By
Kenneth R. WYE
With 1.200 Examples in Full Color
Introduction
I can always remember the thrill of owing my first few sea shells. I recall exchanging several, and I went on develop the interest, along with a close friend, purchasing still more in what must have been London's only specialist shop for shell collectors. Some 25 Years on, I am still just as enthralled by them.
These exquisite wonders of creation have demanded a response from mankind, and indeed have been inextricably linked with the human story since the down of civilization. The appreciation, study, enjoyment and collecting of seashells is probably as widespread now as at any time in history. Appreciation, because few have failed to be intrigued and amazed at their diversity and complexity of color, shape and form; shells have stimulated the artistic, promoted ideas in design and architecture, inspired musicians and poets, and have led to the publication of some of the most beautiful books ever produced for natural historians.
Scientifically knows as marine molluscs, Seashells are the hard outer covering of highly adaptable snails that inhabit the worldʼs oceans in a wide range of environments and at varying depths. These shells can be found washed ashore, emptied of the soft bodies that once inhabited them, in rock pools, beneath mud sand at low tide and beneath the seas in shallow waters and down to dark abyssal depth. As objects of scientific study, shells have much to offer. They are of interest to medical research, in general education, and in relation to environmental and ecological issues. Most importantly, they are also an important food source and are linked to the relatively mew science known as mariculture.
The (golden age) of shell collecting was during the 200 years of discovery and exploration that drew to a close at the turn of this century, but conchology- as the study and collecting of shells is correctly termed- has entered a new era. Thanks to modern fishing methods, rare shells that were once knows only from a handful of old and faded specimens in museum vaults are now available to all. Modern color photography captures the intricate beauty of shells in all their wonder, and there are many excellent books in the subject.
Conchologists and amateur collectors have an infectious enthusiasm, and along with the increasing awareness of the need for environmental protection is a growing need to discover more about the natural world. I believe that conchology will continue to enhance mankind in both work and leisure for generations to come.
Prep / Asmaa Ahmed
REV / Ayman Ashry
Manage / Zeinab Mahmoud Osman
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