Product Description
More than 1,000 illustrations, arranged according to visual similarities, show plant and animal species of the Atlantic Coast from the Bay of Fundy to Cape Hatteras. This guide includes information on how to locate each species by geographic range, tidal range, tidal level, season, topography, and climate.

CUSTOMER REVIEWS (Average Customer Rating: 3.5 based on 3 reviews)

Why half a crab

Its a Nice book to round out a collection about the subject .
On the down side while the crab illustrations are really nice they are only half done .Crabs have different crusher and pincer claws ,while only showing one gives you the spirit of the animal it is still not showing the other aspect .
September 06, 2005

A great guide, but not what many expect

This book, "A Field Guide to the Atlantic Seashore" is a great field guide. It presents an excellent overview of the life one commonly finds along the Atlantic coast of the USA. The book is arranged taxonomically, and each entry contains a description of characters useful in determining what you are looking at. As a professional biologist, I find this book to be superior in many ways to the Audubon Guides. For example, this Peterson guide includes both common AND scientific names by each entry, the book is arranged taxonomically rather than by other less important characters like color, etc.

This book is not, however, what many casual naturalists are looking for in a field guide. They often look for a book filled by page after page of photographs or illustrations. This book is filled by page after page of information more useful to the more advanced amateur or to the professional. There are several illustrations, many are simple line drawings that show details of important characteristics used to tell one kind of organism from another.

All in all a great field guide for the advanced amateur and professional. This is not, however, a book that is as likely to be embraced by the casual observer.

5 stars for the more professional audience, but 4 stars for the casual observer.

You might be happiest doing what another reviewer suggested... to use this book along with a photo field guide such as an Audubon Field guide to the region.

Happy splashing!

Alan Holyoak, Dept of Biology, Manchester College, IN
September 19, 2000

For all lovers of the Atlantic coast

saboettger@yahoo.com. The Peterson field identification guide to the Atlantic Seashore by Kenneth L. Gosner is a useful tool in fieldwork. Seaweeds and animals are arranged taxonomically and described in detail regarding their distinguishing characteristics. All weeds and animals are called by both their scientific and common name and are described in an easily understood manner. The plates with drawings of creatures found along the Atlantic seashore are helpful to establish visual identification of seaweeds and animals. It is useful that the book explains different marine habitats that you may encounter as well as going into detail on important physical marine features such as water currents, salinity, tides etc. The details on how to maintain and preserve animals are an additional plus of this book. The Peterson field guide is a good tool for the use in class as well as for you personal exploration of the seashore. I would recommend its use in combination with the Audubon Guide to Shore Animals of North America. These books would complement each other since the Audubon Guide displays a similar identification system but enhances it with pictures of animals rather than drawings. The combined use of these books would increase the accuracy of your identification.
June 05, 2000

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

A Field Guide to Atlantic Coast Fishes : North America (Peterson Field Guides)
by Carleton Ray, C. Richard Robins
by John Douglass, Roger Tory Peterson

A Field Guide to Shells of the Atlantic and Gulf Coasts and the West Indies
by Percy A. Morris
by R. Tucker Abbott, Roger Tory Peterson

Life Between the Tides: Marine Plants and Animals of the Northeast
by Les Watling, Jill Fegley, John Moring
by Susan K. White, Andrea Sulzer

A Field Guide to North Atlantic Wildlife: Marine Mammals, Seabirds, Fish, and Other Sea Life
by Noble S. Proctor, Patrick J. Lynch

National Audubon Society Field Guide to North American Seashore Creatures (National Audubon Society Field Guides)
by Norman A. Meinkoth