many excellent line drawings make it very browsable ... I wish I'd had it when I was a student ... there is no longer any excuse for not putting a name to most of the shore and shallow-sea creatures found around the British Isles ... the book is ... already indispensable in my library, and will become so for student, anmateur and professional marine biologists alike. Sue Scott, BVC Wildlife, December 1995 its great value lies in its comprehensiveness ... there is excellent coverage, especially of the commoner or more prominent forms ... eminently affordable for any serious worker in the field ... Bought now, your copy, with care, should last you for years. J. Exp. Mar. Biol. Ecol. 196 (1996) All readers will appreciate the publication of this up to date and comprehensive guide to the marine fauna of the seas around the British Isles, at a price that they can afford ... the definitive identification guide to all the common species of British marine invertebrates ... The illustrations are excellent line drawings, so thorough that they can be used to separate species that are almost identical ... The first chapter gives an excellent introduction to aspects of the marine environment ... The concise guide is highly recommended and should be regarded as essential reading and the first choice on your Christmas list. It should also be on the shelf of every Public Library as it is clearly the leading book on the subject. Glaucus (British Marine Life Study Society Magazine) Summer/Autumn 1995 This handbook is essential for naturalists, students, and marine biologists. Coastline 1996 '...The descriptions are necessarily concise, yet sufficiently clear, as most technical terms are explained in the detailed line drawings (often) on the opposite pages. Information about the preferred habitat of each species is given, as well as the number of taxa known for the are...This book constitutes a practical guide for the carcinologist, while it offers a wealth of information on the taxonomy of various marine animals (birds and mammals excluded) for all those who do not limit their interst to a single group of animals. A book of this class is rarely available at such a friendly price, which makes one suspect it will be sold out shortly.' H.P.Wagner, Crustaceana 72 (2), 1998.