Suggestions for ID sources?

[dave r]

Hi wateryworld,
firstly I would like to say that most of the people on here, myself included, are amateurs. I would also say that most, like yourself, are beginners and come here for help which is given when someone can help in any way. Your wait for a reply could just have been because no-one had an answer to your question, people are not in the habit of posting just to say "Sorry, I don't know".
This is a forum for shell collectors of all levels of expertise but maybe you just expect too much of them. This is not meant as a criticism on your part, that is the last thing I would do, but be aware most here are in the same boat as you.
There is no 'Quick fix' to identifying sea shells, it takes many years of experience before one becomes competent. There are many excellent books and websites which you can use but you NEED a basic knowledge of shell families. The Lindner book mentioned above is not much use as an identification guide but is excellent for identifying shells to family level. The Compendium of Sea Shells by Abbot and Dance is still a 'Bible' to shell collectors and even though out of print and outdated is still one of the most useful volumes. The Alain Robin volume mentioned is quite good but the downfall is is only gives the locality of the shell illustrated and no clue as to its range, so if you have a shell almost identical to one illustrated but from a different locality it is of no use as you cannot be sure it is the same species.
If you send me  P.M. or email I can give you quite a comprehensive list of shell books and websites but as I said earlier there are no shortcuts, you need a basic knowledge of shell families before you can start trying to identify any shell ad the Lindner book is just the job for that.
A few years back I was given the task of cleaning, identifying and cataloguing a huge museum collection of tens of thousands of shells of all families from all over the World. This took me several years and resulted in the purchase of many shell books, but my knowledge of shells increased exponentially, once you get going you soon find yourself becoming more familiar with shell families.
Are the shells you are working on worldwide or just American?
Cheers,
Dave