Hello all,

As I've grown older (but not up) I have become a bit of a collector of
things- something I swore I'd never do. There's the rocks, fossils, shells,
and now...books.

Since I've resigned to my bibliophile fate, I am trying valiently to put
some sort of restraint on my rare book collecting. One limit is that no
matter how great the binding, how perfect the tree calf, how stunning the
fore-edge painting, I would not buy any rare book unless the contents are
something I'd actually want to read. Here's where the conch-l group comes in.

I have an opportunity to purchase two shell-related books from the old
school. One is Sowerby's "Popular British Conchology", complete with hand
painted lithographs. The other is Mary Roberts "A History of Popular
Mollusca" also with enticing lithographs.

From a conchological point of view, how is Sowerby's 'British Conchology'
perceived these days? Is it a worthwhile purchase for the history, or
interesting reading...? What's your opinion?

I haven't heard of Mary Roberts. Can anyone give me background on her
contribution to conchology?

Any opinions on these two books' content would be greatly appreciated.

Elizabeth