Deep-Sea Reading List

I have finally gotten around to creating a list of deep-sea themed books, with some others thrown in at Amazon. Some of you will recognize a handful of the titles that have been reviewed here. Others will be new. As I find new books, and feel free to recommend some, I will post here noting I updated the list. The list includes in no certain order:

1. Deep-Sea Biology: A Natural History of Organisms at the Deep-Sea Floor "The 'blue bible' of deep-sea biology. Despite it being 15 years old, still an authority. Great for the educated public, undergraduates, graduate students, and Ph.D.'s alike. First deep-sea book I ever read. I use this book weekly as a reference."

2. The Ecology of Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vents by Cindy Lee Van Dover "The Gage and Tyler (Blue Bible) of hydrothermal vents. Extremely accessible and well written. Everything you wanted to know about vents and some things you didn't. Mainly for the academic audience but accessible for the educated public."

3. The Octopus's Garden: Hydrothermal Vents and Other Mysteries of the Deep Sea (Helix Books) by Cindy Lee Van Dover "Cindy Lee's Van Dover's wonderful narrative on her life, exploring the deep sea, and piloting the Alvin. Wonderful insights that will increase the "deep-sea awe" in your life. Written for the public's consumption."

4. Fathoming the Ocean: The Discovery and Exploration of the Deep Sea by Helen M. Rozwadowski "A dense and comprehensive book covering the history of sounding the ocean depths. The information content makes the book a difficult read. Informative nonetheless."

5. The Biology of the Deep Ocean (Biology of Habitats) by Peter Herring "An additional reading to Gage and Tyler's Blue Bible. Covers physiology, behavior, and sex in more depth than the Blue Bible. Mainly for the academic audience but accessible enough that those wanting more details on deep-sea animals should read it."

6. The Environment of the Deep Sea (Rubey Volume ; 2) by W. G. Ernst "Purely an academic volume that includes individually authored chapters on the physical, chemical, and biological environments on the deep sea."

7. Deep-Ocean Journeys: Discovering New Life at the Bottom of the Sea (Helix Book) by Cindy Lee Van Dover "Another engaging book by Van Dover inspires passion about the biodiversity of the deep sea."

8. Civilization & the Limpet by Martin Wells "Not exactly deep sea but a wonderful book. The book is unabashedly Mollusc and physiology as Well's research is largely on the two. Each chapter is a stand-alone narrative utilizing Well's experience to discuss adaptations in marine organisms and instill passion for the ocean. The book, geared for the public, possesses nuggets of wisdom even for well-read experts."

9. Way Down Deep in the Deep Blue Sea by Jan Peck "From KZ...This is a book that is well illustrated & the pictures are vivid, use primary colors, shapes are well-outlined, & most importantly its not too busy or distracting. The story is set to verse. Peck repeats the creature's names in several sentences that encourages learning to associate the image with the name."

10. I'm The Biggest Thing in the Ocean by Kevin Sherry "From KZ...This is the tale of an arrogant giant squid who points out to everything in the ocean that it is the biggest thing! Well, that might not necessarily be true... Sherry puts together a fun book with good artwork. Sherry uses large, simple shapes and objects and primary colors, great for holding a toddler attention."

11. The Silent Deep: The Discovery, Ecology, and Conservation of the Deep Sea by Tony Koslow "Koslow's book provides an update to the Blue Bible but also heads in new directions The first section is amazing & provides a historical portrait of the field. The final section on conservation is insightful, timely, & enriched from Koslow's central role in conservation. The writing is accessible & the first person accounts throughout the text provide an interesting change from other works."

12. The Deep: The Extraordinary Creatures of the Abyss by Claire Nouvian "This is perhaps the most stunning book to grace this planet with cover-to-cover photographs of stunning deep-sea creatures . The volume is 12x10 inches and the high-res photos on superb glossy paper are equally large. The reader will be hard pressed to find a neglected organism. Dispersed amongst the photographs are insightful essays by some of the world's leading deep-sea experts."

13. Animals of the Ocean, in Particular the Giant Squid (How) by Doris Haggis-on-Whey "Nothing in this book is true, or comes remotely close to it, & that is why it is so funny. The book contains useful sections including Am I Being Eaten? that allows you to assess your current situation. The wonderful artwork, including the cover, that permeate the book are exceptional. You should definitely buy the book."

14. The Deep-Sea Floor by Sneed B. Collard "I can't talk up this book enough. The illustrations by Wenzel are exceptional. The book provides many details without being heavy & covers biology, geology, & technology. The language is direct & clear. I am amazed that a book of merely 29 pages can pack so much information in. Even if your child has no interest in science or the oceans, I think this book would likely capture their attention."

15. The Search for the Giant Squid: The Biology and Mythology of the World's Most Elusive Sea Creature by Richard Ellis "Ellis is a masterful story teller. The book covers all giant squid from historical accounts of Kraken attacks to the basic biology of giant squid. An engaging must read quickly consumed in a weekend."

16. Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss by Bradford Matsen "The story of Beebe and Barton's of the events surrounding the Bathysphere dives. The book is well researched and provides both the heroic and non-heroic that allowed these two men to climb into a hollow sphere and descend deeper than any other human at the time."

17. Half mile down by William Beebe "Beebe describes his and Otis Barton's 1934 descent to 3,028 feet off Bermuda. To reach this depth the two placed themselves into a self-designed 4,500lb sphere about five feet in diameter raised and lowered from a ship by a cable. The book is interlaced with wonderful illustrations of the organisms they observed."

18. Abyss: The deep sea and the creatures that live in it by Clarence P Idyll "Idyll covers in 1964 what was known of the deep sea. Much of the work covers deep-sea animals, the bizarre and grotesque, with a chapter wholly dedicated to sea monsters."

19. The History of American Deep Submersible Operations by Will Forman "Will Forman's book is an essential reference for those interested in submersibles. This book is an absolute favorite on my shelf. The Turtle, Alvin, Trieste, Sea Cliff, NR-1, Mystic, and others are covered. History and technological aspects are complimented with photos and illustrations."

20. Song for the Blue Ocean: Encounters Along the World's Coasts and Beneath the Seas by Carl Safina "Safina's experience as a scientist and a conservationist yield the most thoughtful marine conservation book yet produced. He simultaneously writes about his passion for conservation but is concern for the fisherman and cultures threatened as well. He truthful discusses when fisherman, scientists, nonprofits, and governments have failed and prospered."

21. Global Marine Biological Diversity: A Strategy For Building Conservation Into Decision Making by Elliott A. Norse "The every charismatic and passionate Elliot Norse of the Marine Biology Conservation Institute draws on his vast experience to discuss marine conservation. His book serves as an academic primer for those interested in this area. Norse discusses why we should conserve, how we are currently conserving, challenges to, and future recommendations."

22. The Universe Below : Discovering the Secrets of the Deep Sea by William Broad "Admittedly, I am only the first chapter in of my used copy of Broad's book. Undoubtedly, I am already hooked and finding a wealth of information. Definitely, a must add to the collection."

23. Deep-Sea Demersal Fish and Fisheries (Fish & Fisheries Series) by N.R. Merrett "Merrett and Haedrich are gods of deep-sea fish research. The two combine for a tour-de-force of every aspect (and I do mean every aspect) of all scaley and deep. For the academic audience, a wonderful reference for the shelf."