Charlie,

I don't specialize, and barely collect anymore. But one of the things I
always want to know about any group of mollusks is their life
histories...there are some surprising facts to be uncovered about every
group. And the place I usually start is with Kilburn and Rippey's 1982
Seashells of Southern Africa. Every family has a good section on the
life histories, biology, etc... And most all collectable or popular
families are included in this fine classic! The illustrations are
charming, accurate, and lovely too...paintings by ELizabeth Rippey.

I am also a great fan of the two volume "Southern Synthesis" for the
same reason. One can learn such a lot about the animals, their habitats,
relationships, prey, ancestors, taxonomy, and more.

Now I am reading through this new Coan, Scott and Bernhard Bivalve
Seashells of Western North America. Again...besides there being so much
of value as an identification guide, the lengthy introductory section
contains so much about the animals.

I might add that the latter two references contain amazing
bibliographies.

One also shoul dnot neglect Indo-Pacific Mollusca and Johnsonia. Yes,
they are out of date. But they contain a lot of valuable information and
a lot of history as well.

Lynn Scheu
Louisville, KY