If you like A Natural History of Shells then I would suggest that you also
read Privileged Hands by the same author.
 If you would like a nice spot in Georgia to collect then I would recommend
Cumberland Island National Seashore.  The Boat ride over and back from St.
Marys is approx. $10 and you should call 912-882-4335 for a reservation as
I think they are booked full most of the time.  There are primitive camp
sites on the island which you can reserve through the Park Service
912-882-4335.  For shell collecting I recommend the high tide line on the
south half of the island down to the Jetty (get off the boat at the first
dock). No live collecting allowed but there are plenty of dead shells.
Have fun and let us all know the highlights.
 
Beth DeHaas
[log in to unmask]
 
----------
> From: Elbow mc <[log in to unmask]>
> To: [log in to unmask]
> Subject: Re: Howdy Folks, & Shell books & Odyssey
> Date: Wednesday, April 15, 1998 12:02 PM
>
> First off, thanks to everyone who gave me such a warm welcome to CONCH-L.
>
> Melissa, I'm sure you know more about shells than I do. I really only
just
> started to look deeper than my one Audubon field guide these last two
weeks. I
> haven't found much in the library or bookstores around here. I think it's
> because the water in Long Island Sound is so opaque that the locals don't
> realize that there's anything beneath the surface. Connecticut is a cruel
> tease, you would think you are by the water, but somehow.....
>
> Still, I found one really swell book: A Natural History Of Shells by
Geerat J.
> Vermeij. It's not a listing of species, rather an explanation of why
shells
> have the structure that they do. It's something of a natural history
design
> book, shells as architecture or maybe industrial design. As my response
to
> shells had initially been aesthetic, this book really caught my eye. I
only
> got it a few days ago from Amazon, so I just started it, but it's
fascinating.
> It's not taxonomy, but what is taxonomy but a system to help us make
sense of
> the overwhelming variety of species? Knowing the why's always helps me
keep
> track of the what's.
>
> I have two books I picked up at yard sales years ago that are not shell-
> specific, but useful nonetheless. Animals Without Backbones, a textbook
> originally published in the thirties. The illustrations are fabulous,
some on
> scratchboard, and very much of the period. They'd make great textile
designs
> or even tattoos. The Erotic Ocean was my other find, it's by Jack Rudloe
and
> was published in the seventies. He was a professional collector for
museums
> and laboratories. It's a fascinating book and it makes me wish I did what
he
> does for a living. Kind of a Gerry Durrell thing, only with
invertebrates.
>
> I'm sure the veterans on this list can recommend books galore.
>
> Funny you should mention South Carolina. I'm leaving tomorrow on a
month-long
> odyssey. I've a small tent and I'm driving down the coast until I run out
of
> land. I aim to shell along the way and would welcome any and all
suggestions
> for good shelling stops south of Maryland. I'll be operating on a budget,
> saving my shekels to do a bit of diving when I hit Florida. And I'm going
to
> be writing travel pieces for the paper back home. I'm interested in
anything
> marine biology related.
>
> If anyone has any suggestions, please write me. My husband will be
signing on
> and checking my mail and I'll be in touch with him. But I doubt he will
get
> through this list on a regular basis. The [log in to unmask] screen name is
one I
> created specifically for this list. If anyone has suggestions for stops
on my
> odyssey, could they please also send the messages to my personal mail,
same
> network but substitute elbowmoi for elbowmc.
>
> Thank you one and all.
>
> Ellen