CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS

    Foreign Language - Italian
    Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale. 

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    Number of titles: 41.
    We are grateful for the participation of Italian collector Massimo Bertoni [mbe] who is sending details of diving classics in the Italian language, and also books by English-language authors that have been translated into Italian. Together with the title from my good friend Albert Romeo, this should be a very intersting section and of value to the collector. Many thaanks Massimo, we appreciate your interest and contribution. See above for another (external) website of Italian-language dive books. 

    Please note: Not all of these titles are listed on the Master List. 
    ALLA RICERCA DELLE NAVI SCOMPARSE.
    Paul Johnstone
    Published in 1978 by Newton ragazzi.
    Soft cover, 143 pages with few mono photoraphs. It’s the italian translation of “The Archeology of ships”. (Google translaation of the title is, In Search of the Missing Ships. [mbe]
     
    ALLA SCOPERTA DEI TSORI SOMMERSI
    (The Discovery of Sunken Treasure).
    Hans Roden.
    Published in 1970, by Mursia; 182 pages, some b/w photos. 
    Note: the orginal German edition is named SCHATZUCHER.
    The English edition is Treasure Seekers. [mbe]
    ATLANTE DEI TESORI SOMMERSI
    Nigel Pickford
    Published in 1996 by Mondadori.
    Hardcover and dust jacket, 200 pages with many photos. 
    (It’s the italian translation of “” The atlas of ship wreck and treasure” )
    [mbe]

     

    .
    		AVVENTURA NEL SESTO CONTINETE   (Lierally: Adventure in the Sixxth Continent).   [Italian Language, also English edition]
    Folco Quilici.
    Published in 1954 from Casini.
    She soft cover is red with a shark photo and hardcover is blue with another shark; 261 pages 85 photos b/w and color. Includes maps. The book describes the Italian red sea expedition in 1952/1953 with the ship Formica; the expedition . Those on the expedition included famous Italian divers at that time, Folco Quilici , Bruno Vailati (expediotion leader), Raimondo Bucher, Gianni Roghi, Luigi Stuart Tovini, Massimo Manuza, Alberto Grazioli, Giorgio Ravelli, Silverio Zecca, and two woman, Enza Bucher (Raimondo Bucher wife) an a journalist Priscilla Hasting. In the Red Sea have done a lot of pictures and movies and captured some fish from Italian University. Folco Quilici is an important journalist and documentary film maker and has written several books. http://www.folcoquilici.com/index.html.  [mbe]

    Note: This was published in the English language by Weidenfled and Nicolson, London in 1954 as The Blue Continent.

    Top: Blue, hardcover. 
    Bottom with shark is the dustjacket. 
    BLU PROFONDO L'ULTIMA IMMERSIONE
    Google translation: Deep Blue Sea Last Dive.
    Bernie Chowdhury.
    Published in 2001, by Sperling & Kupfer.
    Hardcover and dustjacket, 351 pages with some colors photos. 
    This is the Italian translation of “THE LAST DIVE” . 
    Note that in Italy this book is rare because few copies were printed. [mbe]

     
    DISPOSITIVO AMPLATZER
    Giacinto Marchionni.
    Published in 2009 by Tracce.
    Soft cover 192 pages. The author recounts his diving and a heart problem, cured by surgery.  [mbe]
    DOVE NEL MARE LUNGO LE COSTE D'ITALIA
    Google translation: 'Where In the Sea Along the Coast of Italy.'
    Hardcover 152 pages.  [mbe]

    This book was sold with "SUB ENCICLOPEDIA DEL SUBACQUEO".
     
    I SEGRETI DEL MARE
    Raimondo Bucher.
    Published in 1959, by Centro Internazionale del Libro- Firenze.
    Hardcover, 139 pages many color photographs. The book is quite rare and has special: photos are not printed on the pages but are attached with glue. . In this book he wrote his story of  the first marine exploration as a consultant and talks about experiment equipment. Bucher was born in 1912 and died in 2008 and has been diver up to 90 years. In the World War 2 he was a fighter pilot was awarded the silver medal for value. He was the first to use the o-ring for an underwater camera housing;  he was record-diving and spearfishing, with his wife, and lived on a boat in Sardinia. There is much more to write but other information can be found on the Internet.  [mbe]
    I SUB MARINA NAZIONALE FRANCESE
    Published in 1970 by Longanesi.
    Hardcover and dust jachet, 272 pages with b/w photos. 
    (It’s the italian translation of “La Plongee” ). Google translation: National French Navy Divers. 
    [mbe]

     
    IL PALOMBARO SPORTIVO 
    (Google Translation: The Sports Diver) 
    Faustolo Rambelli 
    Subtitle: La Storia, La Tecnica, le attrezzature (Google translation: the story, the techniques, the equipment) 
    Published in Italy by Editoriale Olimpia in 1996. Printed soft covers - 142 printed pages.
    Totally published in Italian language covering the development of diving and diving equipment.  Extremely well illustrated with diagrams, tables and photographs of lots of equipment.  History goes back to the Dene brothers and earlier.  [pt]
    IL TESORO DELLA GRANDE SCOGIERA
    Arthur C. Clarke
    Published in 1970 by Rizzoli.
    Hardcover and dustjacket, 223 pages with b/n photos 
    (It’s the italian translation of “The treasure of Great Reef”).
    [mbe]
    IL TESORO SOMMERSO
    Robert Stenuit.
    Published in 1978 by Longanesi.
    Soft cover, 179 pages with few mono photos. 
    Italian translation of the French ‘Les Epaves de L'Aeoro.  [mbe]
    INCUBI DECOMPRESSIVI
    Stefano Di Cagno.
    Published in 2006 by Hettemarks.
    Soft cover, 240 pages with some mono photographs. This book tells above all the work done to recover a sunken ship. (Google transltes literally to, Nightmore Decompression.) [mbe]
    ITALIA SOMMERSA
    By Rossi-Osmida.
    Published in 1973 by Longanesi.

    Flumi, laghi, marl custodiscono iI nostro passato Per riscoprirlo, i mezzi, le tecniche, le leggi dell'archeotogia subacquea. Con le avventure e i ritrovamenti del Club Muscariello.
    Google trtanslation:River, lakes, seas iI preserve our past 
    To rediscover it, means, techniques, laws 
    dell'archeotogia underwater. The adventures 
    and the findings of Muscariello Club. 

    Hardcover and dustjacket, 179 pages  many photos b/w and colors. 
    This book tells the archaeological explorations made by a diving club in Milan, a club very popular in those years, especially for their diving in rivers, large lakes and in the the Alps mountains. There are pictures on the history of diving and how to recover and preserve archaeological remains.  [mbe]
    .
    L'ABISSO BLU
    Jacques Mayol
    Published in 1977 by Giunti Marzocco.
    Hardcover, 217 with  b/w and color photos. 
    Jacques Mayol was a record man of apnea (breath) and was among the first to use yoga to prepare the record. Is famous for his rivalry with italian Enzo Maiorca (inspired the film “Le Grand Bleu” in 1988 by Luc Besson with famous actor Jean Reno) .More information can find in internet. [mbe]
    .
    L'ARCHIVIO DELLA SORIMA
    Google translation: An archive of Sorima
    Carlo de Riso.
    Published in 1994, by Rivista Marittima.
    Hardcover, 92 pages with b/w photos. The book is a small but very interesting. It gives a brief SO.RI.MA (Società ricuperi marittimi), adventures with the ship “Artiglio” and others, but the importance of the book is moreso that you can find the archives of the society which shows the sunken ships with treasures that the SORIMA  would recover. [mbe]
    L'ESPLORAZIONE SOTTOMARINA
    Ken Roscoe.
    Published in 1972 by Mondadori.
    Soft cover, 155 pages with many colors designs. 
    Italian translation of ‘Undersea exploration'. [mbe]
    L'EXPLORAZIONE SUBACQUEA.
    Google translation: Explore the Underwater.
    Ruth Brindze.
    Published in 1966, by Zanichelli.
    Hardcover, 151 pages  some b/w photos.
    This is the Italian translation of ALL ABOUT UNDERSEA EXPLORATION.
    [mbe]
    L'IMMERSIONE IN MISCELA
    Corrado Bonuccelli.
    Published in 2004 by “La Mandragola”.
    Hardcover, 396 pages  many pictures and drawings. Is a very interesting manual for trimix and rebreather diver. 
    Google translation of name: Diving in Mixture. [mbe]
    L' ORO DEL DIAVOLO
    Google translation: The Gold of the Devil. 
    Ted Falcon-Barker.
    Published in 1971, Mursia.
    Hardcover and dustjacket, 169 pages,  with 25 b/w photos. 
    This is the Italian translation of “THE DEVIL’S GOLD”).  [mbe]

     
    L’UOMO E IL MONDO SOTTOMARINO
    Raymond Vaissiere.
    Published in 1970 from Mursia.
    Hardcover and dust jacket 386 pages with many photos.
    (It’ s the Italian translation of “L’homme et le monde sous-marin” .
    The Google translation of the title is The Man and the Underwater World. 
    [mbe]

     
    LA CACCIA SUBACQUEA - Tutte le Prede del Mediterraneo.
    Google translation: HUNTING DIVING - All the Prey of the Mediterranean.
    Daniele Olschki.
    Published in 1975 by "La Kelasa".
    173 pages witn b/w drawings. 
    Describes techniques for underwater hunting, the best fish to catch and spear underwater guns  to use. [mbe]
    LA CALYPSO DI JACQUES COUSTEAU
    Jacques Cousteau and Alexis Sivirine.
    Published in 1984 by Fabbri editore.
    Hard cover and dust jacket, 192 pages with many color photographs. The story of the famous ship used by Cousteau for his explorations. [mbe]
    LA LAGUNA DI TRUK
    Enrico Cappelletti
    Published in 2007, by Longanesi.
    Hardcover and dustjacket, 270 pages  many b/w photos. 
    The author is a renowned underwater photographer and adventurer. He was at Truk in 1972 and was one of the first to search the wrecks of the lagoon with  a U.S. Army Officially. Also covers the Truk battle in II World War  and some mysteries surrounding the islands. [mbe]
    LA NAVE DEI GUERRIERI.
    Giuseppe Bufalari. 
    Published in 1976 by Fratelli Fabbri publishers 
    Hard cover, 152 pages with many colour and mono photos. The first half of the book is about a sponge fisherman who finds a ship wreck. The rest speaks of archaeological excavations in Turkey by George Bass and Peter Throckmorton. Beautifully illustrated and overall a good book. (Google translation is literally, The Ship of the Warriors. [mbe]
    LA PESCA SUBACQUEA IN 12 LEZIONI
    By Gilberto Nanetti.
    Published in 1966 vby “De Vecchi editore”.
    Hardcover, 184 pages  many b/w and color photos. In twelve lessons explaining the basics of diving and how to hunt and fish. Interesting photos of the equipment available in 1966. 
    [mbe]
    LA SUBACQUEA DI CARTA
    (Google Translation: Paper Diving) 
    Published by The HDS Italy in 2002. Printed soft covers - 111 printed pages. Dimensions: 24 cms tall by 17 cms wide 
    This interesting Italian book is published in English as well as Italian.  It covers divers in publications and cartoon strips, going back as far as the drawings done by Leonardo di Vinchi.  There's drawings from various publications and comic strips including Tin Tin and Micky Mouse, plus many more, possibly best known within Italy. [pt]

     
    MATEA MORA IL SIGNORE DEI PESCECANI
    Google translation: "Matea Mora Lord of the Sharks"
    Franco Prosperi
    Published in 1953 by Garzanti.
    Hardcover, with dustjacket (not shown this example), 281 pages with 29 mono photos and 8 colors photos. 
    This is the English version in “LORD OF THE SHARKS”. The autor tells of his expedition in 1952 in Ceylon (in the Indian Ocean) to study the sharks. With two component of expedition captures many sharks and so the  island people called them "Matea Mora".  [mbe]

    See English language edition.

     
    MILLE METRI SOTT’ ACQUA
    Google translattion: (A) 'Thousand Metres Under Water'. 
    William Beebe. 
    Published by Bompiani in 1935. Also a second edition in 1950 by Bompiani.
    Hardcover, 383 pages, some b/w photos and color drawings. [mbe]

    This is probably
    HALF MILE DOWN, by William Beebe. 
    Published in May 1935 by John Lane The Bodley Head. (First reprint July 1935). 
    The author was director of the Department of Tropical Research at the New York Zoological Society. 
    Covers the famous decents into the depths in several bathysphere's up to 1934. A most important work. 
    See William Beebe other titles.

     
    MORIRE QUASSOTTO SAREBBE DARVI UNA SODDISFAZIONE
    By  Stefano Di Cagno.
    Published in 2004 by Hettemarks.
    Soft cover, 115 pages with some mono photos. I think the author, Stefano Di Cagno, is the most hated person in the Italian underwater world. He spent most of his youth in prison then he dedicated himself to using mixtures and doing some diving depth records with the girlfriend. For a period he published a underwater magazine called "Captain Nemo". It is more famous for offending anyone who thought differently from him. Now he is back in prison. In this book tells some of his diving adventures and his diving accident. (The translation of the book's title could be : “my death underwater would make you happy”. Google translation is literally, Would Give You A Die Quassotto Satisfaction– which doesn’t help much. [mbe]
    PS comment: I hope he is not in jail for speaking his mind. 

    Above: Hardcover, 1971.
    Right (blue), 
    softcover 2007.
     

    		 NAUMACHOS - Avventure subacquee. 
    Stefano Carletti 
    Published in 1971, by Mursia.
    Hardcover  with dust jacket,  185 pages 17 b/w photos.  Seconmd editioon came out in 2007 as a softcover).
    In this book he writes of his experiences diving especially in the Italian islands Lampedusa and Pantelleria, and the 1968 Italian expedition to the wreck of the 'Andrea Doria' with Bruno Vailati, Mimi Dies, Arnaldo Mattei, and Al Giddings. [mbe]

    .Diving the Andrea Doria.

    		 .
    NAVI MERCANTILI PERDUTE.
    Ufficio storico Marina Militare. (Navy Historical Office).
    Published in 1997 by Stabilimento grafico militare. (Mititary Graphics Factory).
     
    Hard cover and dust jacket, over 587 pages, many mono photographs. Chronicles, with pictures, all Italian merchant ships sunk in II WW with coordinates. It is a fundamental book for research and study. This is the III Edition ( the other 1946 – 1977). (Google treanslation of title is literally, Merchant ships lost.  [mbe]
    		.
    PAOLOMBARI DORICI
    Luigi Borsini.
    Published in 2004, by Litografia bottega grafica.
    Hardcover, 336 pages, 25.5 x 27.5 cm,  fully illustrated.
    The book tells the story of divers of Ancona, an Italian city that overlooks the Adriatic Sea.  They did a great deal of work with limited resources but with great results, such as the recovery of two submarines sunk during the war. [mbe]
    PICCOLO MANUALE DEL PALOMBARO SPORTIVO
    The Historical Diving Society Italia. 
    PROFONDITA 11000 METRI
    Google translation, literally: "Depth Metres 11000:.
    Jacques Piccard.
    Published around 1960 by Mondo Sommerso;  187 pages, many photos. 
    This is a famous book so I have not much to say. 
    The original English edition is “Seven Miles Down”.  [mbe]
    QUI "CALYPSO" CRONACA AVVENTUROSA DI UN CAPO SOMMOZZATORE
    Philippe Diole and Albert Falco. 
    Published in 1977 from Rusconi; hardcover and dust jacket 293 pages with many photos. 
    (It is the Italian translation of “Les memoires de Falco chef plongeur de la Calypso”. 
    The Google translation of the Italian title is:
    HERE "CALYPSO" CHRONICLE OF AN ADVENTUROUS CHAPTER DIVERS.
    [mbe]
    SUB ENCICLOPEDIA DEL SUBACQUEO
    Google translation: 'Sub Encyclopedia of Underwater'
    Alessandro Olschki. 
    Published in 1968, by Sadea editore – Firenze.
    Consists of two volumes with a total of 640 pages 24.5 x 31.5 fully illustrated, hardcover and dustjacket. [mbe]
    SUB IL LIBRO DEGLI ABISSI
    Lino PELLEGRINI 
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 319 pages,  many b/w photographs. 
    Today I am sending you this book for which I have great affection, if you want to recommend an Italian book to someone tell him to take this. Lino Pellegrini is a great journalist and has traveled the world, has made unique and unforgettable adventures told in this book. For example, after the end of II World War he worked with the Italians divers in the Mediterranean to recover the wrecks of ships sunk during the war. The remains of the sailors of all nations were recovered (photo) with full military honors and delivered to their home countries. He sought  in Lake Como the Mussolini treasure with a German soldier who was with Mussolini in the 1945, but have only found weapons (photo). There is a second edition of 1964 added a few photos. Many of his adventures he has done with the wife, also a diver.  [mbe]    		 .
    TESORI IN FONDO AL MARE
    George F. Bass
    Published in 1981 by Sonzogno.
    Hardcover, 206 pages with b/n illustration. 
    (It’s the italian translation of “” Archeology Beneath the sea” )
    [mbe]
    THE HISTORY OF UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY AND CINEMATOGRAPHY IN ITALY.  [English and Italian language]
    Storia della Fotografia e Cinematografia Subacqquea Italiana.
    Alberto Romeo.
    Published by Editrice La Mandragora s.r.l., Imola, Italy. 2009. Published with the support of the Historical Diving Society of Italy. 
    Special foldout plastic cover bound, 430 pages, hundreds of mono photographs, index, bibliography, text and captions in Italian and English. 
    We know of the French contribution to recreational diving - Cousteau made sure of that - but few of us have bothered to appreciate the contribution of the Italians, especially in underwater photography and cinematography. They have been at it since 1932, with weird and bulky homemade and later commercial equipment housing the Rolleimarin and Praktiflex, and the Elmo cinecamera. Names such as Raimondo Bucher, Roberto Rossellini, Victor de Sanctis and the author himself are not familiar to us, but they should be for their contribution to the development of underwater photography. And where did the Nikonos system originate? We are however familiar, or should be if we have an interest in the history of diving, with Folco Quilici, Fosco Maraini, Bruno Vailati, Dimitri Rebikoff, and Louis Boutan, all significant players in the development of underwater photographer. The book takes a chronological look at this development, from 1932 to 1989, the latter mentioning contributions from Hass and Cousteau as well as our Aussies Cropp and Taylor. The diving gear is an interest in itself, whereas the photographic equipment seems to have stabulised in development after a decade or so, its use divided between housings and the self-contained Nikonos system. A very interesting book and a great contribution by Alberto Romeo to the historical record of diving. By the way, has anyone got a copy of the first issue of the Italian Fotosub magazine, published in 1977; look, it is an artistic cover, thats why I want it. [ps]
    VIAGGI NEL MONDO SOMMERSO (AVVENTURE DI PALOMBARI)  [Italian language]
    (UNDERWATER WORLD TRAVEL - DIVING HELMETS ADVENTURE.)
    Ulderico Tegani
    Published 1931 from Mondadori
    Hardcover 247 pages with 65 b/w photos. It is a very beautiful book where the descriptions are of  Italian diving helmets adventure, especially the finding  and recovery of wrecks. For example you can find information from the Egypt gold recovery with the divers of the salvage ship Artiglio. [mbe]
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