| CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS
History of Diving Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale. Most of the books listed as Classic Dive Books have some
component of history recorded.
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HOMEPAGE |
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MAN AND THE
UNDERWATER WORLD
Pierre de Latil and Jean Rivoire. Translated from the French by Edward Fitzgerald.
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20,000
JOBS UNDER THE SEA
Subtitle: A History of Diving and Underwater Engineering Torrence R. Parker Published by: Sub-Sea Archives, Peninsula, California, USA in 1997. Hard cover with green boards and dustjacket; 354 printed pages. Dimensions: 28.5 cms tall by 22 cms wide This has to be one of the classic diving history books ever published. It focuses on the history of commercial diving in Southern California since the late 1800’s. It helps that the author has spent a working life in the diving industry but I cannot stress enough how comprehensive this book is. It is brimming with photographs and illustrations throughgout and worth it just for those alone, without the text. It is divided into 2 parts, “The Hand Pump Era” and “Diving’s Golden Age” and in turn eact part is broken down into further sections: 1.1 The evolution of diving equipment and compressed air diving. 1.2 Early commercial diving: building the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach. 1.3 Los Angeles Harbour’s first divers. 1.4 The hand pump era. 1.5 America’s largest salvage and diving operations. 1.6 The “Black Horse Divers” of Southern California. 1.7 Early Pacific Coast Diving Operations. 1.8 The First Offshore Oil Divers. 1.9 Depression Era Diving. 1.10 Divers and Tenders Labour Union Developments. 1.11 Projects of the Thirties. 1.12 World War II. 1.13 America’s Glory Years of Open-Sea Sponge Diving. 2.14 Postwar Diving Developments. 2.15 The First Diving Schools. 2.16 Breaking In. 2.17 The Abalone Fishery. 2.18 Diving For Oil. 2.19 Large Diameter Pipeline Projects. 2.20 Bends. 2.21 Diving in Harbours and Other Spaces. 2.22 Ship Work and Salvage. 2.23 Moving into the Twenty-First Century. I don’ think Torrence Parker has left any stone unturned in this history of American diving; everything about this book is impressive, even the boards under the dust jacket has a golden embossed shape of a Mk V helmet. Sadly this book is hard to find now but when it was published, it is marked up as £87 (US) which was an expensive book back in the late 1990’s. [pt] I don't like to include values of books on this site as I do not want to influence prices in any way, but at the present (April 2010), this books is selling in the USA within the range of $250 to $700. Like so many book-shop sales through the internet, maybe the high end is a bit ambitious, but it does give an indication of the value of the book, both in dollar terms, and intellectually. I just wish I had the sense to buy one when I had the chance! [ps] |
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A
PICTORIAL HISTORY OF DIVING
Edited by Arthur J. Bachrach ph.D, Barbara Mowery Desiderati & Mary Margaret Matzen Published by: Best Publishing Company, San Pedro, California, USA. First Published 1988 Hard Cover with dust jacket and 149 printed pages. Dimensions 30.5 cms tall by 23.5 cms wide A large format book that is not only interesting but has been very useful many times as a reference guide. It contains 11 chapters, each being written by a different author and each chapter is so well illustrated with photos and diagrams, illustrations – they are too numerous to count. Chapter details are very diverse as follows: 1. Breath-hold Diving by Arthur J Bacharach. 2. Diving Bells: Diver Lockout Systems by James T. Joiner. 3. The Hard Hat Diving Helmet by J. A. & S. E. Bauer. 4. The History of the Diving Suit by E. R. Cross & D. J. Styer Sr. 5. Diving Equipment by Glen H Egstrom. 6. Breathing Gas Delivery by Wilber (Jerry) O’Neill. 7. One-Manned Atmospheric Diving Systems by Arthur J. Bacharach. 8. Lockout Submersibles and Diver Propulsion Vehicles by R. W. Cook & C. Chulamanis. 9. Undersea Habitats by James W. Miller. 10. Communications by James H. Elkins 11. Remotely Operated Vehicles by Frank Busby. Each chapter is very well laid out and extremely well illustrated and covers the development of the core subject. Take for example, chapter 2 on the diving bell. It starts with Franz Kesslers bell from 1616 progresses to modern times but shows other examples in development like Halley’s bell and Cadaques bell in the story. Similarly chapter 3 about helmet diving is very comprehensive with examples of diving helmets from manufacturers and countries such as Siebe Gorman, Miller-Dunn, Heinke, U S Navy, Galeazzi, Chinese, Yokohama plus many more – again with numerous excellent photos and illustrations. As well as an interesting book, it is also a useful tool for the serious diving collector. [pt] |
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ANOTHER
WHITSTABLE TRADE
Subtitle: An Illustrated History of Helmet Diving. John Bevan. Published by: SUBMEX Ltd, Gosport, UK in 2009 Hard cover with tan coloured boards and dustjacket; 436 printed pages. Dimensions: 30.5 cms tall by 21.5 cms wide This is the second diving history book by the same author the first being “The Infernal Diver”. This book, “Another Whitstable Trade”, has been initially published with a numbered run of 750 copies but I am sure re-prints will soon follow. This is the result of around 30 years work and research and “does it show”! It tells the history of the spread of the diving industry from the small group of divers in Whitstable in the UK in the early 1800’s to the rest of the UK and ultimately the rest of the world. Everything is so well documented and illustrated with contemporary photographs and diagrams, countless numbers of them (well worth having just for all the unseen pictures). This wonderful book is divided into 6 sections and again sub-divided within each section: 1 The Whitstable Connection. 2 Major Organisations. 3 Civil Engineering Applications. 4 Diving Equipment Manufacturers. 5 Selected Notable Divers. 6 Physiology and Medicine. At the back, there are 11 appendixes that again expand on various subjects including the “Dean Diving Manual” and a list of Sir Robert Davis’s patents. This is a truly wonderful record of diving history and is well worth having while copies are still available from the author at www.submex.co.uk where you will see his other books including “The Infernal Diver” and “The Professional Divers Handbook”. [pt] From the publisher: As early as 1856 Robert Stephenson MP, the then President of the Institution of Civil Engineers remarked that ‘Nothing had so much contributed to extend and facilitate marine engineering, as the invention of the diving dress’. Coming from so great an authority and only 27 years after the original invention of the diving dress, this is a truly major proclamation. So where had the diving dress come from? Exactly how did it generate a whole new industry? The birthplace of the diving industry can be traced back to the tiny harbour-town of Whitstable, on the north coast of Kent. It was the seagoing salvage operations of the inhabitants of this small town that first attracted, nurtured and then exploited the diving helmet and dress in the early 1800s. Having established and honed their diving skills, Whitstablers retained a virtual monopoly over them for many years. The novel technology inevitably outgrew the small harbour town and spread all over the world. The transfer of this technology was achieved through a combination of entrepreneurial copying, dispersion through Royal Navy dockyards and vessels throughout the British Empire, sale of equipment and the progressive emigration of divers themselves. In addition to the massive contribution to marine civil engineering, the impact of the diving dress on the maritime operations of the unfortunate nations embroiled in two World Wars was enormous. The present world-wide diving industry, including the diving companies operating offshore to recover the oil and gas reserves, owes its existence to the enterprising divers of Whitstable. This book describes how professional diving developed from its original roots in Whitstable, how it spread around Britain and how it developed into a world-wide industry. [pt],[ps] |
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CAST
A DEEP SHADOW
Subtitle: Joe Savoie, The Early Oilfield Divers and the Invention of the Modern Diving Helmet Gary L Harris Published by: Legacy Publishing, Florida, USA in 2005. Card back with illustrated covers; 189 printed pages. Dimensions: 21 cms tall by 13.5 cms wide Joe Savoie is probably best remembered for inventing the diving helmet that was originally converted from a crash helmet and had a “flip up” face plate in the earky 1960’s. He also invented the neck dam principle, the basis of all modern diving helmets and making modern diving possible as well as many other underwater items. The book is divided into 9 chapters: “Hard Times”, “Deal With The Devil”, “Up the Down Line”, “The Simplest Idea of All”, “A Mighty Wind”, “Not the Crockpot Too”, “Bonald Boone”, “The Water Dam” and “The Rest is Silence”. The book is extremely well illustrated with diagrams (including patent drawings) and monochrome photographs, somewhere in the region of 80 in all. [pt]
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CONQUEST
OF THE DEEP
Vsevolod Romanovsky. (Translated by Patrick Bowles and revised by Mike Busultili) Published by: Studio Vista Ltd, London in 1965. Hard blue covers; 192 printed pages. Dimensions: 18.5 cms tall by 11.5 cms wide. Translated into English from the French book “La Conquete des Fonds Marins”. It sets out in a condensed way the history of diving from early times to 1965. It is very well illustrated with monochrome photographs and diagrams and divided into 6 sections: “The Beginning of an Era”, “From Neptune to Cousteau”, “Underwater Exploration”, “Independent Divers Serving Science”, “From Rigid Diving Suits to Bathyscapes” and “Taking Stock of the Conquest”. [pt] |
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DIVERS
AND DIVING
Adam Gowans Whyte Published by Sir Issac Pitman and Sons, London 1938. Probably the only edition. Hardcover, prited cloth covered boards, 128 pages, well illustrated with 33 photographs and engravings, size 13 X 19 cms. From eBay: Great little book describing early diving techniques, contents include; diving in the olden days, the all metal diving dress, salving the 'Gladiator', Raising an American submarine, The treasure of the 'Laurentic', Tales of sunken treasure'... etc... Link here for expanded description/review - and photographs. |
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DIVERS
IN TIME - Australia's Untold History.
Jeff Maynard. The author is well known for his many well researchedand fascinating articles on diving history that appear regularly in thediving magazines, as well as his book ‘Niagara's Gold'. The first thingI checked out was to see if there was any mention of Noel and Kitty Monkman- and there was, indeed a very good tribute to these pioneer Australianfilm-makers. The seven major chapters cover: The Standard Dress Divers,The Pearl Divers, The Inventors, The Salvage Divers, Divers at Work, TheNavy Divers, The Scuba Divers. Thus the book covers commercial and militaryoperations, police, pearl and navy divers, and the introduction of recreationalscuba into Autralia. A great read, educational and entertaining. And didyou know - the single-hose regulator, now used by divers worldwide, wasinvented in Melbourne? Softcover, 158 pages, large A4 size, mono prints. Currently in print. Available from Oceans Enterprises. |
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DIVING
PIONEERS - An Oral History of Diving in America.
Eric Hanauer. Watersport Publishing, San Diego, 1994. Softcover, 266 pages, mono photographs. If sport diving did not start in America, it was certainly developed there post war, with the development in improved equipment, promotion through television and film, and remarkable treasure salvage. This is the pioneering era of diving, when innovation and courage was the prime requisite, and achievement the reward. The book commenced with a potted history of diving, and the first US dive club, the San Diego Bottom Scratchers, followed by oral histories from: Walter Davis, E.R.Cross, Dick Anderson, Wheeler North, Andy Rechnitzer, Connie Limbaugh, Jim Stewart, Chuck Mitchell, Dottie Frazier, Zale Parry (remembr Sea Hunt), Norrine Rouse, John Steel, Chuck Nicklin, Bill and Bob Meistrell, Dick Bonin, Bob Hollis, Frank Scalli, Dan Wagner, Ralph Erikson, Lee Somers and Tom Mount. This book will tell you who did the great paintings on the early editions of Skin Diver magazine, who formed the great dive equipment company Oceanic, who played the leading female role in Sea Hunt. A very interesting book. |
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DIVING
PIONEERS AND INNOVATORS
A Series of In-Depth Interviews. Bret Gilliam and others. Hardcover, dustjacket, 488-page ‘A4 ‘coffee-table' size, with over 400 photographs. A remarkeable book, huge physically and in its content, documenting some of the great divers of the world, men and womewn who have contributed so magnificnetly to our humble enjoyment of sport diving. It profiles twenty divers fromwidely varying backgrounds who have shaped the diving industry through its evolution that continues to this day. And they are not all American - Ron and Val Taylor get a guernsey. Others include Stan Waterman, Bev Morgan, Chuck Nicklin, Peter Benchley, Bob Ballard, Michele Hall, Paul Humann, Bob Hollis, Howard Hall and the editor himself, Brett Gilliam. The conversations in each chapter provide an insight into the oral history of diving that is both exciting and revealing. Lavishly , the reader is taken inside the fascinating careers of diving's most intriguing personalities. If you have enjoyed your diving over the years, and are interested in the achievements of men and women who have contributed in some way to your enjoyment, consider this book. |
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| EARLY
DIVERS: UNDERWATER ADVENTURES IN THE 17TH AND 18TH CENTURIES
Zelide Cowan Treasure World, 1985. Card covers, 8vo, ; 102pp; illustrated. No idea on its content - it may be a children's book. |
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EXPLORERS
OF THE DEEP
From the Oldest Divers to the Inhabitants of Underwater Cities. Bohumil Kolar and Oldrich Unger. Mamlyn Publishing Ltd., England. 1976. Hardcover, dustjacket, medium square format, 164 pages, mono and coliur drawings, no index. A good read, covering the history of diving. [ps] |
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HISTORY
OF SPEARFISHING AND SCUBA DIVING IN AUSTRALIA.
(The First 80 years 1917 to 1997). Tom Byron. This was certainly worth waiting for. It is unusuallypresented in that it departs from the normal continuous text concept andrelies instead on hundreds of newspaper-style headings and stories, someindeed condensed directly from newspaper and magazine articles. It is thereforeand eminently readable book as you can skip from article to article asthe interest warrants - from death to treasure, failures and achievements,early equipment and technique, and the pioneers of our sport. A most valuablebook and a must for all divers. Hardcover (laminated boards), A4 size,311 pages, index, many fascinating mono photographs. Currently in print. Available from Oceans Enterprises. |
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MAN
EXPLORES THE SEA
The Story of Underwater Exploration from the Earliest times to Commandant Cousteau. James Dugan. First published in Great Britain, 1956, by Hamish Hamilton Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 366 pages, 32 mpno plates, situated in two sections. The author, a scribe with the Calypso Oceanographic Expeditions, collaborated with Cousteau in his acclaimed The Silent World (and probably wrote most of it), so there is no doubting his credibility. His book is one of the most authorative on the development of diving, which he covers in sixteen independant chapters. It is an excellent read and a valuable contribution to our knowledge of the history and development of diving. [ps]
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MAN
UNDER WATER
Henry Billings. Lutterworth Press, London, 1956. Hardcover, dustjacket, 190 pages, mono drawings. I have to say that this looks like a 'boy's own' book, nicely presented for the teenager inderested in, well, man under water. That is not to suggest that the book does not have merit, but I wonder about that when the author indicates that when 'the diver sinks beloww 150ft the excess nitrogen in his system may act as a mild anaesthetic'. Its an extraordinary diver who is not narked below 100ft, but be that as it may, the description of narcosis is to the point ... until he suggests that 'below 300ft the diver may black out completely for short periods'. The description is based on a hard-hat diver but the symptoms are the same of course with the scuba diver. Still, its an interesting, easy read, but not one that will cause a rush if the book is found on eBay. [ps] |
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MEN
UNDER THE SEA
Egon Larsen First published 1955. Phoenix House Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 220 pages, mono plates throughout. The author is an author, not a diver - or at least, certainly not one of note. He has written several books on a variety of subjects which places him in a goodd position to research adequately and write well - which indeed he seems to have done. The nine chapters cover a range of topics, from early diving through to the latest contemporary attemps to explor the bottom of the sea. The book in itself is perhaps nopt of significant historical value, but it does cover some important events and is a good read. From the fly: In many thousands of years of seafaring, Man has only floated upon the surface of the oceans which cover two thirds of the globe and are the cradle of organic life on earth. But in the last few years intrepid explorers on the ocean bed have given us glimpses of the beauty and adventure waiting there, and of the vast potential riches of the sea which could transform our daily lives. In this book for t'he reader young or old, Egon Larsen surveys the entire vast field of the 'seventh continent' with the imagination and competence we- have come to expect from this outstanding writer on popular science. He traces the exploration of the sea-bed back to Man's first diving attempts, and extends the range of his exciting story into the amphibious future. He recalls innumerable dran:latic adventures which have happened to scientists, divers and treasure- seekers in that silent world. He tells the story of the frogmen, the submarine and the aqualung, sketches the life of the salvage diver and the many \;1nknown jobs which are daily carried out under the water, including television and film-making, and even holiday excursions. He describes the plans for linking the continents by tunnels under the sea and predicts the day when mankind will use the ocean as its inexhaustible larder, power station and store-room of vital materials The book is brilliantly illustrated from Admiralty and private sources. A full bibliography and index contribute to the value of this comprehensive work. [ps] Although out of print, contact Oceans Enterprises - they may have a copy. |
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PREPARE
TO DIVE! THE STORY OF MAN UNDERSEA
Jack Coggins.
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SKIN DIVING
IN AUSTRALIA
Edward Du Cros. Angus and Robertson (Publishers) Pty Ltd, Sydney. First published 1960. No other editions. Full REVIEW of book. |
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STARS
BENEATH THE SEA.
Trevor Norton.
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THE
HISTORY OF UNDERWATER PHOTOGRAPHY AND CINEMATOGRAPHY IN ITALY.
Storia della Fotografia e Cinematografia Subacqquea Italiana. Alberto Romeo. Editrice La Mandragon s.r.l., Italy, 2009. Special foldout plastic cover bound, 430 pages, hundreds of mono photographs, index, bibliography, text and captions in Italian and English. Published with the support of the Historical Diving Society of Italy. 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 stabulkised 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. [Also listed under Foreign books.] |
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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. From the fly: 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. 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 Diving - 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. [ps] |
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THE
WORLD BENEATH THE WAVES
Gilbert Doukan. Translated by A. and R.M. Case.
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