Dear Normon:
    When I was a small kid the regarding shells was "The Kingdom of the
Seashell" by R. Tucker Abbott. This is an excellent book that will give you
the background information about shells, the animals that create them and how
to collect etc. After you read that (which you don't have to) then you will
probably be head over heals for shell collecting. Another book that will spark
your interest is "The Worlds Most Beautiful Shells" by Leonard Hill.  After
you read these then you will probably want a shell guide. It depends on where
you are from and what you are interested in reading about. A good guide book
for beginners is the Peterson Field guides. These are availble at most book
stores and they cover a wide range of localities. They are around $20 which
isn't too bad considering I spent over a $600 on my school books a month ago.
Since I am on the East coast and most of my work is here or in the Caribbean I
use the east coast one. If you want to spend some more money then go for
"Compendium of Shells" by Abbott. This book is geared toward the more serious
collector/scientist but it has tons of species in it.  Good luck and welcome
to the world of shells.... You won't ever be the same.
 
Sarah *cleaning her glasses at 4 am...... Don't ask..* Watson
Silver Spring MD
http://www.geocities.com/SouthBeach/Tidepool/8845