Beachcomber's Guide to Marine Life of the Pacific Northwest [ILLUSTRATED] (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description

This easy-to-read guide describes the unusual creatures and remarkable features that abound along the beaches of the magnificent Pacific Northwest coast. It's packed with color and black/white photos, beautiful, detailed illustrations, and fascinating facts that are sure to enlighten and entertain. This guide divides the coast into specific marine habitats - sandy beaches, estuaries, bays, lagoons, and rocky intertidal zones. It then examines the unique aspects of each habitat and identifies and describes the most common, conspicuous organisms that you're likely to encounter. Seaweeds, crabs, snails, worms, starfish, mussels, barnacles - or for you scientific types, cnidarians, crustaceans, polychaetes, and gastropods - are just a few of the many types of fauna and flora covered in this guide. In addition, the book presents helpful tips on improving your beachcombing skills by knowing where and when to look for these wonderful critters. There's also information on the marine mammals and Pacific salmon that live along the Pacific Northwest coast.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Gulf Publishing; illustrated edition edition (March 1, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0884151328
• ISBN-13: 978-0884151326
• Product Dimensions: 10.6 x 8.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,641,770 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Worth Every Penny!, May 15, 2003

By	Hans F Landel (near Seattle, WA) - See all my reviews

This book is an outstanding guide to the marine life found along the shores of the Pacific Northwest. Before I go further, I should note that it is NOT a pocket guide. But if you slip it into a daypack, you will be amply rewarded. Dr. Niesen has written a book that in very clear language helps you identfy what you are looking at, learn about its life habits, and learn about its habitat. Its emphasis on habitats, and arrangement by type of organism within each habitat, is extremely helpful. The black and white photos are usually pretty good, although sometimes dark, but the section of color plates is really good. What are really outstanding are the line drawings--David Wood, the artist, really captures the organisms in a way that brings out details yet preserves the basic nature of the organism.

The book also gives a great (meaning clear yet not too simple) introduction to marine biology for the Pacific Northwest, explaining tides, currents, the origin of the coast , and the basic biology of the major groups (taxa) of organisms. Furthermore, he provides tips on beachcombing.

All in all, a very handy reference. I will consider it for my Marine Biology class for non-majors (I'd use it with a majors course, too, if I taught one!).

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pricey... but good. Check your library first., July 14, 2007

By	Jennifer Spinner "wife, mom, all-around nice gal" (Kitsap Peninsula - Western Washington) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Unlike the first reviewer, I'm an amateur. Our family recently relocated to the Puget Sound region and have discovered the excitement of exploring the many tidal pools and beaches in the area.

We've purchased several field guides and although this one is not my favorite - it is large and has a limited number of high-quality color photographs - it is definitely a good book.

What it lacks in photos it more than makes up for in information - in a very easy to understand format. He introduces the region and explains the "whys" behind the geography, then moves into his very beneficial tips for successful beachcombing.

What I like most about the book, however, is that he goes into great detail about the different tidal zones and the particular creatures you will find in each zone.

This book is a little advanced for our needs right now, but as my children age, I am sure it will be a well-referenced guide.

Recommended.