|
||
| CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS - Oceanography and deep ocean exploration. | ||
| Please note: The books are listed for collectors interest
only, and not offered for sale.
See also Maritime Archaeology. |
|
2,000 FATHOMS DOWN
Georges Houot and Pierre Willm Translated from the French by Michael Bulock. Foreword by Jacques-Yves Cousteau. Introduction by Philippe Tailliez. Published 1955, Hamish Hamilton Ltd and Rupert Hart-Davis Ltd, Great Britain. Hardcover, dustjacket, 256 pages, drawings and mono photographs. The story of Professor Piccard's Bathyscaphe, and its record breaking dive in - well, I can;t find the year. I hate it when authors don't bother to write the year when used in a date for the first time of each chapter. Lazyness. I may read it one day. But the book is of some historic value.(The historic dive was made in 1959). [PS] 2000 FATHOMS DOWN
|
 |
200,000,000 YEARS BENEATH THE SEA.
The Story of the Glomar Challenger - the ship thats unlocked the secrets of the oceans and their continents. Peter Briggs. Published Great Britain 1972 by Cassell & Co, Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 228 pages, mono prints. "This book is really about what wonderful things men can do when they act intelligently and peacefully together". I like that. The voyage of the oceanographic rsearch ship Glomar Challenger commenced in August 1968, and has been likened to the Beagle on which Charles Darwin sailed, and to Captain Cook's epic voyages. For two ytears th vssel roamed the sea, manned by scientists from the USA, Britain, Russia and France. I think it was also involved in bringing up part of a Russian sub but I see no mention of that in the book. [ps] |
 |
AQUARIUS
Philippe Tailliez. Translated from the French by Dennis George. Copyright 1961, Editions France-Empire. First published in 1964 by George Harrap & Co. Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 224 pages, mono photographs throughout. This is the story of a quite remarkable achievement. Tailliez, who is well known for his pioneer diving achievements, teamed up with Heinz Sellner to build a submarine from scrap metal, to use for research andd as a rescue submarine. They went on to build Aquarius III (after this book was published). Of curiosity interest more than anything else. See also authors site Phillipe Tailiez. [ps] |
 |
CONQUEST OF THE SEA.
Cord-Christian Troebst. Harper & Row, Publishers, USA. Library of Congress 61-10219. Originally published in German under the title of Der Griff Nach Dem Meer, 1960, Econ Verlag GmbH, Dusseldorf. From the front of the book: The full and up-to-the-minute story of the latest developments under the water in all its aspects-economic, military, scientific. Here, for the first time, are facts about: * fantastic efforts to map every mile of ocean floor * plans to mine vast mineral resources and harvest new foods on the ocean bottom * giant dams to push back the frontiers of the oceans * huge devices to change salt water into fresh projects to control the weather by redirecting ocean currents and melting ice caps * new methods of increasing, diversifying and assuring the haul of fish. [ps] |
 |
DIVING FOR SCIENCE
Edward H. Shenton Publisher, W. W. Norton & Co.1972 Hardcover, size 5.5" x 8.25", 267 pages, mono photos. From the dust jacket: "The story of the evolution of an efficient machine capable of taking men to nearly any depth in the world's oceans is as exciting as man's probes into space. Man has long been interested in undersea exploration but has usually ventured with only partial success beneath the surface of the sea. Since 1960, however, enormous progress has been made in the design, construction, and use of the research submersible, a diving vehicle that requires surface support as opposed to the submarine, which is totally independent of the surface. This book presents for the first time a historical background of submersibles, detailing their origins, together with an up-to-date description of the most modem design techniques and present scientific uses. Mr. Shenton explains the basic systems and components of a submersible, showing how it is designed to survive the deep-sea environment. He describes the jobs and missions in which the submersible has been successfully used. In subsequent chapters, for example, he relates the adventures of Alvin in its search for the missing H-bomb off Palomares, Spain, the dives for science by Deepstar, and the amazing feat of the rescue of Alvin by Aluminaut in 1969, after it had been stranded for months at a depth of five thousand feet. The final chapter presents the most recent technological developments in the area of submersibles. This includes a review of new vehicles being outfitted for the seventies and a hard look at the future of this field. The book includes drawings by Karyl Shenton, photographs, and a complete listing of specifications of over seventy submersibles from major countries." |
 |
EXPLORING THE DEEP PACIFIC
Helen Raitt. Staples Press Limited, London. 1957 Copyright 1956, W.W.Norton & Co, Inc. Hardcover, dustjackt, 253 pages, mono prints. The voyage of the Spencer F.Baird, covering course of 20,000 miles across the Pacific. The vessel was on an orceaongraphic survey. Includes the mrine animals, and the people of the islans visited: Fiji, Tonga, Samoa, Marquesas, French PolynesiaMarshall islands, Hawaii. [ps] |
 |
EXPLORING THE OCEAN WORLD
A History of Oceanography C.P.Idyll, editor. J.G.Ferguson Publishing, Chicargo, 1969. Library of Congress 78-78268. Hardcover, large A4 size, 280 pages, mono and colour plates. Chapters: The Science of the Sea, The Underwater Landscape, BViology of the Sea, Physics of the Sea, Chemistry of the Sea, Food from the Sea, Farmin th Sea, Mineral Resources an Power, Underwater Archaeology, Man Beneath the Sea. [ps] |
 |
FRONTIERS OF THE SEA
The Story of Oceanographic Exploration. Robert C.Cowen. Introduction by Dr Roger R.Revelle. Victor Gallancz Ltd, London, 1969. Hardcover, dust jacket, 307 pages, some mono prints. Chapters include Exploring the Hinterland, Beginnings, The Unseen Landscape, Probing the Deep-Sea Floor, Patterns of Waters, The Great Heat Engine, Waters of Life, The Range of Ocean Life, The Promise of Plenty, The New Oceanography. [ps] |
 |
HALF MILE DOWN.
William Beebe. Published in May 1935 by John Lane The Bodley Head. (First reprint July 1935). The author was director of the Department of Tropical Research at the New York Zoological Society. Hardcover, 344 pages, eight illustrations in colour and 123 mono photographs. Covers the famous decents into the depths in several bathysphere's up to 1934. A most important work. (Photo left, of William Beebe in primitive diving helmet.) See author's site William Beebe for other titles. |
 |
IN BALLOON & BATHYSCAPHE
Professor Auguste Piccard. First published in France under the title Au Fond des Mers en Bathyscaphe, copyright 1854. First published in Great Britain in 1956. Hardcover, dust jacket, 192 pages, many mono plates throughout. What an incredible man was August Piccard, and indeed also his son Jacques who worked with his father on the Trieste. This is a remarkable book as it tells, in the professor's own words, the projects with high altitude balloons, and deep sea submersibles. It is also extremely interesting from a technical perspective, even for the layman - especially for the layman!! Of high historic interest. [ps] |
 |
MAN BENEATH THE SEA - A Review of Underwater Ocean Engineering.
Walter Penzias and M.W. Goodman. Foreword by The Honorable Claiborne Pell, United States Senate. Wiley-Interscience, division of John Wiley & Sons, New York etc. 1973. ISBN 0-471-68018-4 Hardcover, dustjacket, 831 pages, mono prints, drawings, bibliography, index. From the fly: Man Beneath the Sea is a comprehensive treatment of the problems encountered when man extends his domain to the undersea world. Exploring all as- pects of hardware, human engineering bioscience, life support, and future trends in ocean technology, it provides the technical information required to place man beneath the sea as a scientist or worker. The book is divided into nineteen chapters and includes discussions of div- ing systems, life support systems, pres- sure vessels and hatches, umbilicals, tools, the physiology of diving, and the ocean environment. A chapter on the technical history of diving treats the diving bell, surface-based diving, diving since Haldane in the United States and the United Kingdom, and self-contained underwater breathing apparatus, and is the most complete examination of the subject available. Also found in this book are detailed tab ulated specifications of the world's deep submersibles, including many il lustrations. Each chapter contains im- portant bibliographical references. Man Beneath the Sea is an authoritative volume that will be indispensable for ocean engineers, salvagers, and those involved with diving vehicles, underwater physiology, and apparatus. In addition, students of ocean engineering, oceanography, marine biology, naval architecture, and diving will find it a valuable resource. [ps] |
.  |
SEVEN MILES DOWN
The Story of the Bathyscaph Trieste. Jacques Piccard and Robert S. Dietz. Copyright 1961, this edition first published 1962, Longmans, Green and Company, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 249 pages, 32 mono plates. Written by the son of Professor Auguste Piccard, so it is no doubt an authorative work on submersibles. Bottom image is Scientific Book Club isue, 1963. From the fly: History was made when the bathyscaph Trieste carried Jacques Piccard and Lieutenant Don Walsh of the U.S. Navy to the deepest known point of the world's oceans, the bottom of the Challenger Deep in the Pacific off Guam. This book is the complete story of the invention and development of the bathyscaph. It covers the Trieste's European sponsored dives off Italy (1953-56), the Mediterranean dives sponsored by the U.S. Office of Naval Research in 1957 leading to the purchase of the Trieste by the U.S. Navy, subsequent dives off San Diego, and finally an engross- ing description of the ultra-deep dives - seven miles down - of Project Nekton. Illustrated with 32 pages of photographs, the book is a complete and fascinating account of one of the great scientific adven- tures of our ships of tomorrow, of which the Trieste is a blind and cumbersome prototype. It discusses the future of oceanography and what is yet to be learned from the depths of the sea. Mineral resources lie untouched and waiting, and the authors anticipati:. that, for both com- mercial and military reasons, there will SOOt:l be a vast international invasion of the underwater world. [ps - both] |
 |
THE ARCTURUS ADVENTURE.
An Account of the New York Zoological Society's First Oceanographic Expedition. William Beebe. Published by G.P.Putnam's Sons, New York and London, 1926. (Five printings within 1926). Hardcover, 432 pages, colour plates, mono photographs. The chapter, 'With Helmet and Hose' is particularly interesting to the diver, giving an excellent description of the equipment used. On the helmet purchased by the author just before departure, 'the paraphernalia accompanying it were so simple that I doubted its efficiency...'. See author's site William Beebe for further publications. |
 |
THE DEEPEST DAYS.
A remarkable odyssey of underwater adventure and of the longest, deepest dive ever made - by th chief diver for Man-in-The-Sea project. Robert Stenuit. US edition could have been first, published by Coward-McCann, Inc. New York. First published in the UK in 1966 by Hodder and Stoughton, London. Hardcover, dustjacket, 222 pages, mono photographs. The blurb tells it all. The author, a well known maritime archaeologist, treasure diver, and author, was the chief diver for Edwin Link, 'father' of the Man-In-The-Sea project where he and Jon Lindberg lived and worked in an undersea habitat at 432 feet for 49 hours. This 'experiment' paved the way for future Sealab habitats. |
 |
THE LIGHTHOUSE
Being the Story of a Great Fight Between Man and the Sea. R.M.Ballantyne. Published by Thomas Nelson and Sons, London etc. No date. Possibly 1920s. Hardcover, printed boards, 443 pages, one watercolour plate. Is this fact or fiction? It is hard to determineWritten in the style of a novel, it is probably both, a fanciful story based on a number of 'incidents', possibly embellished, but with a general thread of fact in the way of life of those living in a lighthouse. |
.  |
THE SEA AROUND US.
Rachel L. Carson. First published in Great Britain in 1951. (Cover of the 6th impression, 1952, shown left). Probably one of the most respected and loved books on the sea ever printed, giving, to many, the first insight of how the seas were born, and how life emerged from them... "the pulsing of spring when salmon migrate and jelly-fish spawn". The book could equally well b listed under the marine sciences as i covrs not only the physical oceanograophy of the seas, but th emrgenc of life life within the seas also. Very easy to read, non-scientific yet a wealth of knowledge. A must read for all divers. [ps] From the fly: Here is the strange and exciting story of the seas - how they were born, how earth's life emerged from them, and the fantastic marine world within them. Miss Carson tells of the teeming life of the upper levels, of the icy, black, primeval depths, and of the immense forces which find their expres- sion in the tides and currents. Here is the story of the waves which have carved out the land and of the stupendous 'snowfall' which has built up the sea bed; of the volcanic action which throws up huge masses . on the ocean floor; of immense mountains and desolate canyons; and of the way in which the sun and the spinning of the earth act upon the oceans. She describes the pulsing of spring when salmon migrate and jelly-fish spawn and the mys- terious creatures that have so far evaded man's efforts to capture them. She tells of the language of the waves which, translated, brings news of earthquakes and storms raging in distant waters; of the age of the sea and of land that was once as bleak as the moun- tains of the moon; of tides, the birth of islands, the shape of ancient seas, and the hidden lands. Lower image is of a recent paperback issue. Oxford University Press. Paperback, 249 pages, extensive reading list. Currently available. Available from Oceans Enterprises. |
 |
THE SUN BENEATH THE SEA
Jacques Piccard A thirty-day drift of 1500 miles in the depths of the Gulf Stream. Translated from the French by Denver Lindley. Forward by Wernher von Braun. First published in GreatBritain in 1972, Robet Hale & Company. Released as hardcover, although my copy is an uncorrected proof copy from Bristol Typesetting, with the publication dust jacket; 264 pages, no photographs. This is the official account of the research led by the author in the submarine Ben Franklin as they drifted in the Gulf Stream off Mexico. [ps] |
 |
THE UNKNOWN OCEAN
Richard Perry. Copyright 1972 by the author. Published by David & Charles, UK. (No date but presume 1972). Volume 1 in The Many Worlds of Wildlife series. Hardcover, dust jacket, 288 pages, mono drawings throughout. A very good read on the natural histpry of the ocean, covering such topics as symbiosis, camouflage, life in the depths, plankton, the hunting technique of sharks.... [ps] |
 |
THE WATERS OF THE SEA.
Dr. P. Groen. Van Nostrand Reinhold Co, London. 1969. Library of Congress 66-19954. Hardcover, dustjacket, 328 pages, mono prints, charts, index. From the fly: The Waters of the Sea is a timely contribution to our knowledge of the world's oceans, and appears during an epoch when the tremendous expansion of man's underwater achievements has vested in the seas a new strategic and commercial importance. The sea and its physical phenomena have great appeal, and besides providing an authoritative introduction for students bf geography, marine geology and marine biology, for seafarers and students in nautical schools, and all who earn their livelihood from the sea, this book will prove a valuable source of information for the non-specialist. One of the most comprehensive of its kind, it is translated from De Wateren van der Wereldzee and specially revised to include in this first English version new material from later oceanographic activities: Dr. Groen is an oceanographer of international repute, and in this balanced account he lucidly conveys a mass of scientific information throughout a most expert and detailed coverage. After a glimpse at the historical background ranging from Homer to the present day, he discusses numerous devices to further man's knowledge, and cites the findings of many expeditions. His chapter on sea- water deals with its variations in depth, salinity and temperature in different parts of the world. A chapter is devoted to sea- ice and the origins, movements and life- cycles of icebergs. Sea waves and ocean currents are dealt with in separate chapters, and tides, storm surges, submarine cur- rents and radioactivity of sea-water all receive attention. The concl~ding chapter on deep-sea circulation gives facts about the relative ages of ocean waters. Illustra- tions, figures, charts, tables, bibliography and index clarify, establish and develop the author's arguments and conclusions. [ps] |
 |
THE WORLD BENEATH
THE SEA
Otis Barton |
 |
THE WORLD OF THE OCEAN DEPTHS.
Robert Silverberg. Published 1968 by World's Work, London. Hardcover, dustjacket, 152 pages. Mono photograph. Life in the sea at depth, and the explorations of the depths. [ps] |
 |
UNDERWATER ENGINEERING
Ron Goodfellow Petroleum Publishing, 1977 Hardcover, 155 pages, size 6" x 9" From the dust jacket: "To work on or under the seas or on the seabed has been and will continue to be a challenge to the engineering ability of man, who, more than ever, is turning to this vast domain for the vital resources of food and energy that he so badly needs. Underwater engineering is international and multi-disciplinary and the triangle involving technical, economic and political aspects is always there. Underwater engineering is a team effort combining the skills of engineers of various disciplines in the subsea environment. This book displays the wide variety of activities, skills, and knowledge that is presently being used and takes a look at the next decade. Advances in diving technology can place a diver safely and effectively in depths of 600 ft and this will progress to depths of 1,000 ft and more. In the range 600-1,000 ft the engineer requires the diver as backup for his techniques and as insurance against failure of those techniques. Divers play a vital role in that most difficult task of establishing a physical link between surface and seabed. However, the needs of man will push him into depths beyond 1,000 ft, and here the role of underwater vehicles, robots, and remote-controlled devices will take the lead. The section on underwater vehicles covers the range of manned and unmanned systems and the tasks for which they are suited. To operate vehicles and systems subsea, power is required and the power sources range from the manual efforts of a diver to pressure-balanced batteries, and even offshore nuclear power stations are now being proposed. If man is to harness and resist the forces of the seas he must inspect and maintain his structures and pipelines. As he progresses into deeper water and operates on more exposed locations having wind speeds of 100 mph and significant wave heights of 95 ft or in areas with arctic conditions, effective means of carrying out inspection and maintenance underwater must be developed. The author's personal involvement in the first ever complete subsea production scheme in the Arabian Gulf is set out in the chapter on Subsea Production. Also in this chapter are details of the activities of Exxon, Lockheed, and SEAL. Two philosophies prevail in this area. One is to enclose systems with pressure vessels and transfer man to a working enclosure and the other is to develop remote-control systems and to modularize components. These philosophies are in parallel but are aimed at closing the gap between offshore production in depths of 600 ft and offshore exploration drilling which is taking place for depths of 1,000-2,000 ft (and anticipated in the future to reach depths of 6,000 ft). The final chapter deals with Communication and Navigation and stresses the need for effective methods of reporting and transmitting information from the seabed and accurately locating structures and features on the seabed. |
 |
VESSELS FOR UNDERWATER
EXPLORATION
Peter R. Limburg & James B. Sweeney Hardcover, dustjacket, 1973, 100 mono prints. A Pictoral History, outlines the accomplishments and failures in underwater exploration. |
