Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia [Paperback]

Eugene Kozloff (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1983

From Monterey Bay to northern British Columbia, zoologist Eugene Kozloff explores the rich variety of Pacific coast seashore life. The common plants and animals that inhabit rocky shores, sandy beaches, and quiet bays and estuaries are described and illustrated with encyclopedic thoroughness.

Almost every species mentioned is illustrated. The text, cross-referenced with figures and plates, describes in precise terms the size, color, activities, and peculiarities of the plants and animals likely to be encountered.

This is a book for everyone who loves natural history. All who visit the Pacific seashores, whether to enjoy secluded inlets in the San Juan Islands, the magnificent rocky outer coast, or the tidal estuary of San Francisco Bay, will be rewarded by it.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

NTRMAR

Product Details

• Paperback: 370 pages
• Publisher: University of Washington Press; 1st edition (1983)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0295960841
• ISBN-13: 978-0295960845
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #372,225 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great guide for someone who wants to see for themselves, May 18, 1999

By 

Alan R. Holyoak - See all my reviews

This review is from: Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

Though published in the early 1980s, this book does a wonderful job of introducing the active naturalist to the nearshore marine life of the Pacific Northwest. This book includes good illustrations and photographs, descriptions of where marine flora and fauna live and what they do there. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to go the seashore of the Pacific Northwest and figure out what they are looking at. Kozloff has been there and seen everything he's writing about. I use this book as my primary text when I take students to Puget Sound, Washington, for my marine ecology field course. A top notch field guide!

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not for you if you just want to know "what is this?", April 25, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

This book is really geared more toward the academic. I would not find it useful as a field guide, though it makes for fairly interesting biological reading. It is not laid out in a "field guide" fashion, with species listed and illustrations for each provided. It would be frustrating to take the kids to the beach at low tide and attempt to use this unless you are very well acquainted with your marine taxonomy. Most species are not identified by a common name, and the color plates and illustrations are not necessarily near the species text.
This book reads as a textbook for students rather than a useful tool for laymen who just need to know what critter they just found under a rock, and want the information before the tide comes back in.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars There's more to marine life than learning its name!, December 27, 2006

By 

William Chamberlin "Professor Sean" (Fullerton, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Seashore Life of the Northern Pacific Coast: An Illustrated Guide to Northern California, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia (Paperback)

Kozloff's book is a classic and a bible for anyone who studies intertidal and coastal organisms in the Pacific Northwest. Professor Sean used this book when he took Kozloff's Marine Biology class at the University of Washington and it has been one of his favorites ever since. Kozloff's insights and anecdotes on marine organisms, accompanied by his encyclopedic knowledge, blend to create an outstanding book for identifying and learning more about marine life. If you simply want to know the names of the organisms, there are plenty of cheap field books out there. But if you want to truly know and understand marine organisms and the role they play in the ocean, then this is the book for you.