How to identify the pebbles you find on Britain's beaches

In his 1954 book The Pebbles on the Beach, Clarence Ellis shared his passion for the simple pleasure of pebble-hunting. In this extract, he details picks out some of the most common natural treasures you'll find on our shores and notes what they might look like after polishing. llustrations by Eleanor Crow.

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(Image credit: Illustration by Eleanor Crow, taken from ‘The Pebbles on the Beach: A Spotter’s Guide’ by Clarence Ellis (Faber & Faber, £9.99))
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The Pebbles on the Beach: A Spotter’s Guide was reissued by Faber & Faber on August 2, with a foreword by Robert Macfarlane (£9.99)

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Country Life is unlike any other magazine: the only glossy weekly on the newsstand and the only magazine that has been guest-edited by His Majesty The King not once, but twice. It is a celebration of modern rural life and all its diverse joys and pleasures — that was first published in Queen Victoria's Diamond Jubilee year. Our eclectic mixture of witty and informative content — from the most up-to-date property news and commentary and a coveted glimpse inside some of the UK's best houses and gardens, to gardening, the arts and interior design, written by experts in their field — still cannot be found in print or online, anywhere else.

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