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ABOVE & BELOW
The thrilling adventures of a professional diver and
treasure hunter.
Tom Shelnick and Ray Christina. |
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BUSINESS OF DIVING
John E. Kenny.
First prnting 1972. Gulf Publishing Company, Houston.
Hardcover, dust jacket, 302 pages, larger format.
More for the interests of commercial divers at the time,
although now of general interest to all divers, including the amateur.
Covers history, diving technology, tools and equipment, and an interesting
and common-sense section on the future - up to the year 2000. "By the year
2000, dolphins will be widely used for both survey and patrol missions".
Chapter on Mixed Gas Diving which is now coming into the amateur sphere
of us. Not of great histopric significance even though it was a popular
book which retains its readability.
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DANGER IS MY BUSINESS
John D. Craig
Copyright 1938.
Published by Simon and Schuster, Inc. New York
Hardcover, dustjacket, 309 pages, several mono prints.
The author was an adventurer in the true sense of the
word. His diving activities take up most of the book, after adventures
in Egypt, India and a number of other exotic places. He became a stunt
diver for Hollywood director W.S. Van Dyke,sought treasure in the Caribean
seas, engaged in salvage diving, and went looking for the Lusitania. A
very interesting read, quite exciting at times, but of limited value as
an historic diving record.
Also published by Literary Guild, New York, 1938. (Top
cover).
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DIVING, CUTTING AND WELDING
IN UNDERWATER SALVAGE OPERATIONS.
Frank E. Thompson, Jr.
Published by Cornell Maritime Press (1944 First Edition
Hardback, 214 pages with index and many illustrations).
Comprehensive guide to ocean diving with vintage equipment, and all the
operations pertaining to salvaging ships, treasure, or whatever may be
of worth. |
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DON'T FORGET THE DIVER
C.A. Chard
Publisher: Chambers1958
From eBay: An attractive and interesting old book about
the author's working life as a diver. He started in WW1 and is still working
during WW2 so there are lots of old tales about learning to dive, dangerous
dives, old boats and fish. A lot of his dives are off Falmouth and Cornwall.
Some decent black and white photos.
Photo acknowledge: MB
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DOWN TO THE SHIPS IN THE SEA
Harry Grossett. First published 1953 by Hutchinsons
& Co. (Publishers) Ltd, London.
Hardcove, dustjacket, 256 pages, many mono photographs.
The author is no doubt one of the great hard-hat divers
of the last century, travelling the work salvaging the mindane and the
exotic, from all sunken cargo ships, to gold and othr treasures; he covered
both world wars, and was a principle diver in the raising of the German
fleet at Scapa Flow. Although much of the book is biographical, he also
reveals the principles and practice of standard dress diving, and how it
has developed over his half century of working. A superb book, one that
you can't put down, and because of its content, of historical value.
Availability: Extremely rare. A book with dust jacket
500.00 GBP.
Info acknowledge: MB
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HANDBOOK FOR PROFESSIONAL
DIVERS.
Ronald Titcombe.
Adlard Coles Limited, London. 1973. Hardcover, dustjacket,
292 pages, mono prints and charts, index.
ISBN 0 229 98653 6.
This was the major commercial diving book sold by Oceans
Enterprises in the eightoes and nineties, and now well out of print. Covers
all the subjects - including nuclear radiation. Physics and physiology,
accidents, first aid, equipment, maintenance of plant and equipment. |
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HARD HAT DIVERS WEAR DRESSES
Bob Kirby.
Olive Press Publications, Los Olivos, California. 2002.
No ISBN.
Hardcover, laminated boards, A4 size, 360 pages, mono
prints, no index.
The author is one part of the famous Kirby-Morgan Corporation,
now Kirby Morgan Dive Systems, the world's largest manufacturer of modern
commercial diving helmets, so I believe. It is an autobiography of a man
who was a navy diver, abalone diver, commercial diver, boat bulder, fisherman,
construction diver, designer of dive equipment and manufacturer. I am sure
it is a fascionating read, but I have not done so as yet. I am put off
by the fact that th production of the book itself is not appropriate. This
is a book to read and relax with a G & T or a cold beer if so inclined,
to take to bed to read, to read on an airflight. But it is difficult to
do so because it is of A4 size and simply damn awkward to read comfortably
as all books of this size are. The problem is that it need not have been
so big as the book is predominantly text. The font is 14 point - huge for
a text book, and printed on rather odinary paper so that the photographs
are of inferior quality. Better that the book was in a smaller standard
format, with photographs interleaved in a sheaf of gloss paper. I would
hazard a guess that Olive Press is Bob Kirby and thus the book is self-published.
Perhaps this man of grat achievement should have quit when ahead. I have
as much chance of designing a decent dive helmet as Olive Press have of
designing a quality book. Having said that, (and sorry if it sounds like
a gripe but I do get personally annoyed at bad book production), I am sure
this is a book that deserves its place in th annuls of dive history as
it certainly records the work of a most remarkable man. [ps] |
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I LIKE DIVING.
Tom Eadie.
Published in 1931, by Houghton Mifflin Co, Boston and
New York.
Hardcover, 244 pages, mono plates.
The author was a US Navy diver. Includes the salvage
of submarine S-51, for which he was awarded the Navy Cross. Autobiographies
such as these provide so much detailed information on early standard dress
salvge diving and are a great asset to our maritim knowledge. He worked
on th salvage of the submarin S-4 off Princetown, USA, and the submarine
S-51. He was a civilian diving instructor, as well as his time in th Navy.
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JOHNNO THE DEEP SEA DIVER
The Life and Adventures of John Johnstone.
As told to Peter Dawlish.
The title sounds like a kid's tale - but I dont think
it is meant to b.
From the fly:
This is the life story of the famous deep-sea diver,
John Johnstone, from his boyhood in Liverpool until now, when he is salvaging
ships sunk in the war with Japan. In the many years he has been a diver,
Johnno has had enough adventure to satisfy twenty people. He has been trapped
under a sunken ship, held prisoner by a groper-the most ferocious fish
in the world, salvaged ships with Japanese bombers overhead, and taken
a quarter of a million pounds worth of gold bullion from a wreck sunk off
the coast of New Zealand, to mention only a few of his exploits. Most of
his diving work has been carried out round the coasts of Australia and
in the shark-infested waters of the East Indies. There, in his spare moments,
he has dived among the beautiful coral gardens, gathering wonderful shells.
His work has not been all danger. He has had many delightful hours, finding
companions in the brilliantly coloured fish of the tropics. A baby seal
adopted him, and used to meet him when he went down! He met all sorts of
interesting people, such as crocodile hunters, a boy who lived by catching
snakes and getting their venom, pearl divers, and natives who dived naked
to gather shells to be made into pearl buttons. Few men, even divers, have
had such an adventurous life, and now Peter Dawlish, famous for his stories
of the sea, tells Johnno's life story as I Johnno himself described it.
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THE DEEP-SEA DIVER.
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
Robert C. Martin.
Published in 1978 by Cornell Maritime Press, Inc. Maryland,
USA.
Hardcover, dustjacket, 213 pages.
A very important book for anyone interested in standard
dress (hard-hat) diving, and the subsequent move toward light-weight suits
and helmets and mixed-gas use.
From the fly:
A comprehensive work exploring the world of the deep-sea
diver. The primary purpose of this book is to explain the origins, development,
cur- rent status, future of the commercial deep-sea diver and the equipment
he uses and how it has evolved historically. Furthermore, the text describes
in de- tail exactly how the equipment is used by the diver and how different
types of diving apparatus are used depending upon the nature of the diver's
work. The material is presented in detail using non- technical language.
This is the story of how diving apparatus has evolved from simple beginnings
into highly-sophis- ticated devices requiring skilled operators and ad-
vanced technical knowledge for proper use. Start- ing with the caveman,
the deep-sea diver is traced through time to understand how he has studied,
invented, and improvised to allow himself to de- scend into the sea and
explore its depths. Emphasis is placed on the equipment worn di- rectly
by a diver - his helmet, dress, weight belt, and shoes. The initial attempts
to provide these devices, their subsequent modifications, and ulti- mate
development are described to provide an un- derstanding of the tremendOus
difficulties man has overcome to walk beneath the waves. The last four
chapters present a photographic and word compilation of diving equipment
cover- ing 200 years of development. This information is historically accurate
and comprehensive. Contents: A Brief History of the Deep-Sea Diving Outfit
- The Physics of Being Underwater - Mark V Diving Apparatus - Diving with
a Mark V Outfit - Commercial Heavyweight Deep-Sea Div- ing - Lightweight
Diving Apparatus - Scuba - Keeping Warm Underwater - Mixed-Gas Diving Apparatus
- Decompression Procedures - Other Diving Systems - A Summary of Equipment
and 118 Usage - Heavyweight Helmets - Lightweight Helmets and Masks - Weight
Belts - Shoes and Boots. |
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THE INFERNAL DIVER
John Bevan.
Published by Submex Ltd, London, 1996. ISBN 0 9508242
1 6.
Hardcover, dut jacket, A4 size, 314 pages, mono and colour
prints, line drawings, index.
A wonderful, remarkable book, so much to read.
From the fly:
Until now it has been erroneously believed that Augustus
Siebe was the inventor of the standard diving helmet. He was, in fact,
the leading manufacturer. Siebe himself never claimed to be the inventor
but with the passage of time and the recognised excellence of his manufacturing
standards, Siebe's name superseded that of the true inventors, John and
Charles Deane. This book reinstates the Deane brothers as inventors of
the diving helmet and traces their lives from humble beginnings in east
London, through their sea-going careers, their invention and development
of the diving helmet and dress and their subsequent underwater exploits.
From their modest beginnings in Whitstable, Kent; they conducted their
various underwater activities including treasure-hunting, wreck clearance,
salvage, marine civil engineering and military support. The wrecks of the
Mary Rose and the Royal George feature prominently in their lives. Their
invention was of enormous significance for the future of underwater operations.
The diving dress and helmet were enthusiastically embraced by the Royal
Engineers and Royal Navy who used them to great advantage in the Crimea.
They commissioned John Deane as their resident diving and explosives expert
during the campaign. It was in the Crimea, due to his impressive success
at blowing up underwater obstacles that he earned the title, "The Infernal
Diver". This book charts the successes and failures, the triumphs and tragedies
of the Deane brothers' remarkable lives. Their story rewrites an importaItt
and hitherto mis-represented part of diving history - the birth of the
diving helmet and dress; the origin of today's international diving industry.
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THE MAN IN THE HELMET
Desmond Young.
See also 'Try Anything Twice' by the same author.
I VERI EROI DEGLI ABISSI MARINI
Desmond Young, translated by Sebastiano Morin.
This is the Italian version of The Man in the Helmet.
Nothing is lacking from the original. The Italian version
contains some extra colour photos.
Availability: Rare, but not impossible. Approximately
$150.00 USD
Info and phto acknowledgement: MB |
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THIS WORLD AND THAT
Thomas Ferris Milne
This extremely rare book is a masterpiece of historical
information and entertainment.
The author in the most romantic fashion, takes us with
him on his underwater adventures and sometimes on land.
Availability: When you find it, prepare to pay probably
above 1000.00 USD.
Info and photo acknowledge: MB |
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TRY ANYTHING TWICE
The autobiography of Desmond Young.
Published by Hamish Hamilton, London 1963.
The author's father, Commodore Sir Frederick Young, was
an experienced hard-hat salvage diver. The author entered World War 1 and
was wounded at Ypres in 1915. When thje war ended he took charge of a Greek
salvage company in North Russia. This episode in his fascinating life takes
up about 64 pages of the 358 page book. The third phase in his life was
as a journalist. This is an exceptionally well written book in the polite
English of the times. His other works include 'Ship Ashore', and 'The Man
in the Helmet'. The book 'All The Best Years' is believed to be the same
autobiography, probably the US edition. Hardcover, rther unimaginative
dust jcket, mono photographs.
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UNDERWATER TOOLS
Donald Hackman and Don W. Caudy. Published by Battelle
Press, Columbus, Ohio, 1981.
Hardcover, dustjacket, gilt lettering on front cover
and spine, 152 pages, scale drawings schematics, charts, and mono
Ocean Engineering. Diving. Underwater Welding. Underwater
Cutting.
The book is directed toward design of work systems the
total equipment added to a diver or submersible to perform a specific task
and return to the surface as opposed to just the diving systems.
Information on diving systems is limited to those characteristics and capabilities
most pertinent to work system design. Underwater Tools is written for managers,
engineers, scientists, divers, and technicians involved in the use, fabrication,
and design of underwater work systems. The text emphasizes the practical
engineering aspects of these tools. It discusses special characteristics
required for underwater work, design considerations, and the many applications
of underwater tools. References lead the interested reader to more detailed
information |
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UNDERWATER WORK
A Manual of Scuba, Commercial, Salvage and Construction
Operations.
John E. Cayford. Originally published 1959, in the USA
by Cornell Maritime Press, Cambridge. The second revised edition in 1966
was enlarged from the 1959 original. Content: 258 pages with 15 tables,
and 82 figures (drawings, sketches and bw photos). Covers principles of
diving & diving safety, salvage, underwater pipelaying, constructions,
cutting & welding, underwater photography. Hardcover, dustjacket.
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UP FOR AIR
Frank Meier
Not very easy to read, but never-the-less, extremely
exciting.
The book provides an excellent insight into the life
of an early commercial diver.
Excellent from an historical point of view.
Availability: rare, it appears now and then at auction
at the value of 800.00 USD.
Info and photo acknowledge: MB |
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WRECK - S.O.S.
A Story of How Ships are Wrecked, How They are Repaired and What
Exists to Save Them.
A.C.Hardy.
Published 1944 by Crosby Lockwood & Son, Ltd. London.
Hardcover, 147 pages, mono photographs and line drawings.
The Niagara is mentioned.
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