Seashore Life of Southern California: An Introduction to the Animal Life of California Beaches South of Santa Barbara

This book remains a classic reference for identification of tidepool organisms in southern California. Unlike many field guides, this one devotes 30 or more pages to basic oceanography (tides, currents, waves, water chemistry, etc) as it affects tidepool organisms. Other field guides include a greater number of color photos and line drawings but Hinton gives more help on identifying organisms and more explanation of their behaviors and ecological roles. He also includes a number of very entertaining anecdotes which make this book fun to read when the weather and tide aren't right for tidepooling.