Open this book and you'll plunge five miles below the surface of the sea into a realm inhabited by living creatures that strain the bounds of credibility. Richard Ellis recounts stories of exploration of the deep sea and brings us face-to-face with these unexpected efflorescences of evolution. Richard Ellis is one of America's most celebrated marine artists and writers. His paintings have been shown around the world and his books include The Book of Whales, The Book of Sharks, Men and Whales, Monsters of the Sea, and The Search for the Giant Squid. He lives in New York City.

Ellis has written another fascinating account of the exploration of the last frontier on Earth: the bottom of the sea.--Library Journal

The author brings to bear a scientist's knack for detail, an explorer's capacious experience and a writer's instinct for the truly curious.....Los Angeles Times

Ellis....is both historian and poet of the ocean, combining erudition with passion and accuracy with imagination....Booklist

A valuable contribution not only to the public at large but to the scientific community--a fascinating account of the exploration and discovery of a world that few know about and even fewer have seen firsthand.....Robert D Ballard, London times

Both text and the many white-on-black illustrations provide an illuminating introduction to Earth's last frontier.--Publishers Weekly

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The real problem with the book though, is as a book of popular science, it is full of inaccuracies, mistakes, and contradictions. Among others, he writes red light has higher frequency than blue, when it is the other way around. There are many others like this, not really deep mistakes, but simples ones that should have been easily found. It seems the book was simply sloppily, superficially researched, and not carefully written and edited at all.

For a much better popular book, try William Broad's "The Universe Below".

cover to cover for a non-fiction bookOct 30, 2001
I would truly love to meet Richard Ellis, the author of this book. He has produced a very eclectic bibliography on life in the sea. I understand that he began his career as an artist and all of his books are beautifully illustrated. This one in particular makes liberal use of scratchboard art which does a fine job of bringing the creatures of the abyss to life. The first section deals with the history of deep ocean exploration. I found it particularly interesting. Proceeding sections deal with the myriad of ocean geology and biology topics. Ellis' treatment of these subjects is effective, particularly for the person with interest but a less than advanced background in science. I don't think you will find all the information here in another single source. Ellis, if not a marine scientist, shows a mastery of research and bringing his topic together. Some of the information is a bit disjointed but all in all a very good read.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

More Good Stuff From EllisJun 20, 2001
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.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:

Great yet somewhat confusing book.Nov 23, 2000
After spending time doing my own studies on the subject it was very nice to read a book by someone so respected in the field and get some new and wonderful info. This book is filled front to back with countless accounts and drawings of deep-sea beasts. However, his use of examples and the way in which he quotes some of his sources can easily draw you away from what the current topic is and blur the overall vision of the book. I would strongly suggest this book to anyone who is in the least bit intrested by this subject.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

Fascinating subject! Beautiful Illustrations!Jul 04, 2000
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!