This color photo illustrated guide to the seashells of the Red Sea offers succinct descriptions of about 500 species, indicating geographic range, size, color, and other details. The book is organized by taxonomy, divided between gastropods and bivalves, and each species is illustrated with one or more color photos, all taken especially for the book by the author using shells from her own collection. All the shells that casual observers are likely to see in the region are covered, as well as many rare specimens (including an entirely new species discovered by the author). The species covered come from all regions of Egypt bordering the Red Sea. A minimum of specialized terminology is used, making the book accessible to general readers as well as conchologists and ecologists. Rusmore-Villaume is a field associate of the California Academy of Sciences. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)