Seashore Life

Price and size are what makes this guide so great. It provides a good overview of the ocean and sealife in a very portable format, particularly for my young daughter to put in her pocket before we head off to the tidal pools The small size, however, means that the illustrations are not as large or detailed as we would prefer. It also limits the amount of specific information that can be included. We recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest and have found region-specific books (particularly from Lone Pine Publishers) to be superb. If you are looking for a more specific guide with marvelous illustrations, buy "Seashore of the Pacific Northwest" by I. Sheldon. I recommend this as a great resource at a very good price.

The new edition of the Golden Guide to Seashore Life is an even better rendition of an already great entry in the series! Mollusks, sea stars, chitons, sea birds and many others are featured in this little guide. Surprisingly for a Golden Guide, there are many more species of shellfish and sea stars listed than in the Audubon and Peterson Guides. East Coast & West Coast sea stars add up to twelve species altogether! Very good for this type of guide. Seaweeds and algae are also added. Whenever you see a small piece of kelp or sea moss float by, you will be able to identify it very quickly. Good all around guide. Now for the two editions on the market that need better explaining. The St. Martins Press new edition shown above is superior and very different from the earlier, original Golden Press. St. Martins Press changes some of the older names to more familiar ones, making it more useful than the Golden Press. So, if someone offers the collectible of the older edition, buy the new edition nonetheless!