Periodical newsletter exclusively dedicated to Cones
by Antonio Monteiro
Z wielką satysfakcją przyjąłem propozycję Pana Antonio Monteiro – redaktora naczelnego i wydawcy „The Cone Collector” – przybliżenia polskim kolekcjonerom muszli, a zwłaszcza miłośnikom rodziny Conidae – wspaniałego świata „jadowitych piękności”.
Wszystko za sprawą coraz ciekawszego, barwniejszego i zajmującego newslettera, którego początki dane mi było obserwować…Wszak zaczęliśmy korespondować jesienią 2006 roku, tuż przed ukazaniem się zwiastuna – „The Cone Collector # 0”.
Według założeń Wydawcy niniejszy biuletyn będzie się on ukazywać w formie elektronicznego kwartalnika, w języku angielskim; zaś do odczytu konieczny jest program: Acrobat Reader.
Nie ulega wątpliwości, że „TCC” wymaga od czytelnika sporej koncentracji, zadawalając przede wszystkim koneserów stożków…Warto jednak zaglądnąć na jego strony…Wszak uczymy się od najlepszych.
Redaktor naczelny „The Cone Collector” – Antonio Monteiro z Portugalii.
Matematyk, poliglota i znany na całym świecie specjalista rodziny Conidae.
Jestem dumny, że swoją osobą wzbogacił także grono I.K.M.M. ”CONCHA”,
a także „Forum Ekspertów”.
A oto, co napisał o sobie Antonio specjalnie z myślą o polskich miłośnikach stożków, (prezentuję tekst oryginalny):
„Dear friends;
I have been collecting shells for more than forty years and the fascinating world of Malacology has never ceased to fascinate me. World shells – especially those from tropical seas – present us with a breathtaking array of fanciful shapes and colours and adding new specimens to the collection is always a wonderful experience; nudibranch molluscs are among the most colourful underwater creatures, even though the lack of a shell makes it almost impossible to collect them, except in prohographs.
When I began to collect shells I was interested in all families, collecting not only marine shells but also land and fresh water specimens and I must confess that I did have a special liking for land snails, of which after a few years I built a rather large collection. Later on, however, I decided to specialize progressively; this decision was caused mainly by the lack of space at home to accomodate a collection that was becoming very large indeed and also by the desire to get to know a few special groups in greater detail. So, step by step I sold or exchanged most of the specimens I had thus far accumulated until I concentrated in only two families: Conidae and Pectinidae.
Along the years, shell collecting has changed a lot. Many species that were extremely rare when I started collecting are now readily obtainable; on the other hand, ecological concerns caused certain areas to be protected and shell collecting banned from some regions, which made a few species almost disappear from the shell market. The Internet also brought about many changes: nowadays we can get a lot of information on line and even when consulting a dealer’s website we are able to see photos of the actual specimens that are offered for sale, which is of course a great advantage for collectors.
But one thing remains constant: not only shell collecting is a fascinating hobby in itself but also it is a good way of getting to know fascinating people who share our interests. Thanks to shells, I hace been in touch with people from all over the World, many such people becoming very dear friends over the years. Besides collecting shells, I feel that indeed I collect friends and I have had the pleasure of welcoming many of them here in Lisbon, just as many of them have welcomed me to their homes.
Years ago we had a shell collectors’ club in Portugal, saddly now extinct. Nevertheless, in an effort to preserve the bonds between Portuguese collectors, I have edited a newsletter entitled „O Búzio”, which has been distributed to a number of collectors for the last 11 years; more recently, I have began editing an international newsletter entirely dedicated to Cones.
My good friend Jacek Glanc has kindly supported this newsletter from the beginning, to the point of putting it on line in his very nice website. I do hope that Polish collectors, especially those with a particular liking of Conidae, will enjoy this newsletter.
Any comments, contributions (in the way of articles, photos, etc.) or suggestions will be much appreciated.
So, enjoy shell collecting (and Cone collecting in particular) and the chance for making friends.
Best wishes from Lisbon,
António Monteiro”
Z największą przyjemnością informuję, że newsletter „The Cone Collector” jest już osiągalny za pośrednictwem tematycznej strony internetowej.
Wszystkich miłośników rodziny Conidae zapraszam do poznawania tajemnic świata „jadowitych piękności” pod adresem: