Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss

by Brad Matsen

In The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, Brad Matsen brings to vivid life the famous deep-sea expeditions of Otis Barton and William Beebe. Beebe was a very well-connected and internationally acclaimed naturalist, with the power to generate media attention. Barton was an engineer and heir to a considerable fortune, who had long dreamed of making his mark on the world as an adventurer. Together, Beebe and Barton would achieve what no one had done before--direct observation of life in the blackness of the abyss. Here, against the back drop of the depression, is their riveting tale.

Genres: Science, History, Nonfiction

340 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2005

Reviews

[Liz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I became interested, after watching footage of deep-sea creatures, in just how and when mankind managed to find its way to the deep ocean. This book describes the development of the first deep sea craft, and the strained relationship between the two men who built and used it together.

This book is quite informative and not bad at all, but it reads in places as if the author was struggling to write in the current breezy, personal pop-science style (see: Mary Roach). It has flow issues, since he keeps starting chapters with anecdotes and then having to back up for months or years to explain what had happened before. A more straightforward style might have suited this material better.

[Jayne Zanglein · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent book about William Beebe and Otis Barton's descent a half-mile into the ocean in a bathysphere in 1934. It explores the volatile relationship between the men and gives the reader an excellent idea of how dangerous the dive was. About half of their descents were fraught with dangers, ranging from leaks and fires, to snapped ropes.

[Kim Zinkowski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting story of two adventurous and brave men and their associates. Recommended if one has any interest in exploration and adventure!

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

For anyone who loves PBS specials about deep submersibles, or who wants to go down in a sub themselves, this book is a must. The description of the bathysphere, how small it was, the open trays of chemicals they had to use to scrub the air, is enough to make your hair stand up. Imagining crawling into that thing, and saying "go ahead, drop me a mile down, let's see what happens" just freaks me out. It's a little slow in some places, and you never quite figure out how these guys managed to pay for all this stuff, but the descriptions of what it was like to be in that first sphere lowered past the point where light penetrates, is gripping.

[Bob · Rating 4 out of 5]

The story of Wm Beebe and Otis Barton, who made several first-ever dives into the deep ocean. They went to a depth of 3000 feet and lived through each dive. This was in the 1930's and their chances of successfully diving that deep were remote, but they did so by a combination of good engineering, careful planning and plenty of good luck.

[bermudianabroad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gets bogged down in the technical aspects, makes some distracting stylistic choices which screws the pacing over, but it's hard to royally fuck up such a fascinating subject as this. Matsen's strengths lie in his descriptions of the dives themselves. Very vivid and enjoyable.

[Regan Gawan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historical read

Informative book about the early days of diving. Interesting to learn about the history and the passion inspired bravery of Beebe and Barton. Pioneers in the ocean exploration field.