At several points in her enthralling new book, “The Sound of the Sea,” Cynthia Barnett warmly recalls her memories of shelling on Sanibel, the Florida island long a mecca for seashell collectors. It’s ...

“The Sound of the Sea: Seashells and the Fate of the Oceans” by Cynthia Barnett; W.W. Norton ($27.95, 432 pages) First Name ...

If you have ever held a shell in your hand, a Horse Conch, a yellow Prickly Cockle, even a dainty lavender periwinkle, you surely felt a sense of wonder at these fluted or spiraling, shining things.

IMAGES OF TRUTH (310 pp.)—Glenway Wescott—Harper & Row ($6). Like the pre-Ship of Fools Katherine Anne Porter, Novelist Glenway Wescott is a somewhat melancholy yet tantalizing literary figure. His ...

The environmental journalist and UF professor explores the fascinating history of mollusks and their interactions with humans. The Tampa Bay Times e-Newspaper is a digital replica of the printed paper ...