Many years have passed since I last had the opportunity to share this classic book by T.C. Lan. The book is organized into five different sections. The first and largest section features pictures and descriptions of rare shells collected from Taiwanese waters, comprising forty-eight out of sixty-three plates in total. The remaining sections explore deformed shells, shells encrusted with coral, shells as art, and finally, a single plate showcasing shells depicted on postage stamps.
The photographs in the book are of exceptional quality, with most capturing the shells in larger-than-life detail. It's worth noting that the book was written during the peak of shell collecting in Taiwan, providing a look at in time of some of the rarest shells known from that era.
This is a used copy of this book, but it can almost pass as a new copy. As with most of these books there was a problem with the lamination of the dust jacket. The front of the jacket has a wavy appearance because of this problem. I was unable to find any other copies of this book offered for sale in the USA. I did find a few copies offered in Europe but at much higher prices.
