Henning Lemche was an enthusiastic student of Opisthobranch molluscs. Visitors to his house who were not interested in this topic might soon become bored, because all conversational roads soon led Lemche back into his favourite subject. I found him an excellent colleague, always willing to reply in detail and without delay to any request for help from a fellow enthusiast. In his own work on the taxonomy and biogeography of Opisthobranchs he was extraordinarily meticulous and dedicated to the highest standards of scientific endeavour.

Some of the most innovative work in intertidal ecology over the last 20 years or so has emanated from the laboratories and universities of the north-west coast of America. To most of us in Europe, the fauna is unfamiliar and the names referred to in books and papers mean little without some association with illustrations or specimens. Although molluscs are generally well served by identification guides, other phyla are not so well covered and this book is thus a welcome arrival.

This long awaited book, by a team of experts, is the most comprehensive guide to the shells of this region ever published, covering some 1273 species. Many of the species included are endemic to the region covered (The Persian Gulf& S. E. Arabian Peninsula) but others occur more widely making this book useful to anyone interested in Indian Ocean shells. Building on the work of the late Kathie Smythe, the extensive field work by the Bosch family - which has resulted in the discovery of many new species, the authors have spent several years preparing this work for publication.

This beautifully illustrated work is described by its author as an Atlas which is just what it is. It does not claim to be a monographic treatment of the family Bursidae, although all the 64 species and subspecies known and considered valid by the authors are included. The text is in both English and Italian. The species are arranged systematically under genera with one to two pages devoted to each.

This volume consists of 31 papers presented as part of the Malacological Society of London's Centenary Symposium, with the same title as the book, held from 14-16 September 1993. The authors of the various contributions are the foremost experts in all the various fields of their profession - so this, together with its broad scope, makes the book an essential addition to the library of any institution or person seriously interested in Mollusca.

This is a comprehensive monograph of a high standard, a pleasure to handle and to review. It is the result of a cooperative project between malacologists of the Dipartimento di Biologia Evolutiva of the University of Siena and biologists of the Department of Biology of the University ofMsida, Malta, undertaken in the early 1980s.

13 Caudofaveata, Solenogastres, Polyplacophora, Monoplacophora.

14 Gastropoda Prosobranchia, Heterobranchia Heterostropha.

15 Gastropoda Opisthobranchia, Divasibranchia, Gymnomorpha.

16 Gastropoda Pulmonata.

17 Bivalvia, Scaphopoda.

18 Cephalopoda.

The impact of the front cover of this attractive book is good - lots of invertebrates (a nice change from fish and sharks) in an artistic arrangement: anemone, soft coral, cowrie, stomatopod, ascidians, brittle star, and flatworm. Inside, the title page says: Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific: animal life from Africa to Hawaii exclusive of the vertebrates. ...

Almost 40 years ago when, because my hobby was the study of non-marine molluscs, I was asked to try to name Bulinus and Biomphalaria bilharzia carriers for the Department of Insect-Borne Diseases in Nairobi, much use was made of such substances as copper sulphate and various pentachlorophenates for snail control. The disastrous ecological effects resulting from this can be imagined. I was therefore very interested when Or Teesdale in 1950 asked me to investigate the use of a plant as a potential snail-killer. My chemist friend Dr P. R.

I highly recommend purchase, as this book sets a new standard for field guides in the field of Molluscan studies. It succeeds in being both a comprehensive guide to the land snails of eastern South Africa as well as providing much information about life cycles and animal biology for the region. For a new student the book is self-contained, guiding a student though collection and preservation techniques, to identification and does not require access to other books on the other aspects of snail biology.