The marine mollusc collection at the Natural History Museum, London

Abstract

The Natural History Museum, London holds one of the largest and most important collections of molluscs in the world with an estimate 8 million specimens. The marine collection includes around 40,000 type lots for the phylum, mainly from the collections of Cuming, Sowerby, Smith, Gray, Adams, Melvill, Hinds, Carpenter, d’Orbigny, to name a few. As well as the scientific importance of the collections, a wealth of material originating with Sloane, Banks, Cook, Darwin, Lyell, Cracherode and Montagu gives an unparalleled historic dimension to our holdings. A dedicated library of over 6,000 bound volumes and 30,000 reprints on molluscs, dating from the 17th century, provides an incredibly accessible source of information to support collections, curation and research.