Seashore : 94

A comprehensive, authoritative account of the natural history of the seashore, from earliest times to the present day. The seashore, with its endlessly changing tides, is one of the most fluctuating physical environments on the planet. Home to an abundance of animal and plant life, it is also one of the richest habitats the naturalist can explore. Here in Britain, we are fortunate to have a long and varied coastline, and our relatively large tidal ranges mean that our seashore offers a wide range of coastal habitats, including mud, sand, shingle and rock.

This fascinating exploration covers resident and migrant species, including fish, barnacles, limpets, winkles, sponges, algae, lichens and sea grasses, as well as the effects of tourism and pollution on these habitats. It examines the geology of the British Isles, with its sinking and rising coastlines, and reveals the responses and adaptations of plant and animal life to a changing physical environment.

This narrow strip of beach between the land and the sea that we call the seashore has always attracted us—in early years as a source of food, and in Victorian times as a rich habitat for early naturalists to explore. This addition to the highly regarded New Naturalist series brings the natural history of the seashore right up to date.