In “The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans,” Cynthia Barnett presents us with a glittering Wunderkammer for our age, a staggeringly varied history — scientific, cultural, ...

At several points in her enthralling new book, “The Sound of the Sea,” Cynthia Barnett warmly recalls her memories of shelling on Sanibel, the Florida island long a mecca for seashell collectors. It’s ...

“The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans” by Cynthia Barnett; W.W. Norton ($27.95, 432 pages) First Name ...

If you have ever held a shell in your hand, a Horse Conch, a yellow Prickly Cockle, even a dainty lavender periwinkle, you surely felt a sense of wonder at these fluted or spiraling, shining things.

Amateur conchologists (aka shell collectors) who have walked Sanibel Island’s beaches bent at the waist in the classic “Sanibel Stoop” may think of seashells as the pretty trinkets we collect on ...

We’ve got two stories of marine conservation for you today: one that looks at seashells and what they can tell us about the health of the oceans, and another about the extensive marine protected area ...

Giant tun shells are not often found on Outer Banks beaches, so the discovery is considered rare. NPS photo/Paula Foster Seashell hunters from across the nation are attracted to North Carolina’s ...

IMAGES OF TRUTH (310 pp.)—Glenway Wescott—Harper & Row ($6). Like the pre-Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter, Novelist Glenway Wescott is a somewhat melancholy yet tantalizing literary figure. His ...

The environmental journalist and UF professor explores the fascinating history of mollusks and their interactions with humans. The Tampa Bay Times e-Newspaper is a digital replica of the printed paper ...