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A BOY'S TREASURY OF SEA STORIES.
Many authors. Illustrated by Will Nickless.
Golden Pleasure Books, London, 1966. Second impression
1967.
Hardcover, dustjacket, 356 pages.
Contains twenty stories from the same number of authors,
generally extracted from their major works. And what superb authors they
are: Charles Kingsley with ‘Amyas and the Armada' from Westward Ho!; Daniel
Defoe with ‘The Pirates' from (no, not Robinson Crusoe), Captain Singleston.
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle writes of ‘Captain Sharkey", and not a sign of Sherlock
Holmes. Robert Louis Stevenson writes ‘The Man with the Belt of Gold',
from Kidnapped; Victor Hugo has an extract from ‘Ninety-three'. Alexander
Dumas has an extract from his brilliant The Count of Monte Cristo; C.S
Forester has a bit about Hornblower and the man who fewlt queer; feeling
rather; Herman Melville has a piece called ‘The White Whale from you know
what; Jules Verne is there with his 20,000 leagues etc; also Edgar Allan
Poe, and H.G. Wells who writes ‘In The Abyss'. All great stuff but nothing
on actual diving. [ps] |
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EAGLE BOOK OF MODERN WONDERS
Jointly written by: Cecil J Allen, George Howard, David
Le Roi, Dennis May, Walter Shepherd, John W R Taylor and Martin Thornhill.
Published by: Hulton Press, London in 1958.
(Originally published in 1955, Revised and reprnted in
1957)
Hardback covers with DJ - 192 printed pages. Dimensions:
26 cms tall by 21.5 cms tall.
Do you remember th EAGLE comic in the 1950's with Dan
Dare and all those lovely "cut outs" of various engineering wonders?
Chapter 2 of the book is entitled "Exploring the Sea Bed", covering some
16 pages with interesting text and diagrams. Subjects covered vary
from historical subjects like John Lethbridge to Beebe in the Bathysphere,
to hard hat diving, deep sea exploration in Trieste and "frogmen who search
for oil on the bottom the Persian Gulf". One of those "frogmen" photographed
unless I am very much mistaken is non other than Jacques Cousteau.
Several of the prints are done by G H Davis, who did many of the illustrations
for the Illustrated London News and Siebe Gorman. Looking through
the acknowledgements, Siebe Gorman are mentioned. Other chapters are titled;
"Exploring Space" "From Muscle Power to Atomic Energy", "Heavyweights of
Industry: Coal, Iron and Steel", "Speed and Efficiency on the Railways",
"Building Ships and Keeping Them Safe", "Marvels of Modern Motoring", "The
Worlds' Greatest Bridges and Tunnels", "Wings of Tomorrow", "New Weapons
in the Doctors' Armoury", "Britains Police Force at Work", "New Ways Down
on The Farm"< "The Camera Captures Time, Light and Sound", "New Raw
Materials for Industry" and "Sending Silent Sound and Invisible Pictures".
The book is very well illustrated with countless monochrome photographs,
drawings and diagrams plus eight colour plates. [pt]
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(VICTORIAN READERS) FIFTH BOOK
Published by the Victoria state government Education
Department. Printed by Government Printer, Melbourne, 1940.
When I was at primary school in the fifties, our 'reader'
each year was a book of poems, factual stories and short stories that was
used in the grade for all English education. It was published by the Victorian
Education Department and although I cannot be certain, each 'number' book
represented the primart school grade - so the 'Fifth Book' was for fifth-grade
students. I cannopt remember this particular book, but I would have most
certainly used it when at Princes Hill State School, and was therefore
delighted when given a copy by bookseller/binder friend Peter Lendon. I
don't think he knew that there was a 'diving' article in it, so that made
it all the more interesting for me. A five-page story called 'The Hero
of the Flooded Mine' tells the tale of divers Hughes and Hearn who rescued
a trapped miner in a deep gold-mine at Kalgoorlie in Western Australia.
The miner survived in a large airpocket when the mine flooded. The divers
took down food and encouragement to the miner who was eventually rescued
after nine days and two hours in the mine after sufficient water was pumped
out. I have little doubtr that the story is true but there is no indication
of when the mishqap ocxcurred. The miner was named Modesto Varischetti.
This brings back thoughts of the two Australian miners trapped for ten
days in 2009, and of the thirty-plus Chilean miners eventually rescued
after three months. Its a grear story and would have fascinated us kids
back in my early school days. [ps]
Note: For those of you not familiar with Australia, Victoria
is a state of Australia. |
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HEROES OF EVERYDAY ADVENTURE
T C Bridges and H Hessell Tiltman
Published by: George G Harrap, London in 1934.
Hardback covers, no DJ, emboossee title and authors on
orange cloth front board; gold titling on spine. 288 printed pages.
Dimensions: 21.5 cms tall by 15 cms wide
This is an interesting book that gives the younger reader
(and maybe the older reader too) an insight into hazardous occupations.
It contains an 18 page illustrated chapter called "Down in Davy Jone's
Locker". It describes the life of the diver and work done in Scapa
Flow, on the Laurentic, the Egypt and others. It is divided
into 16 chapters, each sepeartely dealing with a hazardous job: "Hearts
of Oak" (Lifeboatmen), "The Bravest Men in Blue" (Police), "Heroes of Industry",
"Down in Davy Jones Locker", "Britains Fire-Fighters), "When Scentists
Take A Chance", Human Flies (Steeplejacks), "Dangers AFloat" (Sea Heroism),
"Coalfield Heroes", "Unarmed Pioneers" (Missionarys), "SOS" (Dramas of
the Wireless at Sea), "The Railway Roll of Honour", "Everyday Rescues"
(Cheating Death on the Spur of the Moment), "Facing Death for the Films"
(Stuntmen and women), "Not Everybody's Job" (tunnelers, bridgebuilders)
and "gallant Lads" (Scout heroes and some others).The book is illustrated
with 29 monochrome plates, two of which ar diving related. pt],ps-nodj] |
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HOW IT WORKS
Subtitle: Dealing In Simple Language with Steam, Electricity,
Light, Heat, Sound, Hydraulics, Optics, etc. and their Application in Common
Use.
Archibald Williams
Published by: Thomas Nelson & Sons, London c1919.
(Not dated but inscribed)
Hard back illustrated cover - 483 printed pages. Dimensions:
19.5 cms tall by 14 cms wide.
This is a lovely book with a print on the cover of two
boys looking at a vintage care and the car driver looking on (although
the car would not vintage at the time of publication) and the spine has
a gramaphone with a huge sound horn, the sound eminating out of the horn
depicts the books name. The book is on various subjects aimed at
the younger reader which contains a 31 page chapter, mainly on diving,
disguised under the title " Why the Wind Blows". The section covers
the diving bell, the diving dress and air pumps but also includes pneumatyic
tyres, kites and barometers. The author has also included a really
nice line drawing of a diving helmet and explains the component parts in
the text. It is written in 21, very interesting chapters: "The Steam
Engine", "The Conversion of Heat Energy into Mechanical Motion", "The Steam
Turbine", "The Internal Combustion Engine", "Electrical Apparatus", "The
Electric Telegraph", "Wireless telegraphy", "The Telephone", "Dynamos and
Electric Motors", "Railway Brakes", "Railway Signalling", "Optics", "The
Microscope, The Telescope and the Magic Lantern", "Sound and Musical Instruments",
"Wind Instruments", "Talking Machines", "Why the Wind Blows", "Hydraulic
Machinery", "Heating and Lighting", "Various Mechanisms" and "Airships
and Flying Machines". In the list of acknowledgements, the author
mentions the firm of Siebe Gorman and Co Ltd among many others who have
helped in his research. As with all Archibald Williams books, they
are so well illustarted with photographs and drawings. Also look
ate other books by him like "The Romance of Modern Mechanism" which contains
a splendid diver on the spine of the book. [pt]
Additional comment: My edition is the Thirteenth Edition
- Revised, and has the same cover image as shown left but overall green
rather than red. It is also undated, but with a woodword class prize dated
1931. This is a marvellous book and would have been a wonmderful educational
aid for young boys and girls at the time - and indeed even now with referenmce
to the basic physics. [ps] |
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STORIES OF ADVENTURE
Subtitle: Thrilling Tales from Many Climes
(No authors mentioned anywhere)
Published by: Collins, London. (No date but estimate
c1920)
Hard back, illustrated cover; 446 printed pages.
Dimensions: 20.5 cms by 14.5 cms wide.
A book of seventy short stories by anonomous authors.
One is an illustrated seven page story called "The Diver" and seems to
have been written by someone who was a pearl diver. Book contains
eight coloured prints and many monochrome drawings and plates relevant
to each story. Not sure how true these stories are but the diver one seems
real enough. [pt]
Also listed:
STORIES OF ADVENTURE
Louise Kinch.:
Published by Gunn and Taylor, Melbourne, 1944..
STORIES OF ADVENTURE
The Complete Novel of the Game Plus 46 Short Stories.
Jack London. Introduced by Russ Kingman, and compiled
by Frank Oppel.
Castle Books USA 1980 First Edition
Hardcover; dustjacket, 482 pp, b/w illustartions,
The book contains the complete novel of The Game, plus 46 short stories
including: An Odyssey of the North, Brown Wolf, Love of Life, The Sun-Dog
Trail, The Death of Ligoun, Seven Tales of the Fish Patrol, and others. |
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STORIES OF SEA ADVENTURE
Frank Mundell
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Published by: The Sunday School Union, London
in 1913
Illustrated hard covers with 159 printed pages.
Dimensions: 18.5 cms tall by 12.5 cms wide.
Aimed at the juvenile reader, this compilation book contains
factual stories about the sea. Despite the beautiful illustrated cover
showing a diver tackling a shark , there is only partial content about
diving - only a small 13 page chapter called "Diving Adventures". It contains
several references to divers at work like Archie M'Gavin tackling "an immense
octopus" while laying some wharfe blocks in New Zealand. Other divers recollections
mentioned include Abraham Onderdond in the USA but the majority of the
section on diving relates to the experiences of Andrew Cameron in the UK.
The book is divided into 17 chapters: "Introduction",
"Another Robinson Crusoe", "A Death Ship", "That's Not the Way at Sea",
"Remarkable Deliverance", "The Wreck of the Oregon", "Castaways", "A Floating
Volcano", "Encountering an Iceberg", "A North Sea Adventure", "In The South
Seas", "Fifteen Days in an Open Boat", "A Cunarder to the Rescue", "Plucky
Sailor Boys", "Unavailing Courage", Rescued from Fire" and Diving Adventures".
Beautifully illustrated with 12 full page monochrome
prints, some photographs. [pt] |
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THE AUSTRALIAN WONDER BOOK OF KNOWLEDGE
(Volume One shown on title page, but not on cover nor
dustjacket).
Published by the The News-Pictorial (The Herald and Weekly
Times Ltd), Melbourne; no date (c 1950s).
Hardcover, cloth boards, quarto-size, dustjacket (design
is same for front and back except for colour images - image shown is of
back of jacket showing a hard-hat diver seated rather bizarrely in what
appears to be a mini wet-sub; you have to be kidding!!!).
This volume (were here any others), has several articles
of some interest to divers, but none on actual diving. An extensive 23-page
article ‘Wonders of the Great Barrier Reef' is of interest of course, and
includes two pages of full colour, and drawings of underwater animals (the
colour and mono ‘underwater' photographs of corals are obviously taken
of an aquarium tank). There is description of coral formation and, the
‘deadly species' marine life like the giant clam that can trap a
man's leg, fishing and spearing of beche-de mer. How intersting that tourism
gets a mention, and what better way to show how much fun it is to be on
the Great Barrier than by a full page colour shot of a fine specimen of
the female kind riding a turtle with the ‘reins' roped around the poor
creatures front flippers. Thank God we have moved on from there!
A twelve-page article ‘All About Submarines' would probably have been of
greater interest to youngsters with a brief history on the subject before
describing the modern submarine. Somehow, ‘human torpedoes' get a look-in,
with rebreather equipment very similar to that on the cover of Douglas
Duff's book ‘The Underwater Man'. The cut-away drawing of an un-named submarine
is excellent. Safety equipment and escape procedures are mentioned, as
are brief descriptions of several submarine disasters (S4, Truculent) that
may have now destroyed any ambitions a young man may have of becoming a
submariner. A 12-page article on ‘Plants of the Sea' is another of interest,
with a fine colour plate of tropical fish, and many photographs. [ps]
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THE BOYS BOOK OF THE SEA
W. H. Simmonds.
Published by: S W Partridge, London c1915.
(No date in the book but contains a prize inscription
dated 1915)
Hard back with illustrated cover, 318 printed pages.
Dimensions: 19.5 cms by 13.5 cms wide
This juvenile book is more like a small encyclopaedia
about the sea, in his introduction, the author described the book as a
"collection of sea yarns". There is some diving content, referring
to the oyster divers in Whitstable (England) and the pearl divers of Thursday
Island in Australia. It also refers to "the Devil Fish" and divers,
see the frontispiece. The book has 12 full page illustrations, only
one in colour and is divided into 10 chapters: "About the Sea and Its Wonders",
"Some Early Voyages", "Discovering the New World", "Bold Adventurers",
"Sailing Round the World", "The Sea-Rovers", "Crusoes and Their Islands",
"Great Sea Fights", "In Polar Seas" and "perils, Disasters and Life Saving".
The final chapter contains some details of shipwrecks and salvage, including
HMS Eurydice, The Royal Charter, The Mary Rose, The Royal George and HMS
Gladiator. [pt],[ps]
Don't you just love the illustration, right? It has it
all - a treasure chest in perfect condition sitting on the seabed, and
a battle with the proverbial giant octopus. They were the days!!! |
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THE INVENTIONS THAT CHANGED
THE WORLD
Edited and designed by The Reader's Digest Association
Ltd, London.This first edition published by Reader's Digest Services Pty
Ltd, Sydney, 1983.
Hardcover, dustjacket, 365 pages, index, mono and colour
illusrrations and photographs. Text subject matter in dictionary format,
ie in aphabetic sequence.
You would think that somewhere within this excellent
book therev would be mention of underwater diving, so I go immediately
to ‘diving'. Disappointingly, there is no entry - but there is one for
‘diving bell', with a drawing of Halley's bell, and a photograph of a modern
Submersible Decompression Chamber. So lets go back to ‘A' and see what
we can find. First up, ‘Aqualung' - thank God for that: nearly a whole
page and two photographs. Next, Caisson, ‘first employed in England, 1851,
by the civil engineer Sir William Cubitt. ‘Echo sounding' is next. ‘Hard-hat'
diving is briefly mentioned in just one paragraph under ‘Pressure suit',
‘pioneered in Britain in 1837 by August Siebe, a German mechanic. His suits
for deep-sea divers were made out of stout waterproof canvas with heavy
screw-on helmets.' Submarines get a two-page entry, with the usual brief
history. And that's it folks!!! No sign of a hard-hat anywhere. [ps] |
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THE WONDER BOOK OF DARING DEEDS:
TRUE STORIES OF HEROISM AND ADVENTURE
Ward, Lock And Co Ltd, London.
Hardcover, pictorial boards; 256 pages.
‘Lots of Historical stories with many illustrations'.
There are two stories of under water
The Bethyshere being dropped into the ocean with two
men in it, plus photos.
O-12 submarine fitted out to go under the ice in
the Arctic, plus photos. |
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THE WONDER BOOK OF WHY AND
WHAT
Published by: Ward Lock and Co Ltd, London c1950's
Hard back illustrated cover with dustjacket; 224
printed pages
Dimensions: 25 cms tall by 19 cms wide. (Seventeenth
Edition reviewed here)
A general knowledge book for children, very much in the
same format is the "Wonder Book of Wonder" series. It attempts the
answer questions about "our complex and fascinating world". There
is a 3 page section entitled "What is at the Bottom of the Sea" and it
is accompanied with a coloured print of a diver "goggle fishing in Californian
Waters". The book DJ and printed cover are identical and has a circular
drawing depicting a hard hat diver using an oxy-acetylene cutting torch
underwater. The book boasts seven full colour plates and two hundred
and twenty five photographs and diagrams. [pt] |
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THE WONDER BOOK
OF SHIPS
Edited by Harry Golding.
Ward, Lock & Co, Ltd. London & Melbourne.Hardcover,
256 pages, no index, many mono photographs, thirteen colour plates.
[Edition shown is Twelfth Edition - 'Almost Entirely
New'. No date shown, but signed as a birthday gift in 1925]
Never underestimate kids books. There is excellent material
in this volume, especially the photographs of early ships.Of particular
'underwater' interest is a fourteen-page chapter on 'The Marvels of Wreck
Raising', showing work donew on the Laurentic, Lutine and other ships;
with two photographs of standard-dress divers at work. [ps] |
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THE WONDER BOOK OF WONDERS
Harry Goulding.
Published by: Ward Lock and Co Ltd, London c1930Hard
back illustrated cover - 255 printed pages Well illustrated but no further
'underwater' illustrations. Less than one page of text internally. Dimensions:
25 cms tall by 19 cms wide
This general knowledge book for children has a lovely
print of a diver on the cover drawn by G H Davis, a prolific illustrator
who did many diagrams like this for many publications including the Illustrated
London News - many were of diving subjects. Unfortunately, there
is only a small one page article by G H Davis himself entitled "Underwater-Salvage
- The Wonderful Impliments of the Modern Diver". In this particular
issue of the book, there is also the cover print accompanying the article
(in other words the print is inside as well as the cover) only there are
not title details like shown on the front of the book. The book was
also published with this cover but no identical print inside. Later
when the book was published, the cover changed to show a polar bear and
the Northern Lights overhead and the diving print was changed to show two
divers recovering a treasure chest from a wreck. This particular issue
of the book contains 13 colour plates plus very many monochrome plates
and diagrams. Other articles include the seven wonders of the world,
X-Rays, Fire Fighting and many other varied short articles. [pt] |
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THRILLS OF THE SEVEN SEAS
No author listed on title page. Pubished by Dean &
Son Ltd., London. No date: suggest 1940s.
Hardcover, picture boards (no dustjacket), 124 pages,
medium format, thick porpous paper, eights pages of mono photographs on
gloss paper, including the launching of the Queen Mary, and other ships,
many line drawings. This is a boys book, and a very good one it is
- I would have been delighed to have read this as a lad. Chapters include
Grim Mystery; Race of the Ocean Giants; Pirates of the Panama; Frozen Menace;
Brigands of the Seaways; The Secret of Dead Man's Deep; Castaways and Stowayas;
Raiding Davy Jones; For the Freedom of the Seas. That this is a ‘boy's
own adventure' book does not detract from its factual interest for adults,
and the ‘Davy Jones' chapter covers the loss of vessels such as the Lutine,
Moltke, Birkenhead, Egypt, Lusitania, and Hidenburg.
[ps - my copy was apparently thoroughly enjoyed by its
young reader as it has the occassional scribble mark, and is well read
- I now have a second, better copy] |
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WARNE'S ADVENTURE BOOK FOR BOYS
Edited by: John England
Published by: Frederick Warne & Co Ltd, London c1930.
(No date or inscription)
Printed hard cover. Pages not numbered. Dimensions: 25.5
cms tall by 19.5 cms wide
This is a really nice adventure book for boys but despite
having the underwater scene on the cover and the diver on the spine brandishing
a large axe, there is no diving content. The book has no numbers
on the pages but has four coloured plates and countless monochrome line
drawings. [pt] |
