Hi Eddie
It's great to see so many people welcoming you to our list! And I do so
also.
As many have said, this is an incredible resource that can be accessed for a
huge diversity of information and advice, and very importantly, to share
experience with others. Like Rick Batt and others (including yourself) I
began my interest in shells (and natural history generally) when I was only
a nipper. My main advice to you is to collect not only the shells, but as
much information about them when collecting. For this is what makes a
collection valuable scientifically. You need date and location of
collection, habitat, ecology, behaviour and so forth. I still have material
I collected when I was 7 that includes data that render the specimens of
value even today (including land molluscs from England where I lived). There
is an enormous literature on molluscs, and I have a vast collection of
books, papers, journals and so on. But I want to recommend to you what I
think is one of the best books for 'doing malacology right'. This is the
book 'The Mollusks, A Guide to Their Study, Collection, and Preservation'
edited by Sturm, Pearce and Valdes and published by The American
Malacological Society. This an excellent account and is filled with loads of
information, which is accessible and well laid out. Charlie Sturm is active
on the list and may be able to advise on how to get a copy.
        Best wishes in your collecting and study of malacology.
Alex

Dr Alex Menez FLS
Down House
2E Castle Road
Gibraltar

Try to learn something about everything and everything about something.
                                       -Thomas Henry Huxley
How beautiful the Rock appears by the light of the glorious fire.
                                       -General Eliott

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