Spirals in Time: The Secret Life and Curious Afterlife of Seashells (Bloomsbury Sigma)

I bought the book based on the excellent reviews here. I was a bit apprehensive at the beginning of the book, about her childhood introduction to the mysteries of sea creatures, which came across wee bit twee. But soon enough the focus shifted to the truly fascinating, oddball life of shell fish & their cousins. The author writes simply & clearly about complicated things, and her analogies are very apt as well as charming (how the hermit crabs swap their shells/houses is a personal favorite). The obligatory ecological exhortations are supported by scientific evidence, light-handed, & thankfully, does not get in the way of the delightful bits about the sea creatures. I hear on all sides constantly that we are all doomed because of the way we live our lives, as if we had a great deal of choice in the matter. I don't need the doomsday screed in my reading material which is supposed to be for enjoyment. This book gave me hours of enjoyment. The only thing I would ask for are additional illustrations of the mysterious & remarkable creatures who star in this book. I bought the Kindle version; perhaps there are more illustrations in the hard copy of the book?

For years I have collected seashells, and they sit on shelves throughout the house. Never had I given much thought of the molluscs that live within. However, AMAZON sent me this book as suggestive reading. I loved the cover, so I bought it. What fascination lies on each page! Fossils date back 540,000,000 years. These molluscs have evolved, from sea to land. They have teeth, which some use as weapons. Absolutely engrossing reading if you love nature. I have not finished the book as I savor each section. However, I wanted to write a rave review for those who might consider giving it as a Christmas gift. It is easy to understand as this marine biologist uses good visual imaginary. A real gem of a book. My highest praise.

I was looking for an interesting, informative read; one that would hold my attention, but not keep me awake at night, the way some fiction stories do. I couldn't tell you how I came across this book on my Kindle, but I am so glad I did. I'm not a shell collector, of even a shell enthusiast. But I enjoy learning new things, and learned quite a bit from reading this book. I found myself so interested in many of the topics that I did more research after finishing the book. I especially enjoyed reading about sea-silk and sea-butterflies. What I enjoyed most, though, is the author's voice. She is very detailed and descriptive, and writes with a quiet humor that made me want to keep reading. I just bought another of her books. This would be a good choice for a shell collector, marine biology enthusiast, or the the type of NPR book-geek (like me) who loves to learn.

I'm a sheller (Suncoast Concologists, FL),with still a lot to learn about underwater animal life. So I'm always interested to learn more. Helen Scales credentials are impressive but, happily, she writes in a very down-to-earth manner and uses everyday experiences to describe how these creatures live and act. It is an enjoyable read. Yes, she uses the latin names for the molluscs so each can be identified properly (should you really want to!) but this book reads like a story that shows how fascinating and complex these creatures are. IMost of us just want to know something about those lovely and shapely shells we find on the beach so we can appeciate them and this book surely does that. She gives us ideas to think about...to marvel at...but never says "You should.or should not".

I am very into natural history, so consider the source. But I didn't find this to be a "slog" like so many natural history books seem to be. It had faster and slower chapters for sure, but it was a topic I knew nothing about so I enjoyed it overall and learned a lot.

This is a fairly comprehensive book about shells and the creatures that create and inhabit them. A couple chapters were kind of slow because I'm not terrible interested in the history or mythology of shells but the rest were informative and engaging. I would recommend to anytime wanting to know more about shells, molluscs, etc.

A wonderful, fascinating read. As a kid, I was taken on trips to gather fossils with my father. The 'secret life' of shelled and unshelled mollusks through time is indeed a fascinating one, and Helen Scales does a spectacular job writing a variety of chapters that amuse, intrigue and inform. Highly recommended, even to a layperson.

Spirals in Time was the most interesting, well written, and superbly researched book I have read on shells. I really enjoyed it and could not put it down! Highly recommend this book to shell collectors!

one of the best books i have ever read. i have a museum of curiosities & natural history in london's east end and a comparatively small collection of several thousand shells, but until i read this book i only ever really saw them as pretty, covetable objects. In a masterly way Helen Scales tackles the enormous breadth of the subject, endlessly fascinating and never a dull moment - i was transfixed - my life has changed - simply wonderful

I haven't actually finished Spirals in Time yet but it is really good-oh. Interesting stuff about mouth-parts (limpets could chew holes in bulletproof jackets – if they wanted to - and Britain recently discovered its first predatory slug (in Wales – where else!)). While cone snails spit their hollowed-out teeth (loaded with deadly toxins (some of which can kill humans)) at their prey. Tusk shells, the scaphopods, are interesting and, apparently, a pain in the neck as we just don’t know enough about them to slot them into the great tree of Mollusca! I am really enjoying it. Keeps your mind ticking over at a good speed and the sort of book you need Wikipedia fired up as you read it.

This is easily the best book I've read so far this year. Helen Scales covers a wide range of topics as she tells us about molluscs in all their forms. How they make their shells, the patterns on them, the shellfish we eat and other uses man has made of them, their predators, how they hunt and how they will cope in the face of ocean acidification - a little talked about effect of global warming - it's endlessly fascinating.If you've ever picked up a shell on a beach and popped it into your pocket then this is for you.

I bought this book for two reasons. First, I listened to Helen Scales on the BBC talking about her book and thought what a marvellous raconteur of a marvelleous subject. Second. My wife is an ardent collector of seashells and I have been infected by her enthusiasm. She has a wonderful collection of seashells gathered mostly from the shores of the Persian Gulf at Ras al Khaimah when for fifteen years we lived in Dubai. I suspect that now such a collection would be impossible because of massive building on the shores and pollution of the sea. The book is magnificent and fulfills all my hopes. Helen Scales is an expert marine biologist and mixes jolly vigmettes with the scientific material. Even if you are not interested in seashells it's a very good read. In my next life I think I'll be a marine biologist rather than a doctor...no on-call duties. Doctor LarkDoctor Lark

A secretive, seldom experienced world, brought to life in a fascinating book. Two things are a bit distracting. First, like so many popular science books these days, is the time and attention it pays to praising scientific community members. A name can’t be mentioned without their university, stature or brilliance being commented on. This gets a bit nauseating after a while. Second, to quote Mark Twain on scientific exposition, “one gets such wholesale returns of conjecture out of such a trifling investment of fact.” That being said, when it focuses on the molluscs themselves, and what facts have been gleaned, a terrific read.