Steve's Recommended Books

Marine Life Idenfication

This is one of the best books for identification of nudibranchs that I have. It is well illustrated and has interesting and informative behavioral descriptions. This invaluable field guide depicts one of the most colorful and remarkable groups of of marine animals. There are over 1000 good quality photo's [ 2 or 3 to each page] of living subjects in their natural habitat all packed into 320 pages. Beside each photo is a text decribing the length, its distribution and general background information on the species. The first third of the book covers shells and the last two thirds nudibranchs. This is an excellent book, the most comprehensive reference for nudibranchs I have seen published. Essential for any scuba diver interested in these beautiful creatures. The author has published six other books on the identification of marine life species around the world, they are all excellent.

Coral Reef Animals of the Indo-Pacific is a technical reference's whose hefty price tag will limit its acquisition to college-level libraries with special interests in vertebrates; but any with such a specialty will find this an essential reference addition. Over 1,000 species are covered in a field guide which describes animals, natural histories and distribution patterns. Each page is packed with small yet sharp and important color photos of each and every animal, enhancing the book's value as a reference and identification manual.

This is a highly valuable book for fish identification. Includes rare species with pictures and behaviors. Highly recommended!

Underwater Photography

This is one of the two best books on under water photography photo composition. Unfortunately the other one by Howard Hall is out of print. Pioneer underwater photographer Jim Church cuts through the jargon in a concisely written manual that will help all undewater photographers take better pictures. The author's more than three-decades of practical experience are packed into this book. As the most respected and sought after teacher of underwater photography, Jim's new book will be a must-read for owners of all types of underwater cameras and housed cameras. Topics covered: What attracts viewer's eye; Lenses and Perspective; Finding underwater subjects; Basic wide-angle shots; Shooting divers; Quickie guide to modeling; Composing close-ups; When to take the picture; Isolating your subject; Placing your subject in the picture; Working with patterns; Special lighting effects

Coffee Table Books

Superb photography of marine life. Secret Sea is a book about connections. Move within it however you choose; from macro to wide-angle, front to back--back to front, or, like the radiating arms of a starfish, push out from the center. Forming a unique expression, the individual images, as intriguing as each is, are meant to be viewed not only singly, but as components within a series. Slip beneath the surface of the Secret Sea and take a closer look at a glorious and seldom-seen world of unparalleled beauty. However, this isn't just another pretty coffee table book. The spectacular images of marine life in concert with the vivid and informative writting connect the reader to a fascinating underwater world. You will look at the pictures and re-read the text 1,000 times, discovering the authors' passion for complex sea life.

As an Amazon.com associate, I make a small amount of money if you buy a book that I recommend. Note that all money will be donated to charity (reef conservation oriented) and that I am recommending only books that I personally own and use.

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