Florida's Living Beaches: A Guide for the Curious Beachcomber

I'll just be one more chiming in that this book is worth getting if you plan to spend any time on the coast of Florida and want to learn what you'll be seeing when you do. Since moving back to the Atlantic side of south Florida I've been spending a lot of time at the beach. I've developed a fondness for shell collecting and that's what led me to eventually find this book. I needed a good shell identification guide. I almost bought another book, but an Amazon reviewer recommend this book over the other I was about to buy, so out of curiosity I checked out the review page which was nothing but 5 star review after 5 star review. What impressed me was seeing that it covers the entire gambit of everything and anything a person may find at the beach, from shells to corals, sponges, jellyfish, land and water animals, plant/tree life, seabeans and seeds and even drift item that commonly wash ashore. And more! The opening chapter is devoted to explaining the anatomy of a beach and all its components, which is very informative. I bought it for the shell identification guide primarily but it's been great for everything else. As others have mentioned it's full of photographs on every page, a corresponding map telling you where in Florida you'll tend to find each particular item and during what season, and is a well organized, easy and fun to read high quality book. It's a must-own resource if you visit Florida beaches and like to learn about what you're surrounded by. And as far as I can tell, every shell I've found so far was in the book. And it was nice to learn exactly *why* one of my fave beaches is always a milky seagreen color, versus others that tend to be a rich blue green. :D It's all in here.

We went shelling in Naples, Florida and came back with some truly amazing seashells, but we quickly realized we wanted to learn everything we could about what we had found. That’s when we picked up Florida’s Living Beaches, a Guide for the Curious Beachcomber, and it completely changed our beachcombing experience. After getting this book, we now feel like seashell pros! It is beautifully written and packed with so much detailed, fascinating information about the shells, the beaches, and the coastal life of Florida. Every page made us more excited to identify and understand our own little collection. This book has been such a wonderful companion to our beach adventures, and we can’t recommend it enough for anyone who loves shelling or exploring Florida’s shores. 🐚🌊

Excellent book! So much information! Wonderful photos!

A love everything about this book. Love the pictures and all the information on different things. I highly recommend

Probably the best book I purchased this year. It’s so informative yet easy to digest.

As a native coastal Floridian, I grew up in awe of the sea and all of its wonder. I was hooked after my first shelling expedition at the tender age of two. Since then, my curiosity to learn about all things in, on, and near the water has been insatiable. I'm now 52 and just discovered this book and I've been so impressed with it that I sent it to my brother (also an amatuer enthusiast). This book is full of gasp-inspiring facts that I sincerely never knew. The best part is that this brilliant couple has put everything into easily readable and understandable bits, even when explaining complex things like ecosystems. They break down everything into categories, I found this helpful and convenient for referencing purposes. It helps the reader to understand where to find things, what to look for and when to look for it. The descriptions of anatomies of beaches to mollusks and everything in between is not only fascinating, but understandable. I feel like it has rekindled my passion for the sea in a way that speaks to my inner child, but as an adult living in a complicated world. And if you're the beach enthusiast that is also into beach/beach wildlife conservation, even on a small scale, then please get a copy. Entertaining (a few bits of dry humor here and there), informative and down right essential as a beachgoer in Florida. I highly, highly recommend this book!

There's something nice about being able to compare types of shells or birds in a book, rather than online. This book has EVERYthing Florida beach related. Whenever I had a question, such as "Are there aardvarks around here?" - the book gave me answers (and photos). I like the little map of Florida above each item which shows a colored outline of where in Florida it is common (or rare). Because the book is so expansive, covering everything from sea grass to sea glass, it is very heavy. I've come to love it, though, and I'll keep carrying with me every time I visit Florida.

Great book. I will be taking with me to the beach!!

Ein tolles Buch. Msn erfährt so viel Neues über Strände.

Full of excellent informations about all U have to know about a beach.... including plants, fishes, animals, trees, anatomy of the sans dunes, etc.!

It’s for a chrismas gift, hés perfect, many pictures of all, i recommand