Book Description
In this riveting true adventure tale and informative guide to the sea, master storyteller Peter Benchley drew on more than four decades of diving experience to bring us face-to-face with the array of sharks and other marine animals he and his family encountered, almost always on purpose—but sometimes by accident.
Customer Reviews:
Shark Life is cool!.......2006-11-06
Shark Life is a good book for anyone that likes sharks.
Peter Benchley is a diver who studys sharks and other sea creatures.
He talks about the different types of sharks and how they live in the
sea. He also talks about Moray eels,Blue fish,Barracuda,and other creatures. He says it is important to keep a healthy habbitat for sharks.
I think this book is the best!
Eye to Eye with a killer shark.......2006-06-06
Take a plunge into the sea with Peter Benchly! This eye opening book shows the encounters this author has had with all kinds of different sharks all around the world you will encounter. Killer Sharks, like the Tiger sharkof compleatly harmless sharks like a Whale shark. Peter Benchly has been through it all. This book makes you feel like you are in the clear waters swimming right next to a shark. Find out what happens to him as he spends his life in the water with sharks and other kinds of sea creatures, in this amazing book of different kinds of sharks!
Richie's Picks: SHARK LIFE.......2006-05-31
SHARK LIfe is exceptionally entertaining and enlightening nonfiction for young adults. Benchley (the author of JAWS) moves back and forth between recounting his own heart-stopping adventures in the sea (sometimes purposely swimming with sharks and other deadly creatures, sometimes accidentally encountering them), and his simple and clear explanations of how man's interference with the balance of the world's oceans has already resulted in some dying regions. He cautions how further degradation of the seas will eventually threaten man's existence on the planet.
Shark life, true stories about sharks and the sea.......2006-05-15
I LOVE this book, The stories are AMAZING! I love manta rays and great white sharks.
Shark Life, True stories about sharks and the sea.......2006-05-14
It is one of my favorite books, the stories are AMAZING! I love Manta Rays.
Book Description
While sailing alone one night in the shipping lanes across one of the busiest waterways in the world, John Burnett was attacked by pirates. Through sheer ingenuity and a little bit of luck, he survived, and his shocking firsthand experience became the inspiration for Dangerous Waters.
Today's breed of pirates are not the colorful cutthroats painted by the history books. Unlike the romantic images from yesteryear of Captain Hook, Long John Silver, and Blackbeard, modern pirates can be local seamen looking for a quick score, highly trained guerrillas, rogue military units, or former seafarers recruited by sophisticated crime organizations.
Including new, up-to-date information for the paperback edition, Dangerous Waters is both a dauntless investigation and an epic, breathtaking modern tale of the sea.
Customer Reviews:
Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy and Terror on the High Seas.......2007-05-30
Excellent book on the subject of piracy. Having been overrun by pirates myself in the South China Sea, I was extremely happy with John Burnett's story of this on going problem. I would highly recommend this book to anyone.
Not Too Impressed.......2007-02-03
First off I have to say that I learned a lot more about modern piracy on the high seas than I ever knew before. This issue is something that needs to be dealt with before it becomes a thorn in the side of our world trade. I must add though, that this book is so redundant that it feels as if you are reading the same page over and over again throughout each chapter. I was not impressed and it DID NOT keep me on the edge of my seat. Bottom line here is that yes I learned something new, but my time could have been better spent with another book or learning something else.
An enlightening page turner!.......2006-09-13
John Burnett is cleary a journalist at the top of his game, and this book is no exception. He sheds a bright light on a huge problem we all have, not just those of us who go to sea. Not only does modern piracy pose a threat to the lives of everyone who ventures into any waters where the US Coast Guard is not there to protect us, but it also threatens our worldwide economy possibly on a scale greater than 9/11 did. Not to mention the environment.
I strongly advise everyone to read this book, and I'm sure you'll enjoy it as you learn more than you thought you ever would about modern piracy!
A fascinating book, and a scary one with oil at $70/barrel.......2006-04-29
Here's a little food for thought from this enlightening, thought- and emotion-provoking book:
The latest Very Large Crude Carriers, even larger than our stereotypical ideas of a supertanker, are easier to rob than a semi. Probably easier to hijack, too. Certainly, in the case of terrorirsts, easier to hijack than a passenger jet.
How easy? It happens regularly now, and it takes less than 20 pirates to take over a supertanker. Why don't we hear about it more? Big oil companies and shippers don't want to report it for two reasons. One, they're afraid of driving up insurance rates; two, they're afraid of showing how vulnerable they really are.
Now, courtesy of further information in this book, let's think about a possible hijack.
One deliberately wrecked VLCC or supertanker would shut down the Straits of Malacca and cripple much of Asia's, and the world's, economy. Oil ships both east and west here, with Indonesia a major, OPEC producer and Japan and China to the north and northeast, India to the west, and Australia to both southeast and southwest, all major importers.
With Muslim fundamentalists in Indonesia, and Sumatran separatists, alongside of a crumbing post-Suharto nation, this is a flashpoint, anyway... not to mention organized crime here and in the South China Sea, plus Abu Sayaf in the Philippines.
Supertankers aren't the only ships that could be hijacked, though. Burnett talks about ships that are already hijacked, not for their cargo, but in and of themselves for reuse, after suitable "chop shop" work.
This is a great book to learn a lot about modern shipping, and to get a huge wake-up call about the seriousness of modern piracy.
Gripping account of modern-day piracy.......2006-02-19
Burnett writes a gripping and suspensful account of modern-day piracy. I appreciate how in-depth he gets about VLCC's and pirates tactics to board those ships. This is a great book and so much more in-depth than "The Outlaw Sea". Kudos to John Burnett for including his own experience with pirates in this excellent book.
Amazon.com
The Southern Ocean is the sailor's Everest. These are unquestionably the most dangerous waters in the world: hurricane infested, frigid, wholly unpredictable, and so remote, according to Derek Lundy, that "only a few astronauts have ever been further from land than a person on a vessel in that position." Encircling Antarctica, this fearsome body of water has terrorized sailors and wrecked the ablest of ships throughout maritime history. Imagine, then, a round-the-world, single-handed sailing race of the most extreme kind--no stopping, no assistance--requiring each lone sailor to spend half the total race distance (roughly 13,000 miles) fighting this nightmarish, merciless sea.
The race is the Vendee Globe, and The Godforsaken Sea is the story of the 1996-1997 competition. Fourteen men and two women began the race in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. Six officially finished; three were wrecked and rescued; one sailor performed emergency surgery on himself mid-race; one perished. This is high adventure of the most gripping, perilous sort, demanding a tightly controlled, suspenseful narrative: "Visualize a never-ending series of five- or six-story buildings, with sloping sides of various angles ... moving towards [the sailors] at forty miles an hour. Some of the time, the top one or two stories will collapse on top of them." But Lundy delivers more, weaving a superior fabric of psychology and physics, action and reflection. Even the utter novice will emerge understanding the architecture of racing vessels, the evolution of storms, the physical and psychological courage required to survive five-and-a half months battling the ocean alone.
Sailing aficionados may already believe that the Vendee Globe is the pinnacle of extreme sports. With Lundy's help, armchair adventurers can dig in and hang on for the ride. --Svenja Soldovieri
Book Description
"The best book ever written about the terrifying business of single-handed sailing--. Lundy tells a harrowing tale, as tight and gripping as
The Perfect Storm or
Into Thin Air."--San Francisco Chronicle
A chilling account of the world's most dangerous sailing race, the Vendée Globe,
Godforsaken Sea is at once a hair-raising adventure story, a graceful evocation of the sailing life, and a thoughtful meditation on danger and those who seek it.
This is the story of the 1996-1997 Vendée Globe, a solo sailing race that binds its competitors to just a few, cruelly simple rules: around the world from France by way of Antarctica, no help, no stopping, one boat, one sailor. The majority of the race takes place in the Southern Ocean, where icebergs and gale-force winds are a constant threat, and the waves build to almost unimaginable heights. As author Derek Lundy puts it: "try to visualize a never-ending series of five- or six-story buildings moving toward you at about forty miles an hour."
The experiences of the racers reveal the spirit of the men and women who push themselves to the limits of human endeavor--even if it means never returning home. You'll meet the gallant Brit who beats miles back through the worst seas to save a fellow racer, the sailing veteran who calmly smokes cigarette after cigarette as his boat capsizes, and the Canadian who, hours before he disappears forever, dispatches this message: "If you drag things out too long here, you're sure to come to grief."
Derek Lundy elevates the story of one race into an appreciation of those thrill-seekers who embody the most heroic and eccentric aspects of the human condition.
Customer Reviews:
Godforsaken Sea.......2007-10-18
Godforsaken Sea is one of the best books I have ever read, particularly as I have sailed in the storm that wrecked the Fastnet race in 1995 so have some idea of what the single handed commpetors sailing round the Antartic endured.They were surfing down waves 30 meters high under full sail at 40 knots and if this was not enough had to gibe a 200 square Meter spinnaker at night without any help. Moreover it was not safe on deck so this is a stupendous feat.They could lose a rudder from flotsam and had to do all repairs to rigging alone.It is a pity that the paper-back edition does not have the photographs
A Thorough Dissection of An Amazing Race.......2007-06-18
This book hovers between the thrill of reading an exciting story about life and death situations during solo sailing on the open ocean and the tedium of absorbing a barrage of information about the world of sail racing. Still, Derek Lundy manages this balance with reasonable skill. The story is well researched and the writing is competent, if at times a bit heavy. My only real complaint is that the flow of information could have been better organized to make it easier for the reader to keep track of the characters and their constantly changing status during the race. Well worth the read if you have any interest in stories about people who risk their comfort and their lives to endure and survive earth's most challenging environments.
Often thrilling, informative.......2006-12-11
However disjointed, this story still excites and intrigues. I found myself staying up late to finish chapters and search the internet for more about the Vendee Globe boats and racers. I was fascinated by the racers' skill and courage as they faced life-and-death situations. Like another reviewer, I think I saw the method to the author's style, which provided narrative to create interest mixed with backstory and more technical data to give the narrative context. Although not seamless, I think the it works pretty well. Also, the story would not have been as compelling without that context.
Or: How The French Seem To Do Everything Just A Little Bit Better........2006-08-01
The old adage "Don't judge a book by it's cover" is usually a good one, but the fact that the art director of GODFORSAKEN SEA actually used the exact same cover photo as Pete Goss's CLOSE TO THE WIND is an indication of what a supernumerary book this really is.
Derek Lundy is an (Anglo?-) Canadian attorney-turned-sailor-turned-author. He has some recreational blue water cruising experience. He is the most rabid Francophile I have ever come across (frankly, that alone would cost him a star with most reviewers). He describes GODFORSAKEN SEA as "the story of the Vendee Globe and Gerry Roufs" but it isn't. That's one of the problems with GODFORSAKEN SEA: Lundy isn't ever quite certain what this book is about, and so he hopscotches from one topic to another and back again like a frantic capuchin monkey.
If it were the story of Gerry Roufs (the only Canadian entrant in the 1996-97 Globe Vendee, and the only sailor to lose his life), GODFORSAKEN SEA would be a fine book. Lundy clearly identifies with Roufs, a (French-) Canadian attorney-turned sailor, rather like himself. Still, we find out relatively little about Roufs, his life, or his boat. Roufs may have disappeared in a gale, but he was a human being, never a cypher; he had a full life, which Lundy does poorly in reporting, and it's a shame, because GODFORSAKEN SEA could have been a fine memorial to the man.
Lundy's attempts to draw parallels between the squalls he's sailed through and the hundred foot waves and hurricane winds of the Southern Ocean are sincere attempts to identify with the solo circumnavigators of the Vendee on some level. They may seem silly but they're forgivable.
What isn't forgivable is Lundy's chaotic approach to the story. One minute he is mourning Gerry Roufs, the next he is singing the praises of each of the French entrants, then afterward he warns us perseveratively about the nasty conditions of the Southern Ocean. He takes a breath to discuss racing yacht design, and then he is reminiscing about his sailing experiences. A few asides are thrown in about the entrants' earlier sailing experiences, and he's back to weatherfax technology, Bordeaux wine or straightforward (but incomplete) race reportage: All this, over and over and over.
GODFORSAKEN SEA is in desperate need of an editor, but editing probably would have reduced this book to a third of it's 272 pages, making it less marketable. As it stands, GODFORSAKEN SEA isn't quite Godforsaken; but it sure could use a prayer or two. Pete Goss's CLOSE TO THE WIND is a better written book about the same Globe Vendee, and if it focuses on Goss more exclusively, at least it isn't suffering from literary Attention Deficit Disorder.
TWO AND A HALF STARS: All based on the innate quality of the story of the 1996-97 Globe Vendee.
Gets Better as She Goes!.......2006-06-09
After reading the Fastnet and Sydney-Hoburt race, I felt this book was a little too detailed and lathargic in the beginning. But as the story progressed, you saw the method to the author's madness. He was only setting the stage for what was about to come in the Southern Ocean. I learned a great deal about the history and the importance of the Vendee Globe to people all over the world. Reading about the trials of just preparing and getting the funding to participate in the Vendee Globe, can be a lifetime acheivement for some of these sailors. With every page you turn, the book picks up more and more steam; until you don't want to turn out the lights and go to bed. I will forever be a follower of the Vendee Globe after reading this book. It was one of the most informative sailing books I have ever read. A real tribute to those sailors who risk their lives in the Southern Ocean and continue to beat the odds!
Book Description
Optioned by Columbia for a major motion picture, this new who-dunit continues the popular series. It features one of the most perfectly mismatched pairs of sleuths in British mystery fiction: the aristocratic Lord Edward Corinth and left-wing journalist Verity Browne. In a lively new adventure, Verity finds herself, despite her communist sympathies, traveling in a first-class cabin of the elegant, luxuriously appointed RMS Queen Mary. And not Edward Corinth but the handsome and charismatic Sam Forrest, an American labor-union organizer, occupies the quarters next door. However, Corinth is on board—at the behest of the eminent British economist Lord Benyon, who has scheduled a top-secret meeting regarding his country’s rearmament with President Roosevelt in the United States. Only the secret is out, and someone wants Lord Benyon out of the way. But it’s U.S. Senator George Earle Day who turns up dead. An inflammatory right-wing racist, Day has managed to make many enemies among the ship’s passengers, most notably the politically controversial black American singer and actor Warren Fairley, his Hollywood starlet wife, a leading German-Jewish aeronautical engineer, a charming American socialite of dubious pedigree, and an effete English art dealer whose curiosity is outstripped by his deceit.
Customer Reviews:
Mystrey Maven.......2006-03-15
I am hooked on this series by David Roberts. I love the characters and the story lines - there are several - are engaging and challenging. I'd recommend all the Lord Corinth/Verity Browne mysteries to fans of Hercule, Jane and even Morse!
How dumb.......2004-06-13
The book is set in 1936 and paints a great picture of life on board the Queen Mary. Everything was fine until the last few pages when the ship arrives in NY and sails under the Verrazano Bridge. Say what? The bridge opened in 1965. You have to wonder how much of the "facts" of Queen Mary and shipboard life were made up. I find it horrible that the author made such a blunder with the real facts. Completely ruined the book for me
It's all about the ship.......2004-05-25
The action in this mystery novel takes place on the maiden voyage of the liner Queen Mary, and the most interesting aspect of the book is the information that the writer provides about the ship. This is lucky because he frequently interrupts the action to take the reader on a tour of the kitchens or some other part of the naval architecture.
Otherwise I found this book boring. There's lots of action, mind you, and at stake is nothing less that the future of the western world prior to World War Two. There are characters from the highest ranks of Britain (the detective is a Lord) and Hollywood. There's lots of action, with a violent storm at sea (get the symbolism? huh?) and dead bodies all over.
I won't reveal the plot because I've forgotten it already, but as you may have guessed the western world was saved by the strength and sagacity of Milord. We are truly fortunate that the British aristocracy has produced so many fine detectives.
Sleuths, a Boat Load of Suspects and a Killer. All Aboard!.......2003-11-29
It's 1937, spring and the Queen Mary is crossing the atlantic, bound for the United States. Aboard is British economist Lord Benyon whose on a mission from his government to convince President Roosevelt to give Great Britain money and arms in preparation for a possible war with Germany.
Lord Edward Corinth, younger brother of the Duke of Mersham, has been asked to keep a discrete eye on Benyon, in other words to act as his unofficial body guard, as Special Branch has learned that there are forces that want to prevent Benyon from completing his mission and that they'll stop at nothing. Of course Corinth has Verity Browne on board with him, his detective sidekick from Robert's past three novels (SWEET POISON, HOLLOW CROWN and BONES OF THE BURIED) and she is the real star of the show in my opinion.
The first body is found hanging in the cold storage, very naked. The second is a rabid anti-communist, raciest American senator from South Carolina. And now we have a mystery with a boat load of first class suspects, one of whom is most definitely a killer, and is Lord Benyon still in danger? What do you think?
DANGEROUS SEA had me guessing and re-guessing as I eagerly read through the pages. Lord Benyon was sufficiently quirky with his Shakespearian and Biblical quotes, among others and Verity Browne is the kind of character that gets better with each book and this wonderful mystery gets five stars from me.
Reviewed by Vesta Irene
Book Description
There are dangers in the seas around us, but this book can make water activities safer and more enjoyable. Learn how to avoid dangerous creatures—and how to administer first aid just in case you are unable to avoid them.
There are sections on:
• species that bite: sharks, barracuda, moray eels, fishes, alligators and crocodiles, octopi, and sea lice
• species that sting: jellyfish, stingrays, fire worms, fire coral, cone shells, sea urchins, and bony fishes
• species dangerous to eat: from cholera, paralytic shellfish poisoning, red tide, parasites, and ciguatera
• pests that harm swimmers: various algae, bacteria, and parasites
• toxic mucus-secreting species: sponges, fishes, and marine toads
• fish beak and processing injuries: flying fish, billfish, swordfish, and shark skin
• human/animal interactions at modern tourist attractions
Customer Reviews:
A thoroughly 'user friendly' guide.......2007-02-03
The collaborative work of Edwin S. Iversen (Professor of Marine Science at the University of Miami Rosentiel School of Marine and Atomospheric Science for 37 years) and Renate H. Skinner (who earned her Ph.D in biological oceanography as a student of Dr. Iversen and ultimately became a district biologist for the State of Florida in Key Largo), "Dangerous Sea Life Of The West Atlantic, Caribbean, And Cult Of Mexico" is a compendium of toxic and otherwise dangerous sea creatures, each of which is superbly illustrated with color photography. These dangerous creatures are organized into sections showcasing species that bit, species that sting, species dangerous to eat, pest that harm swimmers, toxic mucus-secreting species, fish beak and processing injuries, and a very special section on human/animal interactions at modern tourist attractions such as Sea World. "Dangerous Sea Life" is an essential, strongly recommended reference, not just because of its identifications and descriptions, but also because is services as a thoroughly 'user friendly' guide to accident prevention and first aid when coming into contact with them. Anyone who uses the waters of the West Atlantic, the Caribbean, and/or the Gulf of Mexico for recreational, professional, or educational purposes should obtain and keep handy their very own copy of "Dangerous Sea Life".
Average customer rating:
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Most dangerous sea, (A Ballantine Bal-hi book)
Arnold S Lott
Manufacturer: Ballantine Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Unknown Binding
 World War I
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| Korean War
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
General
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
Naval
| World War II
| Military
| History
| Subjects
| Books
ASIN: B0007GSNTC |
Customer Reviews:
Great read!.......2007-09-02
This book is a great add-on, if you are a fan of the deadliest catch on the discovery channel. It gives a true account of how the crab boom started and the crazy amount of money you could make in just a 29 day season. I really enjoyed this book and would recomend it to anyone who likes to read about adventure situations.
Sincere and full of insight.......2007-08-28
I literally devoured the book. If you love the sea, and had some experience with it, it will be very easy to fully understand the powers that these people where facing. The story shows in a very plain manner the continuous struggle of mankind in order to take advantage of the earth's resources. It shows many aspects of human nature: Love for the sea. Thirst for adventure and freedom. GREED, and what men can face in order to satisfy it. And (something that people who have been in the sea for a while completely understand), the incredibly simple and strong relationship that develops between crewmates.
I enjoyed very much reading this book
Working on the Edge (crab fishing).......2007-08-20
I bought this book for my husband because he loves the tv show - actually, so do I! Anyway, he loved the book and is already asking me when I am going to order him more Spike Walker books. By the way, my husband doesn't usually like to read so I was particularly impressed that he liked this book.
Working on the Edge - a review.......2007-07-23
This book about Alaskan crab fishing is somewhat dated, but it gives a wonderful first-hand account of what crab fishing was like 20 + years ago.
Solid.......2007-07-23
This book offers its reader the opportunity to experience the life an Alaskan crabber at a slightly more in-depth level than just "Deadliest Catch." It is a narrative that sequencely takes you through the exciting "glory days" of the crab industry. The book is full of interesting facts and insights; however, the style flows like a suspense as you await each amazing event of these true stories.
Book Description
From the team that created the award-winning The Truth about Great White Sharks comes an exciting and informative new book with up-to-date facts and awe-inspiring photographs. Look at some of the underwater world's most fearsome creatures including giant squid, sharks, stingrays, sea snakes, barracuda and other animals that lurk in the ocean. Discover:
- which fish is big enough to swallow a human being whole.
- why some sea creatures are as dangerous dead as alive.
- which animal divers fear the most.
- how to treat a sting from a venomous sea creature.
- which sharks attack people and why.
Average customer rating:
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Sharks and Other Dangerous Sea Creatures
Idaz Greenberg , and
Jerry Greenberg
Manufacturer: Seahawk Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Pamphlet
Marine Life
| Oceans & Seas
| Nature & Ecology
| Science
| Subjects
| Books
Reference
| Outdoors & Nature
| Subjects
| Books
jp-unknown2
| Specialty Stores
| Books
ASIN: 0913008095 |
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