Beautiful Shells: George Perry's Conchology

In 1811, architect, stone mason, and shell obsessive George Perry published his lavishly illustrated volume, Conchology or the Natural History of Shells. The work featured 348 beautifully illustrated mollusk shells with descriptions of species, many of which were new to science.

Despite the effort that went into producing it—and at a time when conchophilia, or shell fancyin...