CLASSIC DIVE BOOKS

    USA Recreational, historic and scientific diving.
    Please note: The books are listed for interest only, and not offered for sale. 

    See Lieut. Harry E. Rieseberg.
    See Robert Marx.
    See Robert Burgess.

    		 HOMEPAGE

    TO MASTER LIST
    20 YEARS UNDER THE SEA
    J.E. Williamson.
    Copyright, first printing 1936. Published by The Junior Literary Guild and Hale, Cushman and Flint, New York, 1936.
    Hardcover, no dustjacket (they did not have them at the time), printed boards, 320 pages, mono plates throughout.
    I havn't read this one through as yet, but the author was a pioneer in underwater cinematography and shot the underwater footage for Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea - the original silent movie ? - with a mechanical giant octopus. Looks like a very interesting book.
    [ps]
    130 FEET DOWN
    Handbook for Hydronauts.
    Hank and Shaney Frey.
    Designed to give all skindivers- beginners, initiates and pros - basic information they ned to explore securley the underwater world. 
    No image.
     (Do you have one?)    		 A COMPLETE GUIDE TO SNORKEL AND SKIN DIVING.
    Al Thompson. 
    Coles Paperback. 
    A MANUAL FOR FREE DIVERS USING COMPRESSED AIR
    D.M. Owen
    Second edition was apparently published in 1955.
    Hardback, dustjacket, 60 pages.
    No further details. 
    ADVANCED SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Including a Curriculum for a Scuba Diving Training Program
    Instruction Manual by E.R.Cross, Master Diver. Copyright 1961.
    Marine Research Publishing Company, Hawaii.
    Softcover, 88 pages, Mono prints and drawing throughout.
    This was one of the standard texts in the USA, and indeed the rest of the world, during the sixties. In concept, it followed on from the author's Introduction to Skin Diving. Although I cannot compare the two books (not having a copy of the latter), it appears that the word ‘advanced' is a bit ambitious as it does cover the basic of diving -equipment, physiology, medicine,techniques, sperfishing, deco tables. Of high historic value due mainly to its popularity at he time and the credibility of the author. (Sorry about the poor quality of the cover, buts thats all I have.)
    ADVENTURE UNDERWATER. 
    Bill Barada. 1959.  There is a Trend book puiblished in 1959 called Underwater Adventure, so that may be it. See Trend books. 
    ADVENTURES IN UNDERWATER RESCUE.
    Liam F. Rooney.
    Published by North Forty Press (Fort Collins,   Colorado),  1986.
    Softcover, 115 tight pages, size 6 x 9 inches, illustrated with b/w photos and illustrations by Ann Blackstone. 
    According to the eBay seller, it is a rare diving book. 
    ADVENTURES UNDER THE SEA.
    Jim Thorne 
    Published by Walker & Co., New York, 1965. Dustjacket
    "This book provides a tantalizing glipmse of the extraordinary life Mr. Thorne leads. In a relatively brief period beginning in the summer of 1961, Thorne searched for the lost arms of the Venus de Milo, discovered a forgotten city under the sea, made a movie, assisted at an underwater wedding, was married himself, helped salvage the wreck of a Civil War ironclad ( USS Cairo ) from the treacherous bottom of the Yazoo River, Mississippi and opened and closed a skin-divers' resort in Puerto Rico."
    The author is the founder of Adventure Inc. Contents include: Arms of Venus, Weddings Up and Down, Raising of the Cairo,Puerto Rico..and more. Mono photographs.                             1

    ..    		 ALL ABOUT UNDERSEA EXPLORATION
    Ruth Brindze.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 170 pages, sixty photographs. 
    The development of men and equipment, in the pursuit of conquering the Depths of the Ocean. It provides extensive history on the development of commercial diving for both scientific and monetary gain.
    ALL ABOUT UNDERSEA EXPLORATION
    An Allabout book by Ruth Brindze. Published in 1960.
    Hardcover, 145 pages and filled with vintage early 1960s photos. 
    Fascinating underwater account for kids. Contents are: The World Beneath the Sea;  Fathoming the Ocean's Secrets; Scientists at Sea; Helmet and Scuba Diving; Descent by Bathysphere; Bathyscaphe Exploration by Submarine; Treasure Hunters on the Bottom; Underwater Photography; The Search For Oil Beneath the Sea; Wiring the Oceans Earth's Last Frontier. 
    Of the dust jacket images, I presume one is British, the other USA, but not sure which is which. 
    AMPHIBIAN
    The Adventures of a Profesional Diver.
    Jim Gott with Norman Lewis Smith
    Playboy Press, Chicago, 1976.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 204 pages, mono prints, no index.
    I thought there may have been a few naked mermaids in the book considering the publisher but unfortunately not. 
    This book is a biography of a man who took up diving 'in New York's murky East River' and subsequently dived Vietnam with the Marines, was a commercial diveer in the Gulf of Mexico, and then an easier ands no doubt more pleasurable job as a dive director at a number of of resorts on the US west coast and the Mediteranean. "Gott's adventures make thrilling reading: death-brushing encounters with sharks... getting lost at night on the bottom of a river with North Vietnamese soldier above him .....working offshore oil rigs as a hard-hat diver .... being trapped while exploring a shipwreck....."  IOt's an intewresting read with some interesting insights into the wworld of sport and commercial diving.
    [ps]
    No image.
     (Do you have one?)    		 AN ACCOUNT OF ADVENTURES BENEATH THE SEA
    Diving; Dredging; Deep Sea Sounding; Latest submarines explorations, etc.
    Published by J. W. Lyon and Co of Ontario, Canada. Date ?
    Hardcover, ornate embossed leather covers with gold printing for the title and the 7 maritime designs on the covers, 785 pags, over 250 illustrations, many of them full page mono illustrations.
    BASIC SCUBA - Self  Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus, It's Operation, Maintenance and Use.  The Sport Diver's Bible. 
    Fred M. Roberts.
    Published in 1960 by D. Van Nostrand Company, Inc, New jersey, USA.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 386 pages, mono prints and drawings. (top)
    Covers the usual themes - equipment, theory and practical skills required, ‘self-rescue' and water safety, in such detail that even today this is a useful text, for little has changed when it comes to scuba on air. Roberts also wrote on underwater photography.
    [ps-top]
    No image.
     (Do you have one?)    		 DEEP DOWN UNDER.
    John J. Floherty. (Author of Men Without Fear, Skin-Diving Adventures etc).
    Published by J.B. Lippincott Company, 1953.  Hardcover, 146 pages, many photographs.
    Eyewitness accounts of pearl divers, frogmen, salvage and construction divers, diving bells, underwater demolition squads, diving shells, diving rescues and more! 
    DISCOVER THE UNDERWATER WORLD. 
    The Complete Guide to the Art and Science of Skin and Scuba Diving.
    Ralph D. Erickson. 1972.
    Publsihed by U.S.Divers Co.,Santa Ana, California, 1972. 
    Softcover, A4 size, 132 pages, mono and colour prints.
    Arguably the most popular, and thus most common, of the early diving-instruction text. 
    DIVEMASTER - SKIN AND LUNG DIVING. HOME STUDY TRAINING.
    A series of what appear to be loose-leaf pamphlets of several lessons (at least twelve), published by U.A.S. Corporation, 5637-43, West 63rd Place, Chicago, in 1956, and copyright by E.R.Cross.
    [Thankyou Bill for details].
    DIVE - THE COMPLETE BOOK OF SKIN DIVING
    Rick and Barbara Carrier. 
    Copyright 1955, William Funk Inc. New York. My copy published in Great Britain, no date, Nicholas Kaye Limited, London.
    New edition revised by Gene Parker. Date? Same cover with addition of words, 'New edition, revised by Gene Parker'.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 294 pagesmono photographs throughout, many drawings.
    Quite a good book actually. Covers the usual topics, with an emphasis on spearfishing. The section on dive history and myths is particularly interesting and well written. The authors are New Yorkers; he served in the Amphibious Engineers in WW2.
    [ps-farleft]
    DIVER BELOW!:THE COMPLETE GUIDE TO SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING 
    Hank and Shaney Frey
    Published 1969, Collier Books, New York.
    Soft cover,.182 p, photos and drawings.
    A complete self-instructional guide to the techniques of skin and scuba diving with expert advice on diving equipment, cave exploration, diving on wrecks, spear-fishing, underwater photography and painting, the use of boats in diving. Complete with decompression tables,first-aid instruction and advice on coping with underwater environment.
    [ps]
    DIVING FOR FUN. 
    A Complete Textboopk for Students, Instructors, and Advanced Divers.
    Joe  Strykowski. 1969
    Dacor Corporation, Illinois, USA. Library of Congress Catalog Card 74-31233
    First edition 1969, send revised 1970, third revided 1971, fourth revised 1974.
    Maybe further edition. 
    Softcover, squarback bound, A4 size, 135 pages, mono prints, drawings. 
    The aiuthor was producer-host of the television series 'Man and the Sea'. No doubt this corporate-sponsored book was in direct competition with that produced by US Divers, 'Let's Go Diving'.

    .    		 DIVING WITH SAFETY
    Bev Morgan
    Published by U.S. Divers Corp., California, 1956. (Top) [ps]
    Also 1959 (right), from eBay:
    The book measures 5 1/2" X 8 1/2" and has 85 pages. (This must be 1959 edition. 
    A comprehensive instructional manual illustrated with over 90 drawings and photographs. Includes maintenance and service instructions for the "Aqua-Lung" regulator "DA", "DW" and "DY", there is also an underwater sign language alphabet illustrated.
    An scarce and interesting instructional manual, it will be a nice item for any diving enthusiast.
    There may be other editions. 
    DIVING WITH THE AQUA LUNG
    Published by US Divers, California.
    Many editions. Softcover, sadle stiched, 31 pages.
    "The bible of the early diver". 
    First published early 1960s.
    FELL'S TEEN-AGE GUIDE TO SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING.
    George Sullivan. 
    GENE PARKER'S COMPLETE HANDBOOK OF SKIN DIVING
    First published 1965 by Avon Books, New York.
    Softcover (paperback) 382 pages. Many drawings and charts.
    The author does indeed attempt, with quite some success' to write a ‘complete handbook', and even includes a small chapter on standard dress, and other surface supplied systems. The usual equipment, physiology etc chapters exists; and spearfishing, dangerous mrine aanimals, treasure hunting - twnety chapters in all. Probably not of hisstoric value, but nevertheless an importnat book in the chronicles of diving (instruction) literature.
    [ps]
    GUIDE TO THE UNDERWATER
    For Fish Collectors, Treasure Divers, Photographers, Snorkelers. 
    Bill Slosky & Art Walker.  Sterling Publishing Co. Inc., New York, 1966.
    Hardcover, cloth covered, no dustjacket (on my copy at least), 192 pages, quite a bit of volour throughout. 
    This is not one of the 'how to dive' instruction books. It is far more readable in th sence of having a book to read in bed or before a cozy fire - well written on the subjects that we all enjoy - from diving itself, to marine life, treasure, diving, underwater photography.
    The blurb on the back of the book is as follows:
    Up to now, the blue-green hue of the ocean depths has distorted all photographs taken beneath the surface of the sea. Divers emerging from the depths have told of the wondrous sights that until now have never been recorded on full-color photographic plates. Bill Slosky and his co-author have discovered a new way of taking photographs that brings out the long-elusive red, orange, and yellow tints that exist in corals, sponges, shells and in the exotic fishes of tropical and sub-tropical waters. This book, with its breathtakingly beautiful, true-to-life photographs is a comprehensive, classified guide to the denizens of coastal waters.
    But even more than that, this book contains:
    For the snorkeler a quick course in skin diving,detailed instructions on the use of masks and fins rules for netting and collecting,  the correct methods of spearfishing .
    For the treasure hunter: what to look for: coins, shells, amphorae, etc., where to search for sunken wrecks,  how to get your precious finds to the surface.
    For the photographer : the prqper equipment, underwater flash techniques
    So, whether you have a special interest such as fish collecting or photography, or if you just want to glide along the bottom as a spectator, you will fino this book an invaluable and visually stimulating aid to your adventures into the underwater. Remember, you won't need elaborate apparatus-just a simple mask and a simple camera to open up awhole new, gloriously vivid world!  [ps]
    HANDBOOK FOR SKINDIVERS
    George Bronson-Howard
    An Arco How-To Book.
    Copyright 1956 by Fawcett Publications, USA. 
    First published 1958 by Arco Publishing, New York.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 142 pages, many mono photos throughout.
    Starts of as usual with a history of diving, then equipment and technique, marine life, underwater vehicles (very interesting), underwater photography (several interesting housings shown), and then seventy-two pages of location diving, in the USA, Caribbean and Mediterranean. Quite interesting and of some historical  value no doubt.
    [ps]
    HANDBOOK OF SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING. 
    Jim Martenhoff. 1967.  See Fawcett Publications.
    INTRODUCTION
    INVITATION
    TO SKIN
    AND SCUBA
    DIVING
    		 INTRODUCTION TO SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    INVITATION TO SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    John D. Craig and Morgan Degn.

    Cassell, London,1967
    S&S,New York, 1965
    S&S. Date?    		 Note - obviously - the two slightly different titles. The 'Introduction' is the English publication, edited by Brian Hesketh; first published in Great Britain in 1967 by Cassell and Company Ltd, London. Hardcover, dust jacket, 181 pages, two-tone drawings throughout.
    The 'Invitation' edition is from the USA, published by Simon and Shuster, New York 1965. 192 pages, index. It seems to be is identical in content to the British edition but Hesketh may have made some changes in the UK edition. The pink covber edition is likely to be a later USA edition - I have no date for it, but it to is also published by Simon & Shuster, of 192 pages and I presume identical to the original 1965 release.
    The usual chapters are included - history, prerequisites for diving, techniques, equipment, safety and first-aid, diving physics, medical aspects, the environment and hazardous marine animals, specialist diving activities. Probably popular in its time, but of little historic value.
     "The sea, compelling, wild and mysterious, is man's last frontier. To answer this call of the sea, here is your guide to this new frontier. Here is a fabled world where you can escape harshness and live in a dream in the silence of blues and greens, where gravity is reversed and you float in ambient softness. " That's enough to put you off diving, let alone read the book!!
    [ps,1,2,no3]
    INTRODUCTION TO SKINDIVING
    Including a Curriculum for a Skin Diving Training Program.
    Ellis R.Cross, Master Diver.
    It appears to b self-pub;ished, in 1961, but on th back cover there is andert. for another title by Cross, Advanced Skin & Scuba Diving', published by Marine Research Publishing Co., of Honolulu.
    This is only a small booklet of 56 pages, saddle stiched, mono prints.
    LADY WITH A SPEAR. 
    Eugenie Clark. 
    Harper & Brothers, New York.
    First edition, probably 1953. Hardcover, dust jacket, 244 pages. sixteen-page centre mono plates, line drawings. 
    Also (right)
    Edition printed in 1955 by The Scientific Book Club, London.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 198 pages, lin drawings, no photographs. 
    Scientist's  informal report of her career in the marine world that took her to the tropical waters of the Pacific & Atlantic oceans & the Red Sea in seach of rare and bizarre
     fish. Illustrated with many black and white photo and other illustrations of unsusal fish. .
    [ps-both]
    THE LADY AND THE SHARKS
    Eugenie Clark.
    Harper & Row Publishers, New York etc. 1969.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, illusrrated with drawings by the author, mono photos, bibliography, index 269 pages. I havn't read the book, and dont have a dust jacket to 'steal' the blurb. It was written som fourteen yars after th author's acclaimed Lady with a Spear. Chapters include Sharks and Abdominal Pores, The Mysteries of Serranus, Blennies and Mazes, The Shark Hazard, Mesoplodon, Sinkholes and Raptures of the Deep, More Educated Sharks, An Imperial Ichthyologist, Mantas and Other Rays. It is of course part-biography of the brilliant work done by the author as an acclaimed ichthyologist. 
    [ps-no dj]
    LET'S GO
    DIVING

    1962
    1970
    1977    		 LET'S GO DIVING. 
    Bill Barada. 1965.
    Many printings.
    Published by US Divers Co of Santa Ana,  California.
    Softcover, sadletsiched, 62 pages, size 5.5 x 8.3 inches.. 
    Probably the main text, indeed the only txt, used by recreational divers in the 1960 and 1970s. 
    There is no doubt that this affordable book - more like a booklet - was the main eduction text in the late sixties and seventies. It was succinct and contained 'all that you hd to know' about entering the sea as a scuba diver.  And is it was published by U.S.Divers, it would not have done their sales any harm ! We have moved on from steel tank and twin-hose regs, but it is amazing how little we really have moved in the last forty years when it comes to recreational sport diving on air. [ps]
    MASK AND FLIPPERS. 
    The Story of Skindiving.
    Lloyd Bridges as told to Bill Barada. 
    First US edition, 1960. First British edition 1961. W.H.Allen, London.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 190 pages, mono photographs, index.
    Reviewed edition: First British edition 1961.
    Full REVIEW of this book.

    For an excellent insight into the 'Sea Hunt' TV series, starring Lloyd Bridges, see DIVING PIONEERS - An Oral History of Diving in America by Eric Hanauer, Watersport Publishing, San Diego, 1994. There is an excellent chapter on Zale Parry, who did the underwater scenes in the series. I was in love with her, as no doubt was every red-blooded youngster who watched the show. 
    MEN UNDER THE SEA
    Frank Meier
    A Dell Adventure book. Softcover, medium format. Published 1948. Softcover, 6.75 x 7.75 inches tall; 144 pages. 
    MEN UNDER WATER
    Dugan, James and Vahan, Richard (Editors) Chilton 1965. 
    Hardback, dust jacket.  This book was written in collaboration with the Underwater Society of America for the benefit of its program of exploration, sport, safety, and science. A very interesting book of early days of underwater diving and exploration. Narrative on ancient myths, sea creatures, and shipwrecks; along with pertinent undersea, scuba and nautical information. Illustrated with photographs.
    (N.O.A.A.)
    THE COMPLETE UNDERWATER DIVING MANUAL
    Compiled and edited by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Office of Marine Resources.
    OUR WORLD UNDERWATER
    William M. Stephens.
    Copyright 1962, published by Lantern Press, Inc.c 1962. 
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 254 pages, mono photos and drawings. 
    From eBay sale - History and development of diving and of the exploits of some of the great divers of today - men who found prehistoric human skeletons in underwater caves; others who located a sunken ship that went down thousands of years ago: a man who kills monstrous sharks with a short, hand-held weapon; a diver who found a quarter-million dollars in Spanish gold and silver: a man who rides sharks as a cowboy rides a bronc; and many others. This is a practical guide to skin and scuba diving and one that offers hours of absorbing reading for the armchair adventurer as well as the active underwater enthusiast. Along the way there is essential information for the novice and tips for the experienced diver while the reader enjoys such varied underwater pictures, exploring subterranean rivers, finding sunken treasure and recovering archaeological relics. Illustrated with drawings by Chuck Sharman and sixteen full pages of photographs by the author.
    PRACTICAL DIVING
    A Complete Manual for Compressed Air Divers.
    Tom Mount and Akira J. Ikehara.
    First edition 1974. University of Miami Press, Florida. Hardcover, dustjacket, 190 pages, a few mono drawings, no photographs, tables, bibliography. Includes a sample exam paper. Tom Mount went on to be one of Ameroca's top divers with several excellent books to his name. Whether this is his first I am not sure. It would certainly have been a well respected book for its day, authoratitive and well written. 
    [ps-no dj]
    SAFE SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING.
    Adventure in the Underwater World.
    Henry Ketels and Jack McDowell. 
    Forward by Dr. Glen Egstrom.
    Educational Associates, a division of Little, Brown & Co.. USA. 1975.
    Library of Congress # 74-31973.
    Softcover, quarto size, square-back bound, 234 pages.
    'A Complet Guide to the latest Infdormation and Newest techniques in this Fast Growing Sport.
    [ps]
    SCUBA DIVING - HOW TO GET STARTED
    William Koelzer.
    Chilton Book Company, Radnor, Pennsylvania. First (and perhaps only) edition 1976. Also published in Canada by Don M ills, Ontario. Hardcover, dust jacket, 120 pages, index. Includes Medical Examination Form. Chapters includeWhy Scuba Dive?, Exploding Scuba Myths, The Buoyancy Compensator, Is Scuba Diving Expensice, Choosing Scuba Equipment, Snorkelling-the Basic Skills, Water Entries, Surface Dives, Choosing proper Instruction. This book keeps to its title as you can imagine from the chapters, and is not your usual dive instruction manual. Much of the material would still be relevant to this day - xcept for the chapter on expense!!!  [ps]
    SCUBA DIVER'S GUIDE TO UNDERWATER VENTURES
    Judy Gail May
    Copyright 1973, published by Stackpole Books, Harrisburg, Pa, USA.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 222 pages.
    The author is 'an expert diver, author, photographer' - 'Judy presents the start-to-finish details of the particular problems of underwater photography ...'. This iss more of a 'what to do when diving' book rather than a technical text - it covers underwater photography, ice diving, diving for treasure, fish watching, sightseeing the ocean, shell collection, coral gathering, cave diving, careers in diving. It would have been a most useful book in its day, and is still inspiring reading, but of limited historic value. The dedication to her husband is particuarly nice. 
    [ps]
    SCUBA - SAFE AND SIMPLE. 
    John Reseck. 1975.
    Prentice-Hall Inc., Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, 1975.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 240 pages, mono photographs, drawings, charts.
    [ps]
    No image.
     (Do you have 
    one?)
    		 SCUBA DIVING
    Joan Deakin. 
    Trafalgar Square North Pomfret, Vermont, U.S.A. 1981 
    Dust Jacket. 8vo - over 7" - 9" tall  Hard cover with dustjacket
    No image.
     (Do you have 
    one?)
    		 SCUBA DIVING: UNDERWATER ADVENTURING.
    Hank Ketels, and Jack McDowell
    Winner's Circle Books NY 1988. Softcover (Sports Illustrated). Photographs; Small 4to; 207 pages. 
    SCUBA SPEAR AND SNORKEL
    No further information.
    SCUBA TANKS HIGH PRESSURE CYLINDERS FOR DIVING
    Bob Gonsett. National Association of Underwater Instructors.
    Colton 1973. Stiff wrappers. 4to - over 9" - 12" tall. Drawings and sketches. 

    SCUBA REGULATORS AIR PRESSURE REDUCTION VALVES FOR DIVING
    Bob Gonsett, National Association of Underwater Instructors.
    Colton 1975. Stiff wraappers. 4to - over 9" - 12" tall.  Drawings and sketches. 
    SEA HUNT.
    by Cole Fannin. Published by Whitman, 1960.
    Illustrated by Gerald Hannah
    Authorized Edition based on the television series starring Lloyd Brdiges.
    Hardback, 210 pages.

    Image left is from title page. 
    SHALLOW WATER DIVING AND SPEARFISHING
    by Hilbert Schenck Jr., and Henry Kendall.
    Cornell Maritime Press, Maryland (USA), 1954.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 252 pages, mono prints and drawings.
    One of the earliest diving texts. Covers ‘helmet diving', ‘mask diving', recirculating equipment, ‘self-contained throw-away diving equipment', spearfishing, diving science, the ocean and its inhabitants, deco tables and other chapters. The equipment photos are fascinating.
    [ps]
    More info on author's works.
    SHARKS, MORAYS AND TREASURE
    Robert P.L.Straughan.
    Published 1965 by A.S.Barnes & Co, New York, and Thomas Yoseloff Ltd, London. 
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 208 pages, mono prints.
    From Crooks: While the majority of this book is about the ocean's natural history, there are two chapters about the author's adventures locating and salvaging a vintage shipwreck in the Caribbean.
    [ps]
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING.
    John E. Cayford. 1964.
    Not sure if the following information relates to Cayford's book, but is relevant to dust jacket on left.
    Skin and Scuba Diving Handbook
    Published by The Athletic Institute. 
    Comment from internet - 
    It does not have a date.  If I had to guess by the clothing worn in the pictures I would say 1950's.
    NOTE: Cayford is not mentioned on cover nor on title page. Not sure how I came to be informed that this was by Cayford. Title page shows 'Professionlal Underwater Consultants', as: Gustav Della Valle, Benjamin S. Holderness, Charles M. Smithline, Arthur Stanfield, Harry Vetter. (Info courtesy Bob.Bamford, Canada - thankyou). See also below. Cayford also had published a softcover book of this title by Fawcett Publications.
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Published by The Athletic Institute. 
    Gustave Dalle Valle, Arthur Stanfield, Benjamin S. Holderness, Charles M. Smithline, Harry Vetnr.

    See above book by John Cayford, also, apparently, published by The Atheltic Institure. Perhaps a different edition. 
     
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING IN UNDERWATER EDUCATION
    A Training Text for Institutions of Higher Learning. 
    Albert A. Tillman, Assistant
    Professor of Recreation Education, Los Angeles State College. 
    Published by Wm. C. Brown Book Company, distributed by Scubapro, copyright 1962. 
    Oversize softcover, 149 pages.
    Training text for the underwater diver.
    Athletic Institute Series; 1963 (Third Printing),  128pp. Profusely illustrated with black and white photos on every page with instructions in the basics of diving techniques and equipment as they were in the 1960's. 
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Albert A. Tillman.
    Physical Education Activity Series. 
    Wm. C. Brown Company Publishers. Dubuque, Iowa. 1966.
    Library of Congress number 66-20673.
    A small booklet, square-back bound, 68 pages, mono drawings. 
    [ps]
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Action Books for Todays Young Adults.
    George X. Sand.
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVER.
    Lil Borgeson and Jack Speirs. 1966.  See Fawcett Publications.
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Richard Hardwick.
    Monarch 1963. (Paperback) 
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING.
    Donald Harper. 
    SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING - SCIENTIFIC PRINCIPLES AND TECHNIQUES - A STUDY GUIDE
    John L. Cramer, PhD. Bergwall Productionss, Inc. Garden City, New York. 1975.
    Softcover, sadlle stiched (stapled), nearly A4 size , drawings, charts, tables. 
    An aid to instruction - provides a number of questions over the subject matter mentioned in the title, with soace for students to wrote their answers. Provides the answers at the back of the book. Appenix includes a 'Medical History Record'; amd US Nany Decmpression tables.
    [ps]
    SKIN DIVING ANNUAL. 
    E.R. Cros. 1957.  See Trend publications.
    SKIN DIVING
    Simon Dresner. 
    Rand McNally and Company.1963 
    Paperback, 96 pages. 
    Contents include: Wonders of Skin Diving, Preparing for the Plunge, First Dives, Becoming an Expert Diver, Underwater Adventure and Future of Skin Diving.
    SKINDIVER HANDBOOK. 
    Lil Borgeson and Jack Speirs. 1960. See Trend publications.
    SKIN-DIVING ADVENTURES
    John J.Floherty and Mike McGrady
    Published 1962 by J.B.Lippincot Co, Philadelphia and New York. 
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 192 pages, mono photographs.
    The authors are professional writers, rather than divers, and they write of the sport and professional divers who take to the sea , including police divers, 'frogmen', maritime archaeologists, treasur hunters, and idiots who wrestle with octopii. 
    [ps]
    SKINDIVING MADE EASY FOR FUN AND PROFIT! 
    Gene Tinker. 1967. 
    Published by Petersen Publishing Co, Los Angeles. 1967. 
    A4 formatsoftcover 191 pages, mono prints and drawings. 
    They certainly packed a lot into this book. It is still a most radable book, mainly for its (now) historic content - eqyuipment tht is. The procedures are much the same. Covers wreck diving and underwater photography, underwater hunting - and how to make money diving.
    SPEARFISHING AND SKINDIVING ON THE FLORIDA REEFS
    Hope Root. 
    Published 1955.
    Appears to have been only 500 printed and is classed as a rare book in the USA.
    Hard coverof light grey/tan colour, no dust jacket. The bindings were very very poor quality; 94 pages, 16 cm tall X 11 cm wide
    Hope Root (a male) was known for his attempted world record dive - he made it to 700 feet but never surfaced. (The dive was covered in one of the US magazine "Look" or "Life" in 1954, published after his death, by his mother.) 
    Only 500 copies were published as I recall $3.95 or $4.95 each at the time. Thus now considered very rare therefore expensive and one of the holy grails of US spear fishing books.  One sold 'some years ago' for $600.00+ US dollars; more recently (late 2009) one was on offer for US $400.00.
    [SM details]
    SPORT DIVING
    The Instructional Guide to Skin and Scuba.
    Mort Walker.
    SUBMARINES, DIVING AND THE UNDERWATER WORLD: A BIBLIOGRAPHY
    F.J. Anderson. 
    Archon Books, Hamden, Conn., USA. Date published: 1975. Hardcover, 8vo, 238 pp. 1,496 entries. 
    Expaned edition of the book Submarines, Submariners, Submarining, published in 1963.

    SUBMARINES, SUBMARINERS, SUBMARINING.
    F.J.Anderson.
    First published 1963, probably by Archon Books, Hamden, Conn., USA.
    Later updated and repinted in 1975 as
    Submarines, Diving and the Underwater World: A Bibliography
    THE ART OF THE AQUALUNG
    How to Swim and Explore Underwater.
    Robert Gruss.
    MacGibbon and Kee, New York. 

    Note: Not sure if this is American or British. 
    THE COLLIER QUICK AND EASY GUIDE TO SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    Robert Scharff. 
    Large trade softcover, 128 pages. Illustrated.
    Contents include: What Diving is All About,  Skin Diving,  The Physics and Physiology of Scuba Diving,   Scuba Diving, Diving Safety Rules and Rescue Procedures, Avoiding Underwater Hazards,  Spearfishing, Underwater Photography, Underwater Exploration.
    THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER
    Guy Gilpatric.
    First edition 1938. Dodd, Mead and Company. Second edition 1957, in conjunction with Skin Diver Magazine.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 182 pages, mono prints.
    Full REVIEWof this book on the Gilpatric page.
    Also published by John Lane The Bodley Head Ltd, London 1939. 
    The dust jacket, left, is from the 1957 edition. It is identical to the original edition except for the brief text above the author's name. 
    The 1938 text is: The new sport which combines fishing, hunting and submarine sightseeing.
    The 1957 text is: A new edition of the Skindiving Classic with an appreciative foreword by James Dugan  and up-to-date information on latest techniques and equipment. 
    [ps-1957]
    THE COMPLETE ILLUSTRATED GUIDE TO SNORKEL AND DEEP DIVING
    Owen Lee, 1st ed, 1963. 
    Hardcover, dustjacket.
    A very extensive treatment of scuba and snorkel diving. Twenty two chapters with numerous black and white photos and charts cover equipment, physics,
    instruction, communications, spearfishing, decompression, underwater photography and many other topics. Forward by Jaques Cousteau.
    [ps]
    THE COMPLETE MANUAL OF SKINDIVING. 
    A.P. Balder. 1968.
    The Macmillan Company, New York.
    Collier-Macmillan Ltd, London. 1968.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 302 pges, drawings, index. \
    [ps]
    THE COMPLETE UNDERWATER DIVING MANUAL
    N.O.A.A.

     

    .

    		 THE MAN WHO RODE SHARKS
    William R. Royal with Robert F. Burgess.
    Publisher: Dodd Mead & Company, July 1978
    Hardcover, blue cloth with silver blocking, dustjacket.
    Reprinted January 2000 as an Authors Guild Backinprint.com edition.
    Author: Robert F. Burgess & William R. Royal
    Note that Burgess gets front billing on cover this time, but relegated to "with" inside. 
    "William Royal with co-author Robert Burgess has written a very entertaining book on his diving experiences. From harpooning fish from a bridge during the Depression years in order to feed his then young family to his later diving exploits in the Pacific Islands when on US military service.
    Spearfishing, avoiding all manner of toothy marine life and blowing up coral heads to keep navigation channels clear were just some of his activities. No stranger to sharks, Royal found that by hanging on to certain sharks' tails during their live capture for cancer research he was saved from being bitten, hence the book's evocative title.  Scientific interests meant that he also participated in dives which explored prehistoric remains underwater, recovering numerous fossil bones and shark teeth in the ocean adjacent to Venice Beach and, in mineral springs, an Ice Age human skull amongst other bones in the cave system in the Florida Springs. It is one of those exciting books that seems to take you underwater with the author, a great read."
    THE SCIENCE OF
    SKIN AND SCUBA
    DIVING
    Editions on right:
    (from left)
    1st. Ed. reprint
    1959
    2nd, 1962
    3rd, 1968 [ps]
    4th, 1974 [ps]
    5th, 1980 [ps]    		 THE SCIENCE OF SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING
    'A project of the Conference for National Cooperation in Aquatics.'
    First published 1957, with revisions in 1962, 1968, 1974, 1980 and possibly later.
    Published by Association Press, New York. 
    The 4th annual meeting of a working group of enthusiasts at Yale University in 1954 resulted in the first edition, "the beginning of the history of this sport and science". 
    Varying number of pages, sizes. Not sure if all editions were released in both hard and soft cover. Illustrated contents include; basic requirements for scuba and skin diving, physics as related to diving, medical aspects and underwater physiology, fundamentals of compressed gasses as related to scuba, basicequiptment, skills, first aid, environment and marine life, planning a dive, plus a glossary and united states navy decompression guide.
    Of the early edition, "The Science of Skin and Scuba Diving: Adventuring with Safety Under Water", 319 pages with glossary of terms, and many illustrations, .there is an editorial committee listed, but each chapter is written by different authors. Chapter titles are (1) Basic Requirements for Skin and Scuba Diving. (2) Skin Diving. (3) Physics as Related to Diving. (4) Medical Aspects to Diving: Underwater Physiology. (5) Fundamentals of Compressed Gases as Related to Scuba. (6) Self-Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatus. (7) Environmental and Marine Life.(8) First Aid for Diving Accidents. (9) Skills of Skin and Scuba Diving. (10) Planning a Scuba Dive. (11) How to Organize a Diving Club.
    THE SCIENCE OF SKIN AND SCUBA DIVING: ADVENTURING WITH SAFETY UNDER WATER.
    Published by Association Press, 1959 revised second edition.
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 319 pages with glossary of terms, and many illustrations. 
    "A Project of the Conference for National Co-Operation in Aquatics" 

    THE SKIN DIVER
    Elgin Ciampi.
    Published 1960. The Ronald Press Company. New York. 1960.
    Hardcover, 316 pages, 295 mono photos, 33 line drawings, index, further reading.
    What a great book - how valuable this must have been to the recreational divers of the sixties - it contains a bit of everything. I must admit to have listed this in the European section initially, but Ciampi was, apparently, an American. 
    From the fly: For the expert here is a complete handbook of underwater skill and lore. It provides many new ideas for more effective skin-diving techniques, and a wealth of little-known facts about marine life. The chapters on spearfishing and marine life delve deeply into the biology, ecology, and behavioral characteristics of fish and other forms of sea life. There are tips on where to dive, the location of treasureand sunken ships, underwater archeology,and the many other possibilities for recreation, sport, and adventure.The result of picturing more than seventeenyears of skin-diving experience in waters from the Caribbean to the Mediterranean.
    On the author:  For more than 17 years Elgin Ciampi has been skindiving, photographing, and exploring underwater. He has spearflshed, sought pirate treasure, salvaged Spanish galleons, made movies and taken thousands of photographs of marine life and scenery the worldover - in the Caribbean, the Mediterranean, the waters of Hawaii, Florida, Bermuda, the Bahamas, and New England. In the summer of 1959 he participated as official photographer in the National Geographic - Smithsonian Institution - Edwin link archeologicalexploration expedition in Jamaican waters. As author, photographer, scientist, and member of the world-famous Explorers Club, Mr. Ciampi is a man of wide interests, all engagingly reflected in this book. He has made a special study of the behavior of sharks. His extensive knowledge of skin-diving techniques, underwater photography, and marine biology has been set forth in three books, numerous magazine articles, a regular column, motion pictures, and on radio and television. 
    Note: This is the first time I have seen a dust jacket that has been printed on the inside - in this instance, with a promotional list of books offered by the publisher. [ps]
    THE SKIN DIVER'S BIBLE
    An Indispensable Guide to Scuba and Snorkel Diving with more than 100 Photographs and Drawings.  Author: Owen Lee. Copyright 1963, 1968. Original publisher Doubleday, USA.
    First published in Great Britain 1969, Robert Hale, London. Softcover, 158 pages, mono photos.
    The British edition has a sticker on thee title page 'strongly recommending' British divers to use the RN tables in the BSAC Manual, rather than the tables listed in the book. 
    The back cover states that the author was a colleague of Jacques Cousteau, suggestive therefore of his credibility to write the book. It covers the usual history, equipment, physiology, learning to snorkel dive, learning to scuba ddive, diving hazards, deco tables. The book sold for US$1.95. Of some historic interest I suppose.
    Ebay description:
    Owen Lee, colleague of Jacques Cousteau and author of ‘The Complete Illustrated Guide to Snorkel and Deep Diving'. Covers how and where to learn skin diving; snorkel and scuba diving equipment; physiology of diving; techniques of  snorkel diving; techniques of scuba diving; safety instructions for use of underwater breathing apparatus; entering the water: dives and jumps; emergency measures; buddy
    breathing; blind diving at night or in murky water; diving hazards; underwater communications; tables for assuring underwater safety; diagnosis for treatment of diving acidents of all kinds; underwater photographic equipment; and underwater transportation. More than 100 photos and drawings.   [ps]
    THE SKIN DIVER'S TRAVEL GUIDE
    Gene Tinker.
    Pan Am's guide to snorkelling and scuba diving in Bermuda, the Bahamas, the caribbeana and the Mediterranean. 
    Doubleday & Co,m New York. 1967. 
    Hardcover, dustjacket, 336 pages. 
    Part One concerns the Caribbean Islands, of course. Part Two is the Mediterranean. And thats it. 
    I guess Pan Am didn't want to stray too far from home.
    [ps]
    THE UNDERWATER WORLD
    A Complete Guide to Diving, Spearfishing, an Other Underwater Secrets.
    JohnTassos.
    Prentice-Hall, Inc. Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey. 1957.
    Library of Congress Number 57-5557. 
    First printing, March 1957. Second printing November 1960. Not sure if there were any further printings. 
    Hardcover, dust jacket, mono prints. 
    One of the more interesting of the early recreational diving books, high on skindiving and spearfishing, but enters the realm of the scuba diver, and closed-circuit systems. 
    .
    		THE YOUNG SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE TO SKIN DIVING
    Joan and Van Ellman.
    First published 1961, Thomas Nelson & Sons, New York.
    Hardcover, dust jacket, 96 pages, mono photos throughout.
    Covers the beginnings of skin diving, the sport today, use of equipment, specimen collecting and preservation, spearfishing, clubs, treasure and the Unknown. Not a particularly inspiring book but nevertheless one of the early texts. Of limited historical value.
    [ps]
     
     

    The Young Sportsman's Guide to SKINDIVING
    A complete, step-by-step guide for the beginner including many hints and tips for the experienced diver.
    Van Ellman.
    Cornerstone Library, New York. 1967.
    This is an exact reprint of the above edition by Thomas Nelson & Sons.
    Softcover, booklet form, saddle-stiched, 96 pages. 
    [ps]

    See also below.
    THE YOUNG SPORTSMAN'S GUIDE TO SCUBA DIVING
    Van Elman
    Photographs by Joan Ellman.
    Thomas Nelson & Sons, New York. Second Printing 1963.
    Note that Joan Ellman's name does not appear on the dustjacket nor the title pages of this printing. Did they have words???
    I have not compared the text between the 1961 edition and this, but I would suggest that it is nearly identical - perhaps updated with more 'scuba' information. . 
    [cd]
    UNDERWATER - THE SKINDIVERS MANUAL. 
    Bill Barada. 1955. See Trend Books. 
    UNDERWATER HOLIDAYS
    UNDERWATER HUNTING; ITS TECHNIQUES AND ADVENTURES.
    Bill Barada.
    Doubleday, Garden City, N. Y.  Date Published: 1969 
    Hardcover.
    UNDERWATER SPORT
    Albert VanderKogel with Rex Lardner
    Henry Holt & Co. New York. 1955
    Hardcover, 188 pages, index, mono photographs, mono line drawings, apprendix.
    Chapters include: Initiation, Some Adjustmens, Guns ans Spears, The HBunt, Lungs and Other Equipment, The Paradoxical Sea, Dangers and Precautions, History, Some Applications, Underwater Photography, Where to Go.
    [ps-no dj]
    U.S.NAVY DIVING MANUAL
       

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