The Sea Shells of Sagami Bay
T. Kuroda, T. Habe, K .Oyama
ISBN 13 -9784990014711, published by Maruzen, Ltd., Tokyo, Japan in 1971. Hardcover with printed dust-jacket and slipcase, 1399 pages, of which 737 pages are in Japanese, 109 page-size color plates, 16 page-size black and white photo plates, 489 pages in English translation, 51 pages of bilingual indices, and 1 map fold out plate.The page size is 6.75 by 10 inches, 17 by 25.5cm.
This book is a descriptive and illustrated catalog of the shells in the collection of the Emperor Hirohito, of Japan. The book was written by three of the leading conchologists and malacologists at the time and covers the mollusks that came from Sagami Bay, which is located off Honshu Island, about 40 kilometers S.W. of Tokyo. It is an area rich in marine fauna. The book is quite rare today, in fact, I have not been able to use for a price comparison. In spite of its very high price, it sold quite well in the USA when it was in print. I remember copies selling for between $600.00 to $700.00 at that time. This is a used book and the slipcase is in rather poor condition. However, I would recommend retaining it since it was part of the book when it was published. The edges of the dust jacket are somewhat frayed and there is a small stain on the top of the book, and a stain on the title page. The body of the book is in perfect condition.
