This multivolume treatise, The Mollusca, had its origins in the mid 1960s with
the publication of Physiology of Mollusca, a two-volume work edited by Wilbur
and Yonge. In those volumes, 27 authors collaborated to summarize the status of
the conventional topics of physiology as well as the related areas of biochemistry,
reproduction and development, and ecology. Within the past two decades,
there has been a remarkable expansion of molluscan research and a burgeoning
of fields of investigation. During the same period several excellent books on
molluscs have been published. However, those volumes do not individually or
collectively provide an adequate perspective of our current knowledge of the
phylum in all its phases. Clearly, there is need for a comprehensive treatise
broader in concept and scope than had been previously produced, one that gives
full treatment to all major fields of recent research. The Mollusca fulfills this
objective