet to be discovered. Some breathe air  others live in fresh water  but most live in the ocean. They range in size from a grain of sand to a beach ball and in weight from a few grams to several hundred pounds. And in this lavishly illustrated volume  they finally get their full due.  The Book of Shells offers a visually stunning and scientifically engaging guide to six hundred of the most intriguing mollusk shells  each chosen to convey the range of shapes and sizes that occur across a range of species. Each shell is reproduced here at its actual size  in full color  and is accompanied by an explanation of the shells range  distribution  abundance  habitat  and operculumthe piece that protects the mollusk when its in the shell. Brief scientific and historical accounts of each shell and related species include fun-filled facts and anecdotes that broaden its portrait.  The Matchless Cone  for instance  or Conus cedonulli  was one of the rarest shells collected during the eighteenth century. So much so  in fact  that a specimen in 1796 was sold for more than six times as much as a painting by Vermeer at the same auction. But since the advent of scuba diving  this shell has become far more accessible to collectorsthough not without certain risks. Some species of Conus produce venom that has caused more than thirty known human deaths.  The Zebra Nerite  the Heart Cockle  the Indian Babylon  the Junonia  the Atlantic Thorny Oystershells from habitats spanning the poles and the tropics  from the highest mountains to the oceans deepest recesses  are all on display in this definitive work.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"My Store","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45665840857141,"sku":"ByrdShop_0226315770","price":65.94,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0627\/8139\/0901\/files\/9780226315775.jpg?v=1782409681","url":"https:\/\/atxbooks.com\/products\/the-book-of-shells-a-lifesize-guide-to-identifying-and-classifying-six-hundred-seashells-lifesize-guides-to-the-best-of-nature-9780226315775","provider":"ATX Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}