The sailor, like most travelers, a child at heart, still brings back beautiful shells from distant lands and places them, symbols of a romantic feeling for Nature, in the cabinet at home, beside the horned snail inherited from his grandfather... Arnold Masarey, 1945 

{HISTORY}

If you live in the Northern hemisphere, beach bathing season might be coming to a close but beachcombing season is always accessible any day of the year.

One book that will help you appreciate the beauty and artistic form of seashells spotted on the open expanse where land meets sea is this rare 1945 art book simply titled Wonders of the Sea Shells. Containing 15 color plates by revered Swiss painter Paul-Andre Robert (1901-1977), this book beautifully illustrates the color, shape, form, and texture of shells gathered from all over the world. 

The spiked Murex ternispina from Japan... the shimmery, striped Cellan rota from the Seychelles... the tortoise-like Cypraea lynx found in the Indian Ocean... the wing-like Strombus bituberculatus from Martinique... they and 43 other shells pf equal beauty and wonder are carefully and intricately depicted here in all their spotted, striped, smooth and stubbly glory by Paul-Andre's careful hand and attention to detail.

Published by Iris Books and printed in Switzerland, in addition to the color plates, this book contains an introduction by noted British biologist Julian Huxley (1887-1975) and a beautifully written, brief recounting of the romance of seashells in history, design, and popular culture by Swiss naturalist Arnold Masarey (1883-1951). 

We don't often encourage a vintage book to be taken apart, but if you did want to frame these gorgeous color plates behind glass, every single one contains its own lingering glimpse worthy of appreciation and contemplation. Likewise, if you are a collector of vintage coffee table books, this one fits in seamlessly thanks to its neutral color palette and visual simplicity.

At one point in time, this book was owned by a New England watercolorist who left their mark in the splattered teal blue paint splotches on the dust jacket. We like to imagine that they took Julian and Arnold's words to heart and painted their own masterful renditions of Paul-Andre's beautiful shells. While we may never know what this unnamed artist painted for certain, their watercolor marks add another artistic layer to an already artistic book. It's a gorgeous selection for those that love and live near the sea. 

{SPECIAL FEATURES}

• 1945 Edition published by Iris Books
• Contains original dust jacket
• Rare book
• 40 pages
• 15 color plates included
  

{CONDITION}

Overall, in lovely vintage condition, the dust jacket includes watercolor paint splatters on the front and back. The top corners of the jacket have been reinforced with archival paper on the inside to retain the jacket's integrity and to protect some chippy areas. The interior pages are clean and bright. At some point, there was a small amount of water damage on the top right corner of the book, which can be seen in slight wrinkling on the very top edge of the corner plates. This is light in appearance and does not affect the overall appearance of each plate. The spine is tight, and all pages are intact. Please see photos.

{SIZE}

Measures 11" inches (length) x 8.25" inches (width) x .25" inches (thickness) and weighs 6 oz.