| CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS
Author Jacques Cousteau. Note: Books listed are for collectors interest and
are not offered for sale.
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HOMEPAGE |
| Only time will determine if any of hundreds of publications written by, and ghost written for, Jacques-Yves Cousteau, will become true classics. Certainly THE SILENT WORLD will be there, as will THE LIVING SEA, but of the many others, who can tell. Viewers comments on this would be interesting. |
| THE SILENT WORLD. | ||
| Captain J.Y. Cousteau with Frederic Dumas.
First publiished in Great Britain, 1953, Hamish Hamilton, London. (It went through at least seven impressions in its first year - thats shows either a remarkable acceptance or bad planning - no doubt both). Hardcover, dust jacket, 148 pages, mono plates throughout, sixteen colour plates (from National Geographic). Was this book the making of Cousteau? Of course not, but it helped to consolidate his place in the public mind as a remarkable pioneer of diving. I have heard ot said that it should be prescribed reading for all divers but frankly, I find Cousteau had to read - but then I find Cousteau hard to bear - but thats just me. Perhaps its because he is just so damned skinny!!! There is nothing about the historic development of scuba (is Gagnan even mentioned?), centering rather on the diving exploits of the French Navy's Underwater Research Group and the Calypso. It is however an important work as it was perhaps the first ‘popular' book to bring attention of the general public to the underwater world. [ps]  . . |
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| THE LIVING SEA. . |
| Captain J.Y. Cousteau with James Dugan.
First published in Great Britain in 1963, Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London. Hardcover, dustjacket, 212 pages, 56 mono plates, 24 colour plates. The author...' describes the rich and exciting progress made in exploring life under water by the numerous scinetific expeditions which he has conducted...' In some respects it is a continuation of The Silent World which he published ten years earlier. Note also other publishers: Viking Penguin, Penguin Books Australia, Penguin Books Limited, Penguin Books, Canada, Penguin Books (New Zealand). Covers: 1 (submersible): Hamish Hamilton, London. [ps] 2 (anemone) Edition published by Elm Tree Books, London, 1988. ISBN 0-241-12592-8. Hardcover, dustjacket, 301 pages, mono prints, assembled in one section. [ps]  . |
| WORLD WITHOUT SUN, Jacques-Yves Cousteau's |
| Edited by James Dugan.
William Heinemann Ltd, London, Melbourne etc. First published 1965. English translattion copyright William Heinemann. Hardcover, 204 pages, coiously illustrated with mono and colour photographs, no index. More of a picture book of the Cousteau adventures. From the fly blurb: In World Without Sun Captain Cousteau describes and illustrates how he and members of his team lived for a month in the depths of the Red Sea in a speci- ally designed house. There are fascinat- ing extracts from the diaries they kept telling how this strange existence affected them, and vivid pictures of the under-sea phenomena, including giant sharks and monsters, which they , observed. The reader is plunged into surroundings of fantastic beauty, not at all remote in geographjcal terms and yet as unknown as the most distant stars. The outstanding photographs transport him to the last unexplored areas of our own planet, which are probably richer than all the others. Illustrated with 102 coloured and 140 black and white photographs . [ps-second]  . |
| THE UNDERSEA DISCOVERIES OF JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU (series) | ||
| In the early 1970s, the publishing company of Cassell
& Co., Ltd, of London etc, published a series of popular hardcover
books depicting, as the series was named, the undersea discoveries of Jacques-Yves
Coustau. They were all very well produced, hardcover with dustjacket, bright
glossy colour photograpohs on good quality art paper; about 300 pages,
with glossary, appendiciesm and index. Much of the latter were printed
on a lesser quality, but heavier, paper. The books were usually co-authors
with others: Philippe Cousteau, Philppe Diole. Translation from the French
was by J.F.Bernard.
The seies included: THE SHARK SPLENDID SAVAGE OF THE SEA. (1970) This was the first in the series. LIFE AND DEATH IN A CORAL SEA (1971) DIVING FOR SUNKEN TREASURE (1971) THE WHALE - MIGHTY MONACH OF THE SEA (1972) OCTOPUS AND SQUID - THE SOFT INTELLIGENCE GALAPAGOS - TITICACA - THE BLUE HOLES - THREE ADVENTURES (1973) SEA LION - ELEPHANT SEAL - WALRUS (1974) DOLPHINS (1974 ) There was also listed the following, but I do not believe it was ever published: ARCHAEOLOGY OF THE SEA  . . .. . . .. .
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| BOXED SET OF THREE - THE UNDERSEA DISCOVERIES
OF JACQUES-YVES COUSTEAU
Published in 1987, Arrowood Press, New York, published a three-volume boxed set of three of the above volumes. The content of the three books was the same as their predecessors, but the books were slightly larger, and all content was on quality art paper. The dust jackets were also different. This is quite a fine boxed set, more of a collectors item I suppose although I have no idea how many were produced. They are not common - not in Australia at least.
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