Wow. This book is a beauty. And not just in the physical sense of the word. Of course it is a perfect coffee table book, but when it comes down to it, if anyone takes the time to actually browse through the pages with writing on and not just thumb through the amazing photography, they will find a wealth of information and concerns about the welfare of our planet, seas and its wildlife.
Nine different voices including Jean -Michel Cousteau, David Bellamy and Buzz Aldrin, cry out from the pages with their different views, experiences and expertise, all of which are poignant to our well being, and to the future of the world we live in.
This book has seven chapters that open our eyes to an old, essential, but undiscovered world. A world, which has existed right before our eyes, but one that few of us have or will ever be able to discover.
We are greeted at the beginning of the book by the eloquent voice of Valerie Taylor, whose concerns about the state of the planet are hard hitting but nevertheless honest and affective. The book then moves swiftly into the first chapter, which seems to follow on from the forward, reminding us of the fragility of our oceans and its inhabitants. From then on we embark upon a journey into the depths of the seas and learn, in detail from the nine different authors and scientists, about the different aspects of our seas. Chapters include the Coral Gardens that map the oceans, and how they are thought to be the real garden of Eden, the interesting World of Fish and their most private moments, Warm Blood, Cold Seas, mammals and how they are the largest inhabitants of the underwater world, The Great Explorers, a chapter which tells the tales of how man came to sail the seas, Life at the Poles and what manages to live there despite the permanent ice and freezing water, and finally from the well known Astronaut, Buzz Aldrin and co writer Julian Partridge, The Hidden Depths, a vast, dark, scary world, something that you and I may never see.
Each chapter is garnished with a beautiful array of stunning photographs, which look hand picked and none of them are to be recognised. Usually we are bombarded again and again by the typical underwater photos that have won many awards, but this book is filled with some of the most spectacular, unique photography; some of which looks so crisp and clear you want to touch the page just to check.
This book is an essential for anyone who cares about our planet and is interested in what goes on underneath the sea, and how they can make a change to preserve it; we need the water on this earth. After all, it does cover two thirds of the planet.
Definitely judge this book by its cover.
Read this book when you feel low, read it when you want to be reminded of what is past your four walls, but most of all, read this book over coffee, with a friend, and keep checking to see if those pictures are real
For more information on "The Blue" and how to buy this amazing and extremely limited edition book…goto to http://www.deeperblue.net/theblue
Hardcover – 200 pages (1999)
EM International Ltd; ISBN: 0953703207
