Book Review: Secrets of the Seas

There was a time when underwater photography was so difficult, there were few photographers good enough to publish coffee table books. Today, people buy a compact camera, a wide-angle wet lens and a strobe, and within a year are giving talks on how to do it. It has become easy to get good results, so why not? People even self-publish their work through computer programs such as iPhoto and produce good results.

This creates a problem for today's acknowledged experts such as Alex Mustard, pushing him to find ways to give his books market appeal beyond the straightforward collection of images. His last publication was sold as a master class in underwater photography. For his latest, he has teamed up with Callum Roberts, a professor of the underwater environment at the University of York and an author of two awardwinning books on the oceanic environment.

Between the two of them, they've produced a worthy publication that is more than merely a tome of spectacular images. The commentary is both informative and enlightening, and Roberts' explanations about the undersea world draw on geological history, human history and the recent rise in human planetary influence. It's an unusual take.

The text covers areas from the Pacific's coral triangle to the seaweed cathedrals of the North Atlantic, and the photographs showcase Mustard's extraordinary skills.

Secrets of the Seas by Alex Mustard and Callum Roberts is 240 pages of interesting and vibrantly illustrated information in coffee table hardcover form. Listed at $40, order through Undercurrent by clicking here and you'll get Amazon's best price -- and we'll get a small commission that we'll donate to further the health of coral reefs.