In Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, Brad Matsen brings to vivid life the famous deep-sea expeditions of Otis Barton and William Beebe. At a time when no one had traveled deeper than a few hundred feet, they took the world to a half mile down. At the height of the Depression, Beebe and Barton plumbed the depths of the ocean in nothing but a steel sphere, setting two records at once: it was also the first time a dramatic journey of discovery was broadcast live in America and Europe. Beebe was an internationally acclaimed naturalist when he became obsessed with oceanography. He had an oceanographic research station on Nonsuch Island off Bermuda and a tug that could launch the craft. Beebe also had the support of many of the most famous financiers and industrialists of the day, the ability to drum up publicity wherever he went, and connections at the New York Zoological Society and National Geographic. Barton was half Beebe’s age and heir to a considerable fortune, and had long dreamed of deep-sea exploration and making his mark on the world as an adventurer. Barton had the engineering skill to design the craft–his idea was simple, yet elegant: a steel sphere with thick portholes tethered to a support ship by a steel cable–and he had the wherewithal to build it. Together, Beebe and Barton would achieve what no one had done before–direct observation of life in the blackness of the abyss. But even as they achieved their greatest success, a bitter rift left the two explorers on barely more than speaking terms. In this vivid narrative history of scientific vision, courage, and adventure, Brad Matsen illuminates the dramatic achievements of Beebe and Barton against the backdrop of the great age of exploration, in a riveting tale of man and nature.

Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss

Science & Math

Matsen, Bradford

History & Philosophy

Pantheon

Describes the 1934 dive of a bathysphere, or "sphere of the deep," in which two explorers, William Beebe and Otia Barton, set the world depth record and saw mysterious creatures of the deep ocean.

The Incredible Record-Setting Deep-Sea Dive of the Bathysphere (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

Children's Books

Cars, Trains & Things That Go

Enslow Pub Inc

Describes the 1977 journey of the submersible ship Alvin, in which three explorers saw, for the first time, the strange marine life that dwells in hydrothermal vents and other mysteries of the deep sea.

The Incredible Submersible Alvin Discovers a Strange Deep-Sea World (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

Chronicles the Antarctic dive of Pat Iampietro and his team, discussing the journey to the Antarctic, the scientific reasons for the dive, and the actual dive and safety precautions the divers must take in this extreme climate.

An Extreme Dive Under the Antarctic Ice (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

Science, Nature & How It Works

Provides a comprehensive examination of the events that led to the sinking of the luxury liner Titanic in the Atlantic Ocean in 1912 as Dr. Robert Ballard pieces together the mystery surrounding the wreck that lays deep on the ocean floor.

The Incredible Quest to Find the Titanic (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

A group of deep-sea explorers takes readers on an adventure deep into the ocean to locate the elusive giant squid which has never been seen in its natural habitat.

The Incredible Hunt for the Giant Squid (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

Animals

Provides the story of the determined search of one man and his crew to locate the Spanish ship Atocha that sunk in 1622, one day after it set sail, with all its fantastic treasures of gold, silver, and jewels aboard.

The Incredible Search for the Treasure Ship Atocha (Incredible Deep-Sea Adventures)

An inspiring, enlightening, powerful book! Winner 1995 Pacific Northwest Booksellers Association Award, 1995 RMBPA Design Award

Reaching Home: Pacific Salmon, Pacific People

Fobes, Natalie

Jay, T. E.

Biological Sciences

Alaska Northwest Books

From the super-heated decade when fishing fleets turned king crab into fortunes, to the annual circus of Bristol Bay's monster salmon runs, to the bucolic life of the open-ocean trawler, the true stories in ""Fishing Up North"" carry the flavor of the modern fisherman's life and fortunes in the waters off Alaska. In ""Fishing Up North,"" you'll Find firsthand accounts of frightening weather, good fishing, terrible fishing, great days, and sweet living from the decks of crabbers, trawlers, longliners, trollers, and gillnetters.
Commercial fishing's home ports -- Dutch Harbor, Kodiak, Naknek, Cordova, Petersburg, Sitka, and Seattle -- are classic fishing towns, where docks bars, and even quiet living merge in colorful portraits about life on the last frontier.

Fishing Up North: Stories of Luck and Loss in Alaskan Waters

Sports & Outdoors

Hunting & Fishing

First published in 1991 by Alaska Northwest, this book introduced a new audience to the often edgy, always observant and colorful fish art made semi-famous by the T-shirts and cards hauled out of the Northwest by fans of this Ketchikan artist. The mysteries of the deep, the strange, the hideous and the wonderful all appear on the canvas and in the words of this highly original, wacky work. Full-color throughout.

Ray Troll's Shocking Fish Tales: Fish, Romance, and Death in Pictures

Arts & Photography

Troll, Ray

Graphic Design

Ten Speed Press+

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Matsen, Bradford. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Matsen, Bradford