| Discipline | Malacology, conchology |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Edited by | 1970-1976 Blanche Brewer
1976-2014 Carole Hertz 2014-present David P. Berschauer & David B. Waller |
| Publication details | |
| History | 1970-present |
| Publisher | San Diego Shell Club (United States) |
| Frequency | Quarterly |
| Standard abbreviations | |
| ISO 4 | Festivus |
| Indexing | |
| ISSN | 0738-9388 |
| OCLC no. | 4699208 |
The Festivus is a publication about malacology and conchology. It is published by the San Diego Shell Club in San Diego, California. The Festivus started in 1970 as a shell club newsletter which was edited by Blanche Brewer. In 1976 Carole Hertz became the editor, and gradually The Festivus became increasingly scientifically respectable, and was transformed into a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Carole Hertz was the editor for 37 years. From 1985 up until 2014, issues of The Festivus contained scientific papers on mollusks, and each paper was peer-reviewed by a professional malacologist. Eleven issues were published annually: one issue per month, except for the month of December.
In March 2014, the editorship changed dramatically: David P. Berschauer and David B. Waller became co-editors. The journal was altered in both format and scope; it became a quarterly publication in full color, and included scientific articles, popular articles and advertising. The main focus of the journal is still scientific peer-reviewed articles, including descriptions of new taxa. Articles of general interest are also published, and are located in the back half of the journal. At the end of 2017, over 200 copies of The Festivus were printed and distributed each quarter.