Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
You get far more than the title suggests, 5 Sep 2001
This was one of two books I purchased immediately prior to embarking on various Mediterranean assignments. At first glance, I was dismissive because the book was too general and not concerned with specific "dive sites." It was not, therefore, until I ran out of reading material on a long flight that I started to read this book and, although it is very technical and the translation from the original Italian quite heavy and tiresome in places, I am glad I did.
The Contents page reveals 6 different sections. Curiously, these are not divided into numbered chapters and certain headings are somewhat obscure. The book then seeks to explain every single physical, geological and historical aspect of the makeup of the Mediterranean - both ancient and modern, as a background to the detail of the flora and fauna suggested by the book's title.
Being so technical, it is only right that we should examine the qualifications of the author in order in order to determine the credibility of the content. Sadly there is no such information - not even a pen-picture or résumé about the person responsible for writing this technical tome. And there is the problem - we simplky do not know whether or not we can "trust" the information given!
In summary, beginning with Medieval paintings, the author then takes us back to the subject of Continental Drift and how the Mediterranean began to be formed over 200 million years ago. This is all supported by plenty of maps and diagrams (12 in the first 15 pages) showing every major stage of that development. Next is a map of the different seas which combine to make up the Mediterranean and another 14 pages of yet more maps showing finer detail. These are followed by more very technical descriptions (and yet more maps) covering a wide variety of subjects such as; the effects of wave action, salinity levels, circulation of currents at the surface, intermediate depths and even greater depths, filtration of sunlight and the effect on colours etc etc. Finally, we get to the flora and fauna.
Overall, the book is extremely thorough - in fact, overly so, and it has left me wondering if the information is as accurate as it should be. Apart from the two instances (book cover and page 5) where author Angelo Mojetta is mentioned and credited with writing the text, he receives no further mention in any capacity whatsoever. Nor is he credited with having taken any of the many excellent photographs.
In short, we have no idea whether this book is the work of someone who is an eminent expert in his field or not and that leaves a very large question mark over the entire content. Sadly, and equally unforgivable, the publishers have not seen fit to credit the source from which the right to reproduce those Mediaeval paintings was obtained, nor is there any form of bibliography whereby the published works of other people are credited as having been used in the considerable research which must have gone into the making of a book such as this.
A bit too technical for ordinary divers, it is difficult to see what market the book is aimed at. 3 stars retained for overall presentation, detail and photography. Two stars forfeited for failing to mention sources and for not telling us all about the Author - we really would like to know.
NM
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
You get far more than the title suggests., 19 Mar 2007
This was one of two books I purchased immediately prior to embarking on various Mediterranean assignments. At first glance, I was dismissive because the book was too general and not concerned with specific "dive sites." It was not, therefore, until I ran out of reading material on a long flight that I started to read this book and, although it is very technical and the translation from the original Italian quite heavy and tiresome in places, I am glad I did.
The Contents page reveals 6 different sections. Curiously, these are not divided into numbered chapters and certain headings are somewhat obscure. The book then seeks to explain every single physical, geological and historical aspect of the makeup of the Mediterranean - both ancient and modern, as a background to the detail of the flora and fauna suggested by the book's title.
Being so technical, it is only right that we should examine the qualifications of the author in order in order to determine the credibility of the content. Sadly there is no such information - not even a pen-picture or résumé about the person responsible for writing this technical tome. And there is the problem - we simplky do not know whether or not we can "trust" the information given!
In summary, beginning with Medieval paintings, the author then takes us back to the subject of Continental Drift and how the Mediterranean began to be formed over 200 million years ago. This is all supported by plenty of maps and diagrams (12 in the first 15 pages) showing every major stage of that development. Next is a map of the different seas which combine to make up the Mediterranean and another 14 pages of yet more maps showing finer detail. These are followed by more very technical descriptions (and yet more maps) covering a wide variety of subjects such as; the effects of wave action, salinity levels, circulation of currents at the surface, intermediate depths and even greater depths, filtration of sunlight and the effect on colours etc etc. Finally, we get to the flora and fauna.
Overall, the book is extremely thorough - in fact, overly so, and it has left me wondering if the information is as accurate as it should be. Apart from the two instances (book cover and page 5) where author Angelo Mojetta is mentioned and credited with writing the text, he receives no further mention in any capacity whatsoever. Nor is he credited with having taken any of the many excellent photographs.
In short, we have no idea whether this book is the work of someone who is an eminent expert in his field or not and that leaves a very large question mark over the entire content. Sadly, and equally unforgivable, the publishers have not seen fit to credit the source from which the right to reproduce those Mediaeval paintings was obtained, nor is there any form of bibliography whereby the published works of other people are credited as having been used in the considerable research which must have gone into the making of a book such as this.
A bit too technical for ordinary divers, it is difficult to see what market the book is aimed at. 3 stars retained for overall presentation, detail and photography. Two stars forfeited for failing to mention sources and for not telling us all about the Author - we really would like to know.
NM
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12 of 17 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
Poorly translated. Illustrations helpful but limited, 12 Jan 2001
By A Customer
A rather poor translation from Italian, so it is often hard to make sense of the text. Contains several good sketches illustrating marine creatures within each ecological zone of the underwater world. The marine life ID sketches at the end of the book are a little limited and not especially well drawn.
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by Lawson Wood
by Paul Sterry
