The anemone Sagartia elegans, above, is found on rocky shores and in rock pools along the Atlantic, North Sea and Channel coasts of northern Europe down to the Mediterranean. It is just one of the diverse species featured in Photographic Guide to the Sea & Shore Life of Britain & North-west Europe by Ray Gibson, Benedict Hextall and Alex Rogers (Oxford University Press, £15.95, $29.95). The book marks the start of a new series of photographic guides to aid the identification and promote the conservation of Europe's plants and creatures.