Deep Atlantic: Life, Death, and Exploration in the Abyss (Paperback)

~ (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Author of the acclaimed Monsters of the Deep and The Book of Whales, Ellis turns his attention here to the bottom of the sea?to the Atlantic floor. He reviews the history of deep-sea exploration from the 19th-century British Challenger expedition to William Beebe's bathysphere to modern submersibles, charting the various advances in technology. Ellis takes us on an imaginary submarine voyage across the bottom of the Atlantic, into its canyons and past the remains of the Titanic. Then he describes the strange and wonderful fauna of the depths, from luminescent sea cucumbers to giant squid (scientists have seen only parts of the animal, never an entire one) to cookie-cutter sharks and whales. Both text and the many white-on-black drawings by Ellis provide an illuminating introduction to Earth's last frontier. Illustrations.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

Ellis (Monsters of the Sea, LJ 11/1/94) has written another fascinating account of the exploration of the last frontier on Earth: the bottom of the sea. Using fiction, such as Jules Verne's Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, he describes our fascination with and imagining of the unknown ocean. He traces the history of Atlantic exploration from explorers' early voyages to the development of ever more sophisticated submarines and submersibles. Ellis is entertaining, as when he describes the ramming of Alvin by a swordfish. But descriptions of tragedy, such as the sinking of Sea-Link, provide a realistic balance to the continuing progress of exploration and seemingly unhampered development of vehicles that could go deeper for longer periods of time. The chapters on creatures of the deep are clear, accurate, and well written. Highly recommended for all general science collections.?Mary J. Nickum, Bozeman, Mont.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 416 pages
• Publisher: The Lyons Press; 1st edition (October 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1558216634
• ISBN-13: 978-1558216631
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6.8 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,779,427 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The text needed an editor, but how about those pictures, December 4, 1999

By	Hubcap (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews

Richard Ellis likes writing about the oceans. He's quite good at it. Unfortunately, Deep Atlantic reads like a cross between a series of magazine articles and a wildlife guide. It's interesting in its own way, but the book is hamstrung by poor editing. The topics are organized into chapters, true, but there's very little attempt to link the chapters into a coherent whole. Too many chapters degenerate into a dull listing of creatures: "and then there's this squid, which is like that other squid, but different from the next squid..." I'd give the text two stars at best. The book is saved by the wonderful drawings - over 100 - also done by Mr. Ellis. In fact, Deep Atlantic probably would have been better as a coffee-table book, with large drawings accompanied by bite-sized bits of prose describing the weird and wonderful creatures of the deep. But who'd buy a coffee-table book about sea cucumbers and creepy fanged fish? Apart from me, that is...

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating subject! Beautiful Illustrations!, July 3, 2000

By	Skye Davis (Denton, TX) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Deep Atlantic: Life, Death, and Exploration in the Abyss (Hardcover)

I've been fascinated by deep sea life ever since I was in Kindergarten, when my teacher showed me a picture of a Gulper Eel. This is also great book for sparking a similar interest in deep sea creatures, no matter what your age. The detailed illustrations draw you into the pitch-black world where these remarkable creatures reside. The text is precise and informative, however I found the author relied heavily on too many footnotes. This made reading seem "choppy," and took away from the overall flow. I found myself frequently getting lost referencing footnotes, and having to back up to re-read portions. But overall it's very informative, and the illustrations are absolutely gorgeous! Definately a conversation starter if left on the coffee table!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars More Good Stuff From Ellis, June 20, 2001

By	neilathotep (San Mateo, CA United States) - See all my reviews

I've enjoyed everything I've read by Ellis, and this is no exception. Like his other books, this one too seems to suffer from some mediocre editing, but the content more than makes up for it. The book is basically split into two sections, one describing the oceonography of the Atlantic Ocean, as well as a history of human exploration of the murky depths. The second section, which i found to be the more interesting of the two, is a broad survey of the animal life found in the deep areas of the Atlantic Ocean (and hence the title). I wish he was able to go into more detail about some of the bizarre and amazing animals that he discusses, and I wish that he could have included even more of his wonderful drawings, but despite those reservations, I still thought the book was great.