Shells and Shell Collecting

Descripción:

Man's association with shells raches back into prehistory. However widely separated by cultural and geographical barriers all men are attracted by their beauty and shape, patterning and colouras well as appreciating them for their value as a useful, sometimes vital, source of food or as a luxury for the gourmet's table. Shells are found almost everywhere: in the depths of the world's oceans and among coral reefs, in deserts and forests and on the top of mountains and in every type of fresh water. They vary in size from creatures no larger than pinheads to "monsters" of five feet or more in length. Peter Dance gives a broad scientific account of the way in which the phylum Mollusca to which these shells belong is divided and of the life of the creatures which inhabit them - the way in which the shells are formed, the differences in their manner of feeding and mode of living. Some, for example, are anchored to one spot throughout their lives, while others dart about like underwater butterflies. He describes the significant role which shells played and continue to play in men's lives, as currency, as a basis of trade and as religious symbols; the obsessive appeal of rare shells which has led men to risk their lives for their collection; the history of shell collecting and display; and how the beauty of shell texture and form has been a source of inspiration for artists and craftsmen throughout the ages. 128 pp., 110 figs (30 in color), hc 4 [book with heavy foxing]. N° de ref. del artículo W16659

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