This book is a comprehensive treatment of the family Cypraeidae. 260 species taxa and 193 subspecies of living cowries, placed in 9 subfamilies and 49 genera, are discussed. The systematics follows molecular data as well as shell and animal morphology. A selection of fossil taxa is presented to understand the evolutionary history and the modification of the cowrie's shapes over millions of years. Diagnostic plates guide the reader to the taxa. For each taxon the original reference, synonyms, descriptions, as well as habitat and distribution are given. Introductory chapters treat the different aspects of biology and systematics and are entitled "Cowries and Man", "Animal Morphology", "Reproduction and Development", "The Adult Shell", "Habitat and Distribution", "The Molecules" and "History of Cowries".