CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS
Marine sciences. |
HOMEPAGE |
Please note: The books are listed for interest only,
and not offered for sale.
FOR A LIST OF CURRENT AUSTRALIAN AND GENERAL MARINE
LIFE BOOKS, link to Oceans
Enterprises- Marine Life.
It would be ridiculously ambitious to claim tht this list is anything but superficial. It simply lists a few of my own titles and those that I have become aware, without any claim to the scientific or monetary value of the book. |
A
FISH CAUGHT IN TIME: THE SEARCH FOR THE COELACANTH
Samantha Weinberg. Fourth Estate, 1999. Paperback; xiii + 239pp. |
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A
NATURAL HISTORY OF SHELLS.
Geerat J. Vermeij. Princeton University Press, New Jersey, USA. 1993. Hardcover, dustjacket, 207 pages, index, annotated bibliography, mono photos throughout with several colour plates. For the diver and shell cllector who wants to go that little bit further in his/her education. From the fly blurb: Geerat Vermeij wrote this "celebration of shells" to share his enthusiasm for these supremely elegant creations and what they can teach us about nature. Most other popular books on shells emphasize the identification of species, but Vermeij uses shells as a way to explore major ideas in biology. How are shells built? How do they work? How did they evolve? With these questions in mind, the author lucidly—and charmingly—demonstrates how shells give us insights into the lives of animals in our own day as well as in the distant geological past. As snails, clams, and other molluscs enlarge their shells, they inscribe a detailed record of the everyday events and unusual circumstances that mark their lives. Moreover, the fossil record that chronicles the history of life is replete with shells of extinct species. Vermeij draws on comparisons of shells from different parts of the world and from successive geological periods to argue that predators have played a decisive role in the evolution of shells. Architectural specialization, he argues, is dictated by the risks, rewards, costs, and benefits imposed bypredators and competitors on shell-builders living in a dangerous world. This book will be of interest both to amateur shell collectors and to scholars, and its lively review of evolutionary history should prove especially appealing to a general audience. GeeratJ. Vermeij, Professor of Geology at the University of California, Davis, is the author of Evolution and Escalation: An Ecological History of Life (Princeton) and Biogeography and Adaptation: Patterns of Marine Life (Harvard). Vermeij received a 1992 MacArthur Fellowship. |
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ABYSS.
The Deep Sea and the Creatures That Live in it. C.P.Idyll.
Published by Constable & Co. Londdon, 1964. The author is a well known oceanographer and icthyologist, Professor of Marine Science at the University of Florida. This book is an excellent introduction into the formation of the oceans, the topography of the seabed, ocean currents, early deep sea exploration and the creatures that inhabit the oceans, particuarly aat depths beyond that which we will ever visit. Hardcover, dustjacket, 396 pages, mono photographs and line drawings, charts. Index and extensive bibliography. [ps] |
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ADVENTURES
IN MARINE COLLECTING
Robert Straughan. Published by A S Barnes 1973. Hardcover, dust jacket, 237 pages, mono photographs. Skin diving; treasure hunting; marine biology; snorkeling; sharks. The author collects marine specimens for aquariums around the world and loves danger - deep water adventure, Hammerhead sharks, Tiger sharks, Mako sharks, Manta Rays, Moray eels, Barracuda. Parts of this book appeared in his 1965 book Sharks, Morays,Treasures. |
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AN
UNDERWATER GUIDE TO HAWAI'I
Ann Fielding and Ed Robinson. University of Hawai'i Press, USA 1987. Also published same time by Times Editions, Les Editions du Pacifique, Singapore Hardcover, dustjacket, 156 pages, full colour, index, suggested reading.. Predominantly photographs thus an excellent marine life guide. Chapters: Formation of the Hawaiian Islands; Dispersal of Marine Life; Underwater Habitats; Hawaiian Marine Life; Fishes, Species. |
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ANIMALS
WITHOUT BACKBONES
Ralph Buchsbaum. The Univeristy of Chicago Press. It appears that the first edition of this classic came out in 1938, with a second edition in 1948 and a reissue with additions and revisions in 1976 9as shown left). ISBN 0 226 07870 1. My edition as shown is softcover but no doubt hardcovers initially for the first two editions, and probably also for the 1976 edition. Of course not all invertebrates are marine animals, but this has long been the standard text on the subject. It may well be still in print. |
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ASIA
PACIFIC REEF GUIDE.
The coral reefs of South East Asia harbour the greatest species diversity of all the oceans, not only for fishes, but also for invertebrates. With twenty thousand islands within the triangle Okinawa, Malaysia and eastern Indonesia, the reefs and coastal fauna is remarkable. Once again, the remarkable Helmut Debelius has compiled a wonderful volume of the marine life within the area, covering southern Japan, Indonesia, Malaysia, southern China and Taiwan, Vietnam, Thailand, and the western Micrinesian islands of Yap and Palau. The islands of Sipadan, Flores, Bohol, Cebu, Bali, Ambon, Palawan and many more feature regularly throughout the book. Over 1,000 photographs, all taken in their natural habitat, cover all marine life - the fishes, crustacea, miolluscss, the soft and hard corals, the worms, and the echinoderms. And like all the other IKAN series books, twenty-two two-page picture stories add to the intrest and knowledge of the marine life: Anemone City, Master of Mimickry, Mouring for Napoleon etc. Most of the photographs are those of the author, with additional images from excellent photographers including Halstead, Kuiter, Steene and Tatsuuma. Hardcover, laminated boards, 320 pages, full colour throughout. |
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THE
AUDUBON SOCIETY BOOK OF MARINE WILDLIFE
Les Line (editor of Audubon Magazine), and George Reiger Harry N. Abrams Inc, Publishers, New York. 1980. A huge 'coffee table' book of 310mm depoth x 240mm. Hardcover, dustjacket, 236 pages heavy stock, full colour, notes on photographers (includes David Doubilet, Howard Hall, Chris Newbert, Ron and Val Taylor),index. I see this more as a gift book for anyone interested in marine life at a non-scientific level - or for someone to be encouraged to take an inerest in life in the oceans. The photographs are excellent, many double and full page, and well captioned. Chapters include The Underwater Jungle; Stalkers and the Drifting World; Coral Citues; The Open Sea; Creatures of the Abyss; Survival in an Icy World. |
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CEPHALOPODS
- A WORLD GUIDE.
Mark Norman. An Ikan Publication. Octopuses, Argonauts, Cuttlefish, Squid, Nautilus. Covers the world, especially the Pacific and Indian Ocans, Atlantic, Caribbean, Arctic and Antarctic. The author is an Australian marine scientist, at Museum Victoria. This is a remarkable book or remarkable ‘alien-like' creatures that cintuinue to fascinate anyone who has made contact. Includes 35 picture stories making it an indeal book for identification and general knowledge. Red of the mythology of the Kraken, Sperm Wars, the incredible Nautilus, Mugged by a Squid, a Dutch Marriage (?), and the Ginat Cuttlefish Spawning grounds. 318 pages, full colour. Some of the photographs are truly bizarre, whilst others are photographically superb, with contributions from Rudi Kuiter, Becca Saunders, Roger Steene, Norbert Wu. A very important book, contributing so much to our knowledge of marine life. |
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CONCHIGLIE
DA COLLEZIONE (Shell Collection)
I Documentari dell'Istituto Geografico de Agostini di Novara. Sergio Angelletti Hardcover, printed cloth boards, wider than A4 portrait, 80 pages, full colour throughout. It is in Italian so I can't tell you too much about this. |
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CREATURES OF THE SEA
Being the Life Stories of Some Sea Birds, Beasts and Fishes. Frank T.Bullen. Published in 1909 by E.W.Cole, Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide. (My copy Third Impression). Hardcover, colour printed board, 430 pages, forty illustrations. Twenty-eight chapters cover the marine groups. [ps] |
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CRUSTACEA
GUIDE OF THE WORLD. Helmut Debelius.
And yet another great title in the IKAN series by Helmut Debelius. This book covers the shrimps, crabs, lobsters, mantos shrimps and amphipods, within the regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. A superb identification guide and reference, exceptionally well produced, in full colour. Covers aspects of behaviour and habitat. Hardcover, 318 pages. CRUSTACEA GUIDE OF THE WORLD by Helmut Debelius. When Helmut Debelius publishes a new guide, it's a fair bet that it will prove to be the ultimate of its kind. In this volume the German writer/photographer has'lovingly compiled a register of practically every shrimp, crab, lobster and amphipod a diver could hope to encounter. Any divers who once thought they knew a thing or two about these critters, will come to realise the depth of their ignorance when confronted with these 321 densely-packed pages of creepycrawlies. With each species, we get a Latin name (and a common name, where possible); length and distribution; and general information and descriptions of the animal's behaviour. This isn't the sort of book you can knock together after a misspent adolescence in the Red Sea - the sheer amount of data, matched with excellent colour images from Debelius and a cast list of world-class photographers, means that it is a one-off. Quite simply, no one else could have done it. Crustaceans were his first love, and this is a book born of love (the kind of love which borders on obsessive madness). Debelius might have the instinct of a biologist, but he is also a populist, and makes a point of breaking up the text with features, indepth essays, and oddities such as Lionel Pozzoli's photograph of a pair of cleaner shrimps beavering away at Mrs Pozzoli's teeth. Elsewhere, we get illustrated places on moulting lobsters, the hulking Alaskan king crab, the mangrove habitat, the red crabs of Christmas Island, and freshwater crustaceans. Prize of place goes to the colourful tropical lobster Enoplometopus debelius, one of the author's own discoveries. But my favourite section is a photo-feature contributed by Bob Halstead, in which for absolutely no reason we are treated to the sight of a mantis shrimp, roughing up a toy dinosaur placed close to its lair by the mischievous snapper. With this book, Debelius brings the bizarre world of crustacea vividly to life, for everyone. A fine achievement, and worthy of a place in any serious diver's library. Review by Simon Rogerson. Sport Diving magazine, Aug/Sept 2000 CRUSTACEA GUIDE OF THE WORLD by Helmut Debelius. I had the pleasure of meeting Debelius last year and soon appreciated why he is such a remarkable man. His knowledge of the marine world, coupled with a keen eye and brilliant underwater photography skills, complement his attitude toward perfection in all that he does. His IKAN series of books, now numbering eight in the English language alone, have established him not only as a brilliant author but a likewise publisher. Crustacea Guide of the World is the latest in the series (although not for long, with Coral Sea Reef Guide due out mid 2000). This book covers the general shrimps, crabs, lobsters, mantis and harlequin shrimps, and amphipods, within the regions of the Atlantic, Pacific, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Pacific and Indian Ocean. Rarely do we dive without experiencing the pleasure of seeing a cleaner shrimp assisting a fish or moray to performing their ablutions, or a sponge crab trying desperately to disguise itself. And if we fail to catch a cray scurrying across the seabed, at least we can learn more of their biology and habitat. Like all IKAN titles, Crustacea is a superb identification guide and reference, covering aspects of behaviour and habitat. Hardcover, full colour, 318 pages. Review by Peter Stone. Scuba Diver magazine. |
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DANGEROUS MARINE ANIMALS
That Bite - Sting - Shock - are Non-Edible. A Handbook for Skindivers, Swimmers, Physicians, First-Aid Workers, Shell Collectors, Biologists, Explorers and Everyone who works or plays in or on the Seven Seas. Bruce W. Halstead, MD. First published 1959 by Cornell Maritime Press, Martland, USA, in 1959. Library of Congress card # 58-59799. Hardcover, dustjackt, 146 pages, mono photographs, mono drawings, one colour plate of drawings. This appears to be the first of the popular "Dangrous Marine Animals" books and is so well respected that it is still in print. No dounbt later editions have been updated with new discoveries and treatments, but the first edition (left) is excellent for its content. A very important book. [ps] Most of the following information is kindly provided by
Dr. Sam Miller of California. Dr Miller first met the author Dr. Bruce
Halstead in the mid 1950s.
Dr. Halstead's original work is a huge three-volume book
set:
Dr Miller advises that there is another book based somewhat
on Dr Halsteads original work titled POISONOUS MARINE ANIMALS by
Findlay E. Russell, published 1965 by T. F. Publications Ltd, Hong Kong,
no ISBN or LCCC numbers,distributed by TF publications office in Neptune
City New Jersey, 176 pages, picture cover, no dust jacket. Russell was
associated with USC and the USC Medical center. His correct title or position
is unknown. Much of the verbiage and illustrations are from Dr Halstead's
previously mentioned work. It is noted that the book was also distributed
in England, Canada, Singapore, and Australia.
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DANGEROUS SEA CREATURES
Thomas Helm. Published by Funk & Wagnalls, New York. Book Club edition, 1976. Hardcover, dut jacket. A complete guide to hazardous marine life. Eighty-five photographs. Size: 8 1/2" x 5 5/8" - 278 pages. [ps] |
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DISCOVER
LOLOATA ISLAND - MARINE LIFE GUIDE TO PAPUA NEW GUINEA
Neville Coleman. Softcover, full colour, 72 pages. Purely and identification guide, and a very good one at that, at an affordable price. Althoug the marine spcies listed are predominaantly from the Loloata Island, Bootless Bay and Horseshoe Reef region near Port Moresby, they represent many of the specis found off the Papua new Guinea coast. Each pag has eight full colour photographs, all exceptionally clear and exactly depicting th marine crature in its habitat. Mangroves, Sea Grasses, Alga, Forams, Sponges and Cnidarians are all features, witn Cruistacean, Echinoderms, Ascindians, Fish, Reptiles), and Mammals. |
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FIJI'S
WILD BEAUTY
Achim Nimmerfroh Fiji's stunning island scenery, excellent facilities are charming people make it one of the most popular holiday destinations for divers and tourists alike. With some of the finest reefs in the world: from the magic Yasawa Islands in the west to stunning Rainbow Reef off Taveuni in the east - and a hundred magnifient dive sites in between - there is an abundance of marine life and fascinating underwater terrain. Nimmerfroh's excellent photography has captured the marine life on Fiji's coral reefs. The book is in part an identification guide, a photo essay, and an expression of the diversity of Fiji's marine life which can be a memorable record of experiences. The chapters are organised in the general groups of animals, with full page down to three-five images per page, and brief but relevant text using latin and common names. The production on quality gloss paper complements the colour images. Softcover, 316 pages, full colour throughout, index. |
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QUEENSLAND
AND GREAT BARRIER REEF SHELLS
O.H.Rippingale and D.F.McMichael The Jacaranda Press, Brisbane 1961. Hardcover, dustjacket, (Cloth cover is also printed); A4 size, 210 pages, colour plates. From the fly blurb: This book deals with those members of the Phylum Mollusca which are so prolific on the Reef and the nearby coastline that this area has become the Mecca of shell collectors from all over the world. The beautiful illustrations are the work of Mr. O. H. Rippingale, a talented water-colourist and keen conchologist, who has spent many years collecting in the area. The text has been prepared by Dr. D. F. McMichael, Curator of Shells at the Australian Museum in Sydney. In a most informative introduction Dr. McMichael describes the various classes of shells and teils us something of the life of the animals which inhabit them —the scallops that swim away when danger threatens, the action of the poisonous- dart of the deadly cone shell. He explains the system of classification, how scientific names are chosen, how to collect shells, how to clean them, how to start and arrange a shell collection. The absolute beginner will find nothing formidable or bewildering in these pages. The twenty-nine plates depict in full colour about six hundred different shells. Each plate is followed by a. detailed description of each shell telling where it was found, its range, its size, etc. |
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FLATWORMS
- THE WORLD OF POLYCLADS
Leslie Newman & Lester Cannon. Softcover, large square format, full colour throughout, 98 pages, index of species, references, glossary. Polyclads - or flatworms if you like -are found throughout the world, with the most colourful being in tropical waters. They are not sea slugs as often thought, and have their own Phylum, the Platyhelminthes. These intriguing creatures are both fortunate yet confused as they have both male and female systemns (true hermaphrodites), yet choose to fight it out as to who is to play th male role in any copulation. And it appears that they fight it out with their penises. Go down to St.Kilda late on a Saturday night and you may see the same thing. But these worms have a right battle on their hands as they strive to impregnate the other without being impregnated themselves. Now if only we were all like that - it would put mud-wrestling to shame. Also covers, briefly, the beautiful Christmas Tree, Spirobranchus, and the Feather-duster worms. Quite a superb book. |
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GUIDE
TO MARINE IVERTEBRATES - ALASKA TO BAJA CALIFORNIA
Daniel W. Gotshall. Sea Challengers Publications, Monteray, USA. 1994. Softcover, stiff boards, quarto size, 106 pages, full colour, suggested further references, index. An excellent photographic guide to this lengthy north-east Pacific region, with three photograohs per page. |
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GUINESS
GUIDE TO UNDERWATER LIFE
Christian Petron & Jean-Bernard Lozet. Guiness Superlatives Limited, Middlesex, England. 1975. ISBN 0 900424 58 3 Originally published in France in 1974 by Editions Denoel, Paris. Hardcover, dust wrapper, 218p,large format A4 size. Great photos with informative general text. This is not a book of superlatives as would be expected from the publisher. The forward is by Jacques Dumas. Covers the Mediterranean and Tropical Seas. Not an identification guide - more a general overview of marine life. Excellent reading - and an excellent gift. |
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INDEX
NUDIBRANCHIA
A Catalog of the Literature. 1554-1965 Henry D. Russell. Published by the Delaware Museum of Natural History, USA, 1971. Softcover, slightly larger than A4, 140 pages. |
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INDIAN
OCEAN REEF GUIDE.
Helmut Debelius. Ikan publication. Another superb title from one of the world's finest icthyologists and marine naturalists - and a superb photographer. His books are perfect, for identification and general knowledge of the species covered - usuaally three of more photos per page, with concise text. The proeduction of all his books is excelent. This book covers the complete Indian Ocean rim, inclusing of course Western Australia, Cocos and ChristmasIslands, the Maldives, Sri Lanka mauritius, and down the eastern African coast. Covers the reef invertebrates, fishes, corals, and even the odd shipwreck. A wonderful book, as would be expected from Debelius. |
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ISLAND
AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Bernard Gorsky. Rupert Hart-Davis, London. 1966. Hardcover, dustjacket, 171 pp. plus 44 pages with 66 colour photos. English version of La Dernière Ile (qv on Foreign webpage). A year through the outposts of the French Pacific: Tahiti, Wallis, New Caledonia (Loyalty Islands, Isle of Pines). The author is well respected for his marine science books. |
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KINGDOM OF THE OCTOPUS.
Frank W. Lane. 1957. First published October 1957 by Jarrolds Publishers (London) Ltd. Hardcover, dust jacket, 286 pages, many mono prints, and a few colour plates. How much ore we have lernt of the Cephalopods in the past half century I do not know, but this would have been the definitive work on the subject in its day, and even 45 years on it is still a valuable reference. Chapters include a general overview of Cephalopods, food, enemies, locomotion, behaviour, colour, luminescence, reproduction, danger. [ps] |
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LIFE
IN THE SEA.
"As it is - How it came to be - How it could become. Diversity, its origins and implications". Werner Gruter. If you are interested, even superficially, in marine life then you must read this book. It is not a species identification guide, nor a scientific treatise on marine life, yet it covers so much fascinating material on the evolution and development of life in the sea. Much of the material is derived from our on seas, both temperate and tropical. It has such quality that you will not wish to put it down. It asks and answers so many questions. "The sea was the cradle of primordial life, from which the roots of our own existence sprouted. Billions of years of evolutionary development brought forth an enchanting variety of forms, colors, lifestyles, and patterns of behaviour". Over 286 pages in thirteen chapters, with 330 photographs, the author has compiled a fascinating biology of marine life, a most readable text covering all aspects of marine life - reproduction and growth, territory and defense, predators and victims ... there is so much to cover. Hardcover, laminated boards, medium format, full colour. |
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LIFE
IN THE OCEANS
(In the World Wildlife Series, Number 10). From the original text by Dr Felix Rodriquez de la Fuente. English version by John Gilbert. Orbis Publishing Limited, London, 1970. Large format 'coffee table' size, hardcover, dustjacket, 300 pages, full colour throughout, maps and drawings, no index. One of the best books I have come across to describe in some detail, yet in layman's terms, the life in the ocean, with excellemt photographs, location maps and drawingsIt really is a great read and informative. Chapters include The Oceans - Cradle of Life; The Seashore; Sea turtles and Sea snakes; Birds of the Coastal Fringe; Mammals of the Seashore; Coral Reefs; Antarctica; Life on the Continetal Shelf; Fishes of the Shallow Seas; Dolphins; The Abyss Beneath; Killers of the Deep; Wanderers of the Ocean' the Mighty Whales. |
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LIVING FOSSIL : THE STORY OF THE COELACANTH
Keith Stewart Thomson. W.W. Norton, New York. 1991 Hardcover. No further details. |
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MAN AND DOLPHIN
Dr. J.C. Lilly Published in 1962 by Victor Gollancz Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 240 pages, mono photographs. The author is known for his pioneering work on communication, commencing prior to 1949 with land animals, then from that date with whales, and in 1955 with dolphins, for which he is best known. The book covers the anatomy, physiology and psychology of dolphins and iss written in layman terms. A wonderful book. [ps] |
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MAN'S
PLACE - Intelligence in Dolphins, Whales and Humans.
Karl-Erik Fichelius and Sverre Sjolander. Translated from the Swedish by Thomas Teal. Published by Victor Gollancz Ltd., London, 1972. Hardcover, dustjacket, 205 pages, the occasional print and drawing, bibliography. Surprisingly, no index. From the fly: Considering the way the world is at the moment, I would have expected that ‘humans' would take up only a small part of this book but we do get a reasonable look-in. 'Two-thirds of the earth's population is at present under-nourished, if not starving. In India, every year, 14,000 children go blind from this cause. If human society had freedom of choice to the extent we like to believe the authors of this challenging book assert--then of course we would never permit such a state of things to have come about. But in mankind, as in all other nimal societies, choice is still extremely limited. In principle, human society's means of communication and control are the same as those of the ant community, or even of the jellyfish-stimulus and response. This book begins by outlining man's place on earth: by tracing the course of biological evolution, andcontrasting it with man's infinitely more rapid cultural evolution --which has now given rise to the central environmental problem of the future, the population explosion. "If we become too numerous." they write, "we will be forced to devastate the earth's resources" and "disturb the biological balance to the point that we will in all probability meet with enormous catastrophes." A basic element ol' our problem is that, biologically, we are equipped for life in relatively small groups but live in supertribes, in which our leaders must constantly fight against the tendency towards disuion. It is urgently necessary that we should reconsider our situation: and it is as a contribution to this rethinking that the book goes on to a study of the world's other large-brained animals. The authors speculate fascinatingly on the function of the large brain in whales. We must not forget, they point out, that Homo sapiens had his large brain and its potential for at least 35,000 vears before he suddenly began to cultivate the soil and develop a written language. Do dolphins have their own form of language, which is outside our awareness? And are human beings the more intelligent, if by intelligence we mean, say, the capacity to alter behaviour into different patterns in response to changing information from the environment? The book's final section relates this capacity to the mounting crisis faced by today's world - the threat of nuclear war, of worldwide famine, of administrative breakdown. The authors believe that we will never work out our serious problems of co-existence until we recognise our limitations both on individual and group levels. In attacking the deeply-rooted notion that man is the most intelligent species on earth, they demand a complete re-assessment of man's place. Their study of the behaviour of whales and dolphins shows the extent to which these other large-brained mammals have adapted to their environment. They believe that scientific methods plus massive mobilisation on a wartime scale must be employed to tackle our ecological problems. But first, they say, let man see himself as part of the whole living earth, learning respect for it through biological insight which, in turn, might help him to stop sawing at the branch on which he is sitting." I wonder if any of our leaders have read this remarkable intuitive book. In nearly forty-years haave we taken heed of what the author's recommend and forecast. We have famine on a global scale, we have a constrant threat of nuclear war, and you only have to look at the number of wat currently in progress to question our administrative (and thus political) ability. We seem to have learnt nothing of social survival over the last half century. I shudder to think what the world will be like when my son is my age. [ps] |
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MARINE
INVERTEBRATES
Ronald Shimek. Softcover, 115 x 185 mm, full colour throughout, 448 pages, index, bibliography, glossary. This is a superb guide, ‘the essential concise reference', and although marketed as a ‘pocket-expect guide', it is 448 pages, in full colour throughout, and covers some five hundred ‘essential to know aquarium species'. Don't let the word ‘aquarium' put you off - in fact,the detail for aquarium keepers is just as important for divers experiencing the invertebrates in their natural habitat as the text delves more deply than most other publications into their natural life, their feeding habits, reproduction, predators and the like. I have found it to b one of the most interesting books availabl on invertebrates. |
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MARINE
LIFE - AN ILLUSTRATED ENCYCLOPEDIA OF INVERTEBRATES IN THE SEA
David and Jennifer George. Lionel Leventhal Ltd, London; G.Harap & Co. Ltd. 1979. (Also John Wiley & Sons, USA; Rigby Limited, Australia; and in Canada, France, Netherland, Spain. ISBN 0 85368 333 6. Hardcover, dustjacket, A4 size. 287 pages, colour, index. This used to be the 'bible' in the 1980s, and is still a very valuable book. It is an excellent book for identification, with some ten to twelve colour photos on each colour plate page, with a cross-reference numbering system to the text. It isbroken up into Phylum, with sub-groups lists and describes the characteristics of the animal. Although British-based, it is a world wide guide, relevent to tropical and temperate species. [ps] Oceans Enterprises occasionally have second-hand copies. |
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MIND
IN THE WATERS
A Book to Celebrate the Consciousness of Whales and Dolphins. Ed. Joan McIntyre. Charles Scribner's Sons, New York, 1974. Sierra Club, San Francisco. ISBN 684-13995-2 (cloth). Hardcover and softcover, A4 format, 240 pages, index.A superb book of a collection of essays by some of the main players in the study of marine mammals: Farley Mowat, Charles Doria, John Lilly, Joan McIntyre, Victor Scheffer, Lee Talbot and many others. In five parts: Myths and Beginnings, Brains and Consciousness, Living in the Sea, Dicovery and Response, Let Us Act. [ps] |
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MARINE
MOLLUSCS OF VICTORIA
J. Hope Macpherson (Curator of Molluscs, National Museum of Victoria); C.J. Gabriel (Honorary Associaye of Conchology, National Museum of Victoria). Drawings by G.J.Browning. Melbourne University Press, in association with The National Museum of Victoria. 1961. Hardcover, dustjacket, 474 pages, index, glossary, bibliography, mono drawings throughout. Still a most valuable reference, an authoritive text on the subject suitable for academics, students of the marine sciences, collectors and divers. From the front fly blurb: The simple collecting of sea-shells is a fascinating pastime that gives untold pleasure to thousands of people. Of these, many progress to deeper study and try to learn all they can about the varied kinds, how to recognize them, their scientific as well as their common names, and their relationship each to the other. For both the beginner and the specialist this handbook will be of great value. It is generally simple and non-technical enough for the newcomer, but it contains much information that the specialist will find worth while. To assist the layman, a comprehensive glossary explains the technical terms used in the scientific descriptions. Detailed descriptions and approximately 500 illustrations cover all the common species of Victorian shells, together with their range and distribution. Their points of difference are stated simply, and any feature of special interest is discussed, so identification is made easy. A systematic list of the remaining species is given with their authors and recorded Victorian localities. There is a definition of each family and of the principal genera including the author of the genus and type species. |
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MEDITERRANEAN
AND ATLANTIC FISH GUIDE.
Helmut Debelius. Ikan Publication. From Spain to Turkey; from Norway to South Africa. Another brilliant title by Helmut Debelius. The impressive photographs, authoritive text and excellent layout make this a superb book, and more than adequately complements the others in his series. Species include those found off the United Kingdom coast and western Europe; the Azores, Madeira, Canary Islands, Ascension Islands, remote Saint Helena, and St.Paul's Rocks; the west coast of Africa down to the Cape; and of course the Mediterranean. A brilliant book. Harcover, full colour, 303 pages. |
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MEDITERRANEAN
AND ATLANTIC INVERTEBRATE GUIDE.
Peter Wirtz and Helmut Debelius. Ikan Publication. Another superb publiation in the IKAN series, covering the north-east Atlantic from the equator and Canary Island north to Norway, and from Turkey and Cyprus in the eastern Mediterranean throuigh to Spain, including the islands of the Mediterranean and both the north and south shores.Brilliantly produced in full colour, with two or three imags per page, we have all the invertebrates from Sponges, Cbnidarians, the Worms, Arthropods, MolluscsEchindoerms and Kamptozoans. Typical of the IKAN sries, twenty-five ‘p[icture stories' are included, mking this not only a valuable identification guide but also an excellent informative and often humourous read. Hardcover, laminated boards, 304 pages, index of scientific specie and genera names. |
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MEDITERRANEAN
SEA - GUIDE TO UNDERWATER LIFE.
Angelo Mojetta. Softcover, medium format 210 x 290mm, full colour, 168 pages. I now appreciate how rich in wrecks and marine life is the Mediterranean Sea - submarine, aircraft, ships and a diverse variety of sub-tropical and temperate species. The colour drawings, particularly of underwater wrecks and reefs, is exceptional, giving a marvellous view of the underwater scene. The colour photography is excellent and the text informative. The Mediterranean underwater life guide is exceptional for its coverage. |
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NUDIBRANCHS
AND SEA SNAILS - Helmut Debelius.
From the Red Sea to South Africa and across to the West Coast of the Americas. At last - a definitive guide to Nudibranchs which includes Australia's Great Barrier Reef, Papua New Guinea and the islands of the Pacific. Debelius has also included the subclasses Prosobranchia - the abalones, limpets, cowries coneshells, helmets and tritons just to name a few. Not only is this a superb book for knowledge and identification, but it is also extremely well produced, in hardcover, on quality art paper, with excellent design layout. |
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NUDIBRANCHS
OF THE WORLD
Helmut Debelius and Rudie H. Kuiter. We frequently speak of ‘the ultimate guide', the ‘bible' of reference, yet not every reference book deserves such an accolade. The IKAN series of books certainly do, but whereas you may have thought that publisher/author Helmut Debelius has reached his zenith, he pulls another one out of his bag of exceptional knowledge, and produces - ‘Nudibranchs of the World'. This not an update of the acclaimed IKAN series Nudibranchs and Sea Snails, nor in many respects does it replace it - Nudibranchs of the World is a brand new compendium of over 2500 colour photographs covering some 1180 species, allowing the identifcation of, probably, all known species. Accompanying information includes location and distribution, defence, behaviour, mimicry, camouflage size, and a general description. Because of the books organisation into family, genus, species, it is possible to discern the slight variations of som species between locations. Although authoured by Debelius and Kuiter, a total of 145 photographers from all over the world have contributed to the book. Hardcover, laminated board covers, large A4 format, 360 pages, index. |
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OLD
FOURLEGS. The Story of the Coelacanth.
J.L.B.Smith. First published 1956, Longman Green & Co, London, New York, Toronto. Hardcover, dustjacket, 260 pages, mono prints. One of the most sensational discoveries in natural history, told by the icthyologist who was directl;y involved in its first capture off the South African coast in 1938. Prior to this, the fish, although known to scientists, was thought to have become extinct at least fifty million years ago. There was of course professional scepticism that it was indeed a coelacanth and Professor Smith had many battles ahead of him before proof could be found. A great story in itself. [ps] |
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PACIFIC
COAST SUBTIDAL MARINE INVERTEBRATES.
Gotshall and Laurent. Softcover, 108 pages, full colour. Covers over 250 species of inshore and sub-tidal species along the Pacific coast of north-west America. Identification includes habitat and depth. A very good identification guide; many of the species are identical or similar to those of the western Pacific. |
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PYCNOGONIDS
P.E.King Hutchinson & Co, London, Melbourne, Sydney etc. 1973. Hardcover, dustjacket, 114 pages, mono drawings, charts and maps, bibliography, index. "The Pycnogonida are a group of marine arthropods often referred to as 'sea spiders' because of their superficial resemblance to true spiders. A general account of this group of animals has not been published in the English language since 19 9, and Dr King reviews all the literature, including material from recent research and his own unpublished work using the electron microscope. The text is generously illustrated and includes a key whereby zoologists can easily identify to family level any adult specimen of a pycnogonid." [ps] |
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RED
SEA REEF GUIDE
Helmut Debelius. An Ikan Publication. Coves the marine life - the fishes, mollusca, invertebrates, reptiles - all species in the Red Sea region, which includes the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Suez and Gulf of Aquaba. Over ten percent of the fish life here is endemic making the region one of the most fascinaating, and of course unique, in the world. And once again, this IKAN book contains over 1000 excellent colour photographs, most, but not all, by the author. And of course there are the picture stories - thirteen of them, inluding a superb ssay on marine animals as souvenirs. And why is it calle the Red Sea - the book has the answer. Hardcover, full colour throughout, 320 pages. |
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Oceans
Realm Guide to
REEF CREATURES - MARINE INVERTEBRATES Text and Photographs by Paul Humann. Oceans Realm Publishing Corporation, Miami, USA. 1982. Hardcover, dust jacket, A4 size, 78 pages, full clour, glossary, index. An excellent book published by the people who put out what must rate as one of the best diving and marine magazines in the world, Ocean Realm. It could be used as a species identification book but moreso for its extended descriptions opf photographed species. I would suggest that most of these are in the northern hemisphere, and no doubt many from the Cayman Islands where the author resided at the time of publication. |
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SEAHORSES,
PIPEFISHES AND THEIR RELATIVES
A Comprehensive Guide to Syngnatbiformes. Rudie H. Kuiter. Hardcover (laminated boards), 240 pages, more than 1000 exceptional photographs and lone drawings covering 350 species, the total of known species in the world. Once again Rudie Kuiter has put together a superb refence book; and the publisher has completed the job with fine layout and quality paper. Some of these animals are weird, some equisitly beautiful, others have unusual mating and gestation behaviour - and why shouldn't the male carry the eggs? An excellent reference for the marine biologist, scientist, naturalist and serious amateur diver. |
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SEA
SHELLS OF THE WORLD - WITH VALUES
A. Gordon Melvin. Hardback, 176pages, colour, 155x215mm. How much is your Golden Cowrie worth? An exceptional guide to shells and their value on the world market. First published in 1966 so the values are a bit low. |
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SECRET
LANGUAGES OF THE SEA
Robert F. Burgess. Dodd, Mead and Company, New York, 1981. Hardcover, dustjacket, 244 pages, index, bibliography, mono photographs and sketches. From the fly: The underwater world is a network of complex communications between its creatures, which are only recently being understood by scientists. Visible sound patterns have been developed to classify and interpret the grunts, croaks, pops, snaps, and drum beats emitted by inhabitants of the deep. Some messages are conveyed through vivid color changes, others by posturings of ruffled fins and arched bodies, while creatures without ears receive vibrations on sensors that line their bodies. These communications serve every eventuality of life, from courtship or identification to warning or navigation. In this fascinating volume, Robert Burgess brings his knowledge of the underwater world to an inquiry into the many mysteries and bizarre methods used by marine creatures without vocal chords to transmit information to and interprets what is signified. Towith a revelation of the complexity of ath the sea is the story of the scienho have learned what little we know this phenomenon of the deep and who i determine whether indeed man and mariat mammal will be able eventually to exchange freely abstract ideas. [ps] |
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SHELL
COLLECTING
Jerry G. Walls. T.F.H. Publication 1981. ISBN 0-87666-631-4 Harcover, laminated boards (no dustjacket), 94 pages, mono and colour photographs, no index. Chapters: Why Collect?; The Collection; Now the Shells; Reading is Fundamental; The Environmental Question. And on the environmentqal bit, this is first part of the chapter: The last decade has seen the rise of the "environmentalist generation" and an increasing number of questions being asked about the value and possible harm of any type of natural history collecting. Shell collecting has not been harassed as badly as hunting, fishing, butterfly collecting, or cactus collecting, but it does have its detractors. In a few instances shell shows have been picketed by poorly informed environmentalists or even cancelled because of political pressure. In many schools shell collections are frowned upon as giving youths the wrong idea about how to enjoy nature. A few small countries have begun to strictly regulate shell collecting in their waters, probably wisely so, and California and Florida have taken steps in that direction. |
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SPONDYLUS
Kevin Lamprell. Full colour. The spiny oyster shells of the world. Hardcover, dustwrapper. |
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THE
COMPLETE ENCYCLOPEDIA OF SHELLS
R.H. de Bruyne Rebo Intrnational, Netherlands. 2003. Hardcover, dustjacket, (also with printed laminated boards) slightly less tha A4 portrait, 336pages, index, full colour throughout, glossary, taxonomic overview, bibliography, useful addresses. From the fly blurb: In The Complete Encyclopedia of Shells you will find pictures and descriptions of a vast array of shells from all over the world. The vast majority of the nearly 100,000 species of mollusks that occur worldwide possess a shell. The true-to-nature photography in this encyclopedia gives you an impression of the best-known species of shell that occur worldwide in both tropical and temperate regions. To make searching easier, the species' groups and the species within those groups, have been arranged alphabetically according to their scientific genus. Particular attention has been paid to include species that can be easily obtained by collectors and vacationers, whether by trading, searching the beach, or purchased across the counter for a reasonable price. The Complete Encyclopedia of Shells is a wonderful work of reference that enables you to identify shells, be it a hobby or a course of serious study. |
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THE
FISHES OF NEW GUINEA
Ian S.R.Munro. Published by Department of Agriculture, Stock and Fisheries, Port Moresby, New Guinea. 1967. Hardcover, dustjacket, 650 pages, 78 mono plates and 6 colour plates; comprehensive index. Long regarded as the definitive work on the spewcies in New Guinea waters. |
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THE
GENTLE SEA
From Friendly Octopi to Genial Groupers, the Intimaate Guide to the Gentle Inhabitants of the Gentle Sea. Dee Scarr. A PADI publication, Santa Ana, California, 1990. Softcover, 146 pages, full colour throughout, no index. Hardly a classic at the moment but it may bewcome so as it is an exceptionally book, well written with passion and knowledge. Although it has to be compulsory reading for any north American diver, it is also interesting and of value to anyone who enjoys the marine world, especially the creatures of the temperate waters that we frequently see. Dr. Eugenie Clark writes of this book: "I never knew that sponges, worms and the classification of marine invertebrates could be so funny! The underwater world, seen through the educated eyes and friendly fingers of Touch-the-Sea Dee, takes on a special sparkle and magic in The Gentle Sea. The unusual sea secrets Dee Scarr has discovered enliven this humorous and scholarly book. Mark Twain or Will Rogers might have written one of the chapters in this book if they had become scuba divers." [ps] |
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THE
RED SEA
Andrea Ghisotti. Stiff board covers, full colour, 128 pages scientific and common name index. An excellent book on the marine life of The Red Sea, with 335 full colour photographs, diving into two sections - The Fishes, and Invertebrates and other Sea Animals. The introductory section includes a background on the Red Sea, Dangerous Marine Cratures, Coral Reefs, Snorkelling and Diving, and Underwater Photography. |
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THE SEA FISHES OF SOUTHERN AFRICA
Professor J.L.B.Smith. The coast of South Africa is subject to a range of oceanographic conditions and habitats, and this translates into a wide diversity of fishes. Indigenous people knew of, and used, some of these fishes long before the arrival of explorers and naturalists from Europe, who subsequently described many of the species in the scientific literature. The appointment of J.D.F. Gilchrist as the marine biologist to the Cape Colony in 1895 started a tradition of ichthyology in South Africa that was fostered by K.H. Barnard at the South African Museum. The discovery of the coelacanth in 1938 put South African ichthyology firmly on the world map, and J.L.B. Smith produced the first edition of the remarkable volume Sea Fishes of Southern Africa in 1949. Subsequently, in 1986, with the assistance of numerous local and international contributors, M.M. Smith and P.H. Heemstra compiled Smiths' Sea Fishes, which documented >2000 species from the region. With the information in this volume as a basis, the coastal and shelf ichthyofauna of South Africa is examined at a biogeographic level. Diversity and endemism are discussed and complementarity analysis used to address the suitable location of marine protected areas to conserve the ichthyofauna of South Africa. The Sea Fishes of Southern Africa has had many revised editions through to 1986. It has long been the definitive work on the icthyology of South African waters, covering the east and west coasts of southern Africa, Mosambique and the then Portuguese East Africa. The first 34 pages cover general 'notes about fishes', their classification and nomenclature, ancestry, and environmental comment. The majority of the book covers the verious species with mono photographs, drawings, and full page colour plates. The text is extensive with detailed descriptions for positive identification. [ps] |
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THE SEA SHORE
G.M.Yonge. First published by William Collins London, (no date, probably 1959). The by Readers Unon Ltd, London - cover as shown. Hardcover, dustjacket, 308 pages, index, 61 colour and 62 mono plates, drawings. Author weas Regius Professor of Zoology in the University of Glasgow, and Chairman of Council of the Scottosh Marine Biological Association. Regarded as the foremost book on the British seashore, much along the lines of Dakins Australian Seashores. Still a most valuable book on the intertidal zone. [ps] |
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THE SEARCH FOR THE GIANT SQUID
Richard Ellis. An Authoritative look at the biology and mythology of the world's most elusive sea creature. The Lyons Press, New York. 1998. Hardcover, dustjacket, mono prints and photographs, 322 pages, index, extewnsive bibliography, listing of authenticated sightings. Brilliant illustrator and equally so as a writer, Richard Ellis has written a number of marine naatural science books on sharks, whales, and dolphins. From the fly: In The Search for the Giant Squid, one of the foremost authorities on ocean life, Richard Ellis, provides the first definitive study of the most mysterious and elusive of all sea creatures. Ellis uncovers almost everything that is known about the giant squid, revealing both the facts and fictions surrounding this remarkable beast. Delving into myth, literature, and science, he brings us face-to-face with Architeuthis as it terrifies sailors and fishermen throughout history, causes medieval clergymen to swear they have seen a horrifying sea serpent, and battles for its life against the great sperm whale. Ellis continues his exploration of the fabled cephalopod into the modem era - when scientists rush to study the rare carcass, and film-makers and writers feature this monster in horror stories. He also provides a thorough, compelling study of what is known and what is still to be discovered about this exotic animal, which has never been studied alive. Interweaving his engrossing narrative with a wealth of fascinating illustrations and photographs, Ellis gives us the first comprehensive history of the only living animal for which the term 'sea monster' is truly applicable. [ps] |
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THEATRES OF GLASS - The
Woman Who Brought the Sea to the City.
Rebecca Scott. Published by Shoert Books, London, 2003. Hardcover, dustjacket, 160 pages, a few drawings and mono photographs, notes. From the fly: In the winter of 1847, the cloisters of Westminster Abbey enjoyed a sudden growth in popularity, as naturalists travelled from all over the country to see the very first marine aquarium in England - a large collection of madrepores and sea sponges kept in glass cases in the Sub-Dean'es drawing-room. In Theatres of Glass, Rebecca Scott tells a remarkable unknown story, which offewrs a magical insight into the world of 19th-centurry natural history. The aquarium was set up not by the Sub-Dean, but by his wife, Ana Thynne, a great beauty aand mother of ten, who by a process of serendipity had discovered how to keep and breed her pet sea creatures at home in London. Anna's invetion of the aquaroum coincided with a major philosophical turning point in history. This was a decade before Darwin would publish Origin of Species by Natural Selection, but in drawing-rooms across Europe evolutionary ideas were a subject of heated debate. Anna's theatres of glass stimulaated interesting questions. According to the fossil records, her madrepores had existed on the planet long before man, outliving the great mammoths and iguanadons. How could one reconcile this witrh the story told by the Bible? In fact, what was Nature and how did it work? [ps] |
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SEAWEEDS AND OTHER ALGAE
C.L.Duddington. Faber and Faber Limited, London, 1966. Hardcover, dustjacket, 208 pges, mono photographs, glossary, index. "This book deals with the freshwater and mrin algae. After describing the structure and life histories of algae of all kinds, it goes on to describe in a general way their physiology, their habitat relations and their uses." [ps] |
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SOMETHING RICH AND STRANGE
Robert E. Schroeder. A pioneer night diver and marine biologist reveals the marvellous spectacle of underwater life, the remarkable changes between day and night. |
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THE SEA AROUND US. Rachel L. Carson. 1951. See Oceanography | |||
THE SEARCH BENEATH
THE SEA
J. L. B. Smith Publisher: Henry Holt and Co, c 1956 Hardback, dustjacket, 260 pages, dimensions: 5 3/4" x 8 1/2", illustrated with mono photos and drawings. What an adventure! In the 1938 a strange fish was pulled from a trawlers net off of South Africa. A drawing of the fish was sent to reknowned icthyologist Smtih, who was stunned by what he saw as the strange fish had been thought extinct for more than 50 million year. It took 14 years of searching to find another specimen - off the French Comores Archipelago. This book is the story of these 14 years of searching for the illusive Coelecanthe. (Ebay description). [ps] |
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THE UNDERWATER GUIDE TO
MARINE LIFE
Carleton Ray & Elgin Ciampi. First published by A.S.Barnes & Co, Inc, New York in 1956, then published in 1958 by Nicholas Kaye Ltd, London. Some copies of the US edition have a stocker over the A.S.Barnes name, the sticker showing Kaye and Ward, London. This im;ies that a batch of the USA books were sold to Britain for distribution. The cover (as shown) appears to be the same for both the British and American editions.) Hardcover, dustjacket, 336 pages, mono and colour photographs, and line drwings. The region covered is predominantly the west coast USA, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska and the Mediterranean. One of the early 'popular' books on marine life written by two very expereinced divers and underwater photographers, written when both were completing their PhDs at Columbia University. [ps] |
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THE UNDERWATER NATURALIST.
Pierre de Latil. First published in France in 1951 as L'Homme Chez les Poissons.'
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THE
YEAR OF THE SEAL
by Victor B. Scheffer. First published in the USA by Charles Scribner's Sons. First published in Great Britain 1971 by Souvenir Press, London. ISBN 0 285 62027 4 Harcover, dust jacket, 206 pages, mono drawings (woodcuts?) throughout. On the life of the Alaska fur seal, and the biologists who study them. An early important marine natural science text. [ps] |
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THE YEAR OF THE WHALE. Victor Scheffer. | |||
UNDERSEA
LIFE
Text by Joseph S. Levine, photographs by Jeffrey L. Rotman. A Marine Biologist Expolores the Fragile Universe of the Oceans. Stewart, Tabori and Chang Inc, New York. 1985. Hardcover, dustjacket, medium-large square format, 222 pages, full colour throughout. Initially I thought this book would be listed under 'photography', but considering the exceptional text - and that it exposes a marine biologists journey through the oceans world of marine life - it is best categorised as an educational and entertaining book on marine life. It is the sort of book that you take quietly to the lounge room or study, eliminate the external noises of family and society, make yourself warm with a good hot coffee (forget about your health) - and just sit and read. I say it is entertaining because, for a layman such as myself, it retains your interest - you enjoy reading it, and as a wonderful bonus, it is educational. I love books like this - well written by an author who knows his subject, and in a language that as a diver with an interest in the marine world, I can understand. And the pretty pictures are excellent and stimulate further interest. Chapters include: To Live in the Sea; Capriccio on a Coral Reef; Water Colors; Poison, Tooth and Claw; To Exhaust the Sea. This would be a great gift for yourself, or someone with moire than just a passing interest in the marine world. |
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UNDERWATER
GUIDE OF TAHITI
Bagnis & Christian. Softcover, 152 pages, all colour. Covers major marine life (not destinations). Excellent reference and identification guide to fishes, reptiles, invertebrates. |
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UNDERWATER
GUIDE TO THE SOUTH CHINA SEA
Ming and Alino. Hardcover, dustwrapper, 144 pages, full colour. An excellent guide to the marine life in the waters off eastern Malaysia. |
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WHALES
AND DOLPHINS - CETACEAN WORLD GUIDE
Ralf Kiefner. An Ikan publication. Another excellent title in the IKAN series of mrine books. This is th ‘bible' of the cetaceans, a guide to some ninety-five species of the two suborders, Mysticeti (Baleen Whales), and Odontocti (Toothed Whales). Includes, of course, the Porpoises. And lkike all IKAN guides, there are some thirty-two ‘picture stories', covering the lighter side of Cetacean behaviour.Nedless to say, strandings, illegal killings and environmental poisoning of whales is detailed. I could see nothing on Monkey Mia, nor on the butchering of dolphin in Japan - perhaps just as well. Hardcover, 305 pages, full colour throughout, species index. |
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WINDOW IN THE SEA
Ralph Nading Hill First published 1956, Victor Gollancz Ltd, London. Hardcover, dustjacket, 240 pages, mono photographs. Based on observations of dolphin and sharks in an oceanarium, with an aim, inter alia, of fidning a rellant to ward off shark attack. Covers also the catching and transporting of large marine animals (sharks and dolphin), anaesthesia, and 'hints for mrine housekeeping'. [ps] From the fly: One of the most terrifyingof all the hazards that can overtake the ship-wrecked; or the victims of an air disaster, is to be attacked by sharks. On one occasion, when a plane carrying three people sank off the South American coast, the sharks, after a leisurely investigation, seized one of its occupants. After an hour they devoured the second. The third succeeded in swimming to the shore. It was this incident that prompted one of the strangest scientific projects of the war— the quest for a shark repellent. The project was carried out by an organisation called the Marine Studios, and il is unlikely that any body could have been found which was better fitted for the work. l;or the Marine Studios have a vast practical experience of sharks, arising out of their responsibility for one of the most ingenious and scientifically valuable enterprises of its kind in the world—-the first "oceanarium" ever to be built, h is the story of this stupendous and fascinating enterprise which Mr. Mill tells, in a book of profound interest to layman and scientist alike. |
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WORLD
ATLAS OF MARINE FAUNA
Rudie Kuiter & Klaus Lindemann. An Ikan publication. Hardcover, labinated board covers, 730 pages, thousands of photographs. Here it is at last - the remarkable companion to the acclaimed World Atlas of Marine Fishes. Seven hundred and thirty pages with thousands of beautifully presented photographs, it provides the greatest possible coverage of selected groups of the enormous variety of marine invertebrates in a single book. It is primarily aimed to assist people who have a keen interest in the small animals they encounter in the sea other than fishes, to find their scientific names or where to classify them. Presented here are the species one is likely to see when diving or snorkeling in the sea, as well as those that are traded in the aquarium industry, with photographs large enough to see detail for their identification. Most species occur on shallow reefs in tropical seas, with the greatest species diversity in the Southeast Asian regions. This World Atlas includes many of the familiar decapod crustacea … lobsters, crabs, shrimps; some worms and the highly diverse mollusca … seaslugs and some other snails such as cowry shells shown with their animal, as well as octopus and squid; and various other groups of mobile invertebrates such as worms, flatworms, seastars, urchins and many other echinoderms. With the rare exception, the animals were all photographed in the wild. The popular groups, symbiotically living crustaceans and cephalopods are covered extensively, whilst the seaslugs are covered as the second part, as the very large group of the colourful nudibranchs were comprehensively treated in our book Nudibranchs of the World, and thus expanded here with the other opisthobranch families such as headshield slugs and seahares. To care for our seas we need to know and have to show others what lives in this wet world. Todays live-forms are those which have successfully evolved and were shaped and created along their evolutionary path of hundreds of millions of years, and will keep on changing as required by circumstances. Our learning about the marine creatures is a never ending story, especially about their behaviour. The World Atlas of Marine Fauna is an invaluable reference book for a great variety of marine invertebrates that we can admire in the world's seas. As such, it addresses the environmental enthusiasts, photographers, sportsdivers, snorkelers, surveyors, teachers, and biogeographers – scientists as well as amateurs or hobbyists. A wonderful addition to the library of anyone intersted in the creatures of our oceans. |
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WORLD
ATLAS OF MARINE FISHES
Rudie H. Kuiter and Helmut Debelius. This enormous book is the most comprehensive of fish identification guides that I have seen. It includes over six thousand full colour photograph covring 4,200 species, and claims to be a new benchmark for fish identification. ‘Presented here are the fishes one is likely to see when diving or snorkelling, as well as those that are of interest to those who main seawater aquariums. It includes both tropical and temperate fishes, those that inhbit rocky reefs and coral reefs, inshore and offshore, and pelagics. The text is not extensive, with general information on habitat and distribution, number of species within a group, behaviour, aquarium considerations, identification between sexes and age. It is an invaluabl reference book for anyone interested in fishes. It is indeed huge, wighing in at over 3kg. Hardcover, laminated boards, just under A4 size, 720 pages full colour throughout, general contents list, scientific species name index. |
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