Book (ID guide) recommendation for shells of Europe

Nature Talk
1

Hello!

I’m looking for a guide for shells identification. Ideally it should have:

  • High quality illustrations or photos
  • Proper classification
  • Detailed description and general information
  • I don’t need the whole world but only European region (Atlantic and Mediterranean)

Thank you in advance for your advice.

2

The British Shell Collector’s Club has an ID book recommendation list that might be worth looking over:

What may be of more use is the following from the Sydney Shell Club where they have reference books broken down into regions. I’ll just include the Europe portion:

EUROPE

  • Barnes, R.S.K., 1994. Brackish-water fauna of NW Europe
  • Finet, Wüest & Mareda, 1992. Gastropods of the Channel & Atlantic Ocean: shells & radulas
  • Gianuzzi-Savelli, Pusateri, Palmeri and Ebreo, 1994-97. Atlas of Mediterranean sea shells, Volume 1 – Archaeogastropoda; Volume 2 – Caenogastropoda, Part 1
  • Ivanov, D.K. and Sysoev, A.F., 2000. Types of mollusca in the Zoological Museum of Moscow University
  • Jensen & Knudsen, 1995. Annotated checklist of recent marine molluscs of Danish waters
  • Pfeffer, G., 1993. The Cephalopoda of the plankton expedition, English translation by I. Kohli of the original work of 1912
  • Poppe & Goto, 1990-93. European seashells (2 volumes)
  • Sabelli, Sabelli and Bedulli, 1990-92. Annotated checklist of Mediterranean mollusks (3 volumes)
  • Stavrinos, G.M., 1984. Guide to the seashells of Cyprus
  • Tenekidis, N., 1989. Collection of shells from the Greek seas
2 Likes
3

Do you want marine, terrestrial, both?

Here is a good website for (mostly) Mediterranean seashells:
http://www.idscaro.net/sci/04_med/index.htm

2 Likes
4

Could you please list them? Page is not opening for me.

5

It’s a relatively long list, with a bit of a focus on publications club members have been involved in:

Beginner’s books:

  • Abbott, R. Tucker and Dance, S. Peter (1990), Compendium of Seashells
    ISBN 0-915826-17-8
  • Dance, S. Peter (1974), The Collector’s Encyclopedia of Seashells
    ISBN 1-872532-05-5
  • Wye, Kenneth R. (1991), The Encyclopedia of Shells
    ISBN 0-7858-1233-4

General and Beginner:

  • Arthur, Alex (1989), Eyewitness Guide: Shells
  • Dance, S. Peter (1966), Shell Collecting – an Illustrated History
  • Dance, S. Peter (1972), Shells and Shell Collecting
  • Dance, S. Peter (1974), The Shell Collectors’ Guide
  • Dance, S. Peter (1986), A History of Shell Collecting
  • Dance, S. Peter and Heppell, David (1991), Classic Natural History Prints: Shells
  • Dance, S. Peter (ed.), Bosch, D.T., Dance, S. Peter, Moolenbeek R.G. and Oliver, P.G. (1995), Seashells of Eastern Arabia
  • Dance, S. Peter (1992), Eyewitness Handbook: Shells
  • Oliver, A.P.H. (1975), Hamlyn Guide to Shells of the World
  • Saunders, Graham (1979), Spotter’s Guide to Shells
  • Saunders, Graham (2001), Usborne Spotter’s Sticker Book: Shells
  • Scase, Robert & Storey, Eric (1975), The World of Shells
  • Thomas, Ingrid (2007), The Shell – A World of Decoration and Ornament. See review here.
  • Walker, Tom (1995), Collect Shells and Other Molluscs on Stamps
  • Wye, Kenneth R. (1989), Mitchell Beazley Pocket Guide to Shells of the World
  • Wye, Kenneth R. (2003), The Shell Handbook

Specialist publications:

  • Dixon, R.M. (1977), A Provisional Catalogue of Recent Species of Naticidae
  • Dixon, R.M. (1984), An Analytical Checklist of Sowerby’s Species of Natica
  • Filmer, R.M. (2001), A Catalogue of Nomenclature and Taxonomy in the Living Conidae 1758–1998 ISBN 90-5782-077-3
  • Fraussen, Koen and Stratman, Dirk (2013), A Conchological Iconography: The Family Babyloniidae (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany) ISBN 9783939767473
  • Fraussen, Koen and Terryn, Yves (2007), A Conchological Iconography: The Family Buccinidae, Genus Neptunea (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany) ISBN 9783939767039
  • Grulke, Wolfgang (2014), Heteromorph: The Rarest Fossil Ammonites – Nature at its Most Bizarre (At One) ISBN 978-0992974008
  • Howlett, Derek and Baker, Roy (1998), Freshwater Bivalve Mollusca of Norfolk
  • Lorenz, Felix (2001), Monograph of the Living Zoila (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)
  • Lorenz, Felix (2002), New Worldwide Cowries (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)
  • Lorenz, Felix (2014), Monograph of the Genus Pustularia (ConchBooks: Harxheim, Germany)
  • Lorenz, Felix (2017), Cowries : A Guide to the Gastropod Family Cypraeidae, 1. Biology and Systematics (ConchBooks: Harxheim, Germany)
  • Lorenz, Felix (2018), Cowries: A Guide to the Gastropod Family Cypraeidae, 2. Shells and Animals (ConchBooks: Harxheim, Germany)
  • Lorenz, Felix and Fehse, Dirk (2009), The Living Ovulidae (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany). See review here.
  • Lorenz, Felix and Hubert, Alex (2nd ed., 2000), A Guide to Worldwide Cowries (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)
  • Osborn, G., Pirrie, J. and Wallis, M. (1986), The Mollusca of Northampton
  • Pinn, Fred (1978), Shells of East Africa
  • Pinn, Fred (1990), Sea Snails of Pondicherry
  • Seccombe, Alan and A.P. Marais (eds) (2011), Identification Guide to the Shells of South Africa volume 1. Further details here.
  • Terryn, Yves (2007), A Collector’s Guide to Recent Terebridae (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)
  • Various authors, including Fraussen, Koen and Terryn, Yves in Poppe, Guido T. (ed.) (2008), Philippine Marine Mollusks volume II (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)
  • Vos, Chris and Terryn, Yves (2007), A Conchological Iconography: The Family Tonnidae (ConchBooks: Hackenheim, Germany)

British shells specifically:

  • Beedham, Gordon E. (1972), Identification of the British Mollusca
    (Amersham: Hulton Press) ISBN 0-7175-0593-6 out of print
  • Cameron, Robert (2003), Field Studies Council Key: Land Snails in the British Isles (Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council)
  • Graham, Alastair, FRS (1988), Molluscs: Prosobranch & Pyramidellid Gastropods (Published for the Linnaean Society of London by E.J. Brill / Dr W. Backhuys) ISBN 90-04-08771-0
  • Kerney, M.P. & Cameron, R.A.D. (1979), A Field Guide to the Land Snails of Britain and North-West Europe (London: Collins) ISBN 0-00-219676-X
  • Killeen, I.J., Aldridge, D.C. and Oliver, P.G. (2004), Freshwater Bivalves of Britain and Ireland (Shrewsbury: Field Studies Council)
  • McMillan, Nora (1968), British Shells (London: Frederick Warne & Co Ltd) ISBN 0-7232-0965-0 out of print
  • Tebble, Norman (1966), British Bivalve Seashells (HMSO) ISBN 0-11-491401-X out of print

And the Sydney Shell Club has a page with reference books broken down into regions. I’ll just include the Europe portion below:

EUROPE

  • Barnes, R.S.K., 1994. Brackish-water fauna of NW Europe
  • Finet, Wüest & Mareda, 1992. Gastropods of the Channel & Atlantic Ocean: shells & radulas
  • Gianuzzi-Savelli, Pusateri, Palmeri and Ebreo, 1994-97. Atlas of Mediterranean sea shells, Volume 1 – Archaeogastropoda; Volume 2 – Caenogastropoda, Part 1
  • Ivanov, D.K. and Sysoev, A.F., 2000. Types of mollusca in the Zoological Museum of Moscow University
  • Jensen & Knudsen, 1995. Annotated checklist of recent marine molluscs of Danish waters
  • Pfeffer, G., 1993. The Cephalopoda of the plankton expedition, English translation by I. Kohli of the original work of 1912
  • Poppe & Goto, 1990-93. European seashells (2 volumes)
  • Sabelli, Sabelli and Bedulli, 1990-92. Annotated checklist of Mediterranean mollusks (3 volumes)
  • Stavrinos, G.M., 1984. Guide to the seashells of Cyprus
  • Tenekidis, N., 1989. Collection of shells from the Greek seas
3 Likes
6

Marine. But I would gladly check terrestrial too if there is a good filed guide.
That’s a great website! Too bad it’s Mediterranean only since I’m located on the Atlantic coast.
Thanks Thomas

7

This is relatively recent and comprehensive:

2 Likes
8

The North Atlantic shells are mostly entirely different from the Mediterranean ones, which is why they tend to be in different books.

I can very much recommend the Tebble marine bivalves book even though it is old. And the Kerney & Cameron land snails book is also excellent.

1 Like
9

This looks like what I’m looking for. Thank you so much, João.

10

Be mindful this is no field guide (2.4kg)

1 Like
11

This topic was automatically closed 60 days after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.