This 682 page hardbound book, A4 sized, was published in 2001. It is a monumental study of the genus Oliva, not the entire family. The book features a complete scientific discussion of these shells and it has over 1150 photographs in color showing the wide variations that are possible in these shells. It also offers the reader almost 1100 b/w photos and numerous line drawings. What I especially like is the discussion of hybridization within the genus. It treats the shells as ongoing and evolving animals and it is a concept that I have seen only a little of in other books. I can recommend this book to collectors and serious students of these fascinating and often difficult shells.