Publications

Circulars, Bulletins and Study Notes

The Wellington Shell Club published a Circular (1 to 21) from 1956 until 1965 and then a Bulletin (1 to 36) from 1967 until 1975, as well as occasional Study Notes on families of molluscs.

Cookia

Cookia is the journal of the Wellington Shell Club. It was published regularly from 1976 until 1996 and has been published annually since 1997. Cookia journals to date are:

1976-1977 Volume 1, Nos 1, 2, 3

1977-1978 Volume 2, Nos 1, 2, 3

1979-1980 Volume 3, Nos 1, 2, 3

1980-1981 Volume 4, Nos 1, 2, 3

1982-1984 Volume 5, Nos 1, 2, 3, 4

1985-1992 Volume 6, Nos 1, 2, 3, 4

1993-1996 Volume 7, Nos 1, 2, 3, 4 [Index to 1996]

1997-2022 Volumes 8-34

Cookia Vol.14, June 2003 is 'The Shell Lists' issue & Supplement to Cookia Vol. 26,

December 2014 is an index of all articles in Wellington Shell Club publications 1956-2014.

Both are available on-line, see below.

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Cookia contains specialist articles and items of general interest on shells, shell collecting and molluscs as well as other related marine topics. Generally, contributions to Cookia are from club members or they may be provided by relevant scientific institutions. Club members and other readers are invited to submit contributions in MS Word format to the Editor before the end of May for inclusion in that year's issue.

Publication Guidelines

  • Text should be in plain English: effort should be made to check grammar & punctuation. The font & document formatting do not matter as this will be standardized by the editor(s). Handwritten content is welcome.

  • All works submitted should be the author's own and relevant permissions or acknowledgements should be clearly stated (e.g. image credits).

  • We aim to publish mostly original content: please tell us if an article has been published elsewhere. Appropriate acknowledgement, reference or citation should be given for articles or other information from Cookia used in the public domain.

  • Any photos or drawings provided should be of a high resolution, & supplied as individual files (i.e. not embedded into text). The editor(s) may be able to arrange for imaging of specimens if required. Unless of an in situ individual, an assortment of specimens in one shot or an artful context, it is preferred that specimens are photographed at 90° to the height/length axis of the shell, with apertural views of gastropod species preferred. Multiple views, angles or images of the same specimen are appreciated.

  • It is editorial policy not to introduce taxonomic changes. This includes the naming of new taxa, placement of species into synonymy, the resurrection of species from synonymy or changing familial or generic placements.

  • The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS: www.marinespecies.org) checklist is considered the most appropriate resource to determine current valid species names, authorities & familial & generic placements. Give the authority & date, in parentheses where appropriate, after the first usage of each specific name if you can.

Please refer to past issues for an indication of the standard expected. If you are unsure about any of these guidelines or the suitability of your material, please consult the editor(s).

Costs and Distribution

Publication costs are covered by membership fees. Cookia is usually distributed to financial members at the Annual General Meeting and Christmas party which is usually held in late November each year. Those members unable to attend the AGM receive a posted copy of Cookia shortly afterwards.

Back Copies

Electronic back copies of Cookia from Vol 1 - No 1 (Autumn 1976) to Vol 24 (November 2012) are available on this website for viewing or downloading - see below. More recent copies of Cookia will become available on this website as they become 10 years old.

Otherwise, hard copy versions of all back copies of all* original Cookia journals remain available for a fee plus postage. Individual articles and copies of the older bulletins and study notes are also available.

To order, please e-mail us .

* including those less than 10 years old

Acknowledgements

It is requested that appropriate acknowledgement, reference or citation be given for articles or other information from Cookia used the public domain.

Publications Index 1956 - 2015

Included in the list below is Supplement to Cookia Vol. 26 which is a fully searchable index of all Wellington Shell Club publications from 1956 to 2015. It includes references to the Cookia journals currently available on-line. Cookia PDFs from Vol 1 No 1 to Vol 16 are not text searchable. The more recent Cookia PDFs from Vol 17 are text searchable.

Monthly newsletter

The club e-mails a monthly newsletter to members. If preferred, posted newsletters are available upon request (for NZ residents only). The newsletter provides members with brief updates, topical news, any special events and details of the next few meetings.

Cleaning Shells

Among the most frequent questions asked by new collectors are those about cleaning shells. There are two files in the list below which contain information for new and experienced shell collectors alike on various methods and techniques found to be useful. The information provided was written by experienced New Zealand shell collectors. While some of the references within the articles is dated the essential information is assessed as current.

Also included is a link to very good shell cleaning information on the Femorale website. www.femorale.com/articles/ourplace/cleaning/?id=50.

(page last updated January 2023)