Razor Clams: Buried Treasure of the Pacific Northwest

In this lively celebration of the Pacific razor clam, Berger shares his love affair with the elegant, gold-colored Siliqua patula and gets into the pleasure of how to capture, clean and cook the wily creatures. There’s nothing quite as rewarding or fun as digging for razor clams on a flat, sandy beach in front of the wild Pacific Ocean. In the course of his investigations, Berger brings to light the long history of razor clamming as a subsistence, commercial and family recreational activity, and shows how the pursuit of the razor clam has helped shape Northwest identity and relationship to nature. Chapters include how authorities count the clams and the elusive meaning of the term “clam gun.”

Watch the 2-minute animation on YouTube HERE.

See the author on King5 TV’s “New Day Northwest” HERE.

“The author provides information I didn’t know and I’ve been digging razor clams for fifty years” ― Greg Johnston, Author of Washington’s Pacific Coast: A Guide To Hiking, Camping, Fishing and Other Adventures

A delightful new book. . . written with verve, humor and well-researched fact. . . The book should become a go-to reference for razor clam enthusiasts, expert or casual. . . . You need to read this book.

Whether you grab fresh razor clams at the fish counter or with a quick shovel at low tide, this book will take you delightfully, deliciously deep into the food culture, ecology, and local history of our ‘buried treasures.

Whether it is a recipe for razor clam fritters you seek or refreshment for the soul, Razor Clams delivers. A must read for Pacific Northwest newcomers and barnacled long timers alike, Berger offers delight on every page.

Sport clamming may sound like an oxymoron until you read David Berger’s captivating account of this weird and wonderful activity.

Available from your local booksellers, as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Elliott Bay Book Company, Indiebound, Powell’s, Third Place Books and University Book Store

Related Topics for the Clam Enthusiast

Help make the Razor Clam the Washington State Clam!

Please visit the project razor razor clam web page to learn more.

Razor clams or geoduck? Read the story in The Seattle Times.

talk to your group or organization?

Use the form on the contact page to ask me about speaking for your group. I speak about the razor clamming phenomenon, and also present on the Silk Road, past and present, including the cave temple art of Dunhuang in China.

Speaking Schedule

Speaking Schedule 2025

1 PM on Sunday, March 16th, at Seward Park Audubon Center.  Enjoy a virtual trip to the ocean and learn all about razor clams! Free, with sign-up requested.