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Vibrant and exciting biography of an amazing man
I read the editorial review above for this book and almost didn't read it. I have to say I disagree with it. The biography does not necessarily focus on all his Beebe's personal issues, but it is a vibrant and gripping read about a very unique man. I thought it was extremely well done.

Born in the last quarter of the nineteenth century in Brooklyn, it was still a world of forests and wildlife nearby for him to explore. This love of nature, and comfort away from the trappings of civilisation stayed with him all his life. But he also had this almost supernatural ability to dissociate himself from his possible fate - or even his reality and instead go beyond that to look at what was happening around him. So his observations were extraodinary.

He was the first person to be travel down to 2000ft in the ocean in a small metal capsule. The enormous pressures could have caved in the tiny craft - it did even start leaking at some stage. Yet he broadcast live from it, and managed to make some ground breaking observations about his time there and the strange animals which dwelt there - some of which have never been seen since.

Gould has divided this biography into four distinct sections which followed his life, Naturalist, Ornithologist, Marine Biologist and Tropical Ecologist.

this is illustrated throughout with printed pictures on each page, the only drawback is that these pictures are all of poor to fair quality -a problem of matt paper combined with size of pictures and that they are all in black and white.

Beebe's life is worth reading about and I think Gould's biography is an excellent reference, readable and engaging.

One of the most remarkable biographies I've read
This is one of the most remarkable and enticing biographies I've ever read. I am a professional biologist and have always wanted to be able to express my enthusiasm for my work in words than transcend the sterility of "modern" science and politics.This work does this and I could only hope to express my own work in such an elegant way. I think Carol Grant Gould has done an exceptional job. Despite the restictions imposed upon her, I am mystified how she managed to pierce the veil that clouds the achievements of many scientists behind veils of scientific and religious intolerance. A remarkable work.

Memorable, entertaining, and highly recommended biography
Adventure travelers interested in both nature and action will relish biographer Carol Grant Gould's Remarkable Life Of William Beebe: Explorer And Naturalist, an armchair biography which tells of one William Beebe, who became the first to see the ocean depths in a bathysphere, trekked the Himalayas and Malaysia in the early 1900s to study ecology, and brainstormed with Roosevelt and other naturalists of his times. A remarkable life and a series of remarkable contributions comes vividly to life in this memorable, entertaining, and highly recommended biography.

A Naturalist Worth Remembering
William Beebe was at one time as famous as any naturalist can be, and justly so.Today, few have heard of him.It is no surprise that fame is fickle, and that a latter generation forgets the heroes of the former, but Beebe's is an extreme example.In _The Remarkable Life of William Beebe, Explorer and Naturalist_ (Island Press), Carol Grant Gould has given a full, big biography of one of the most amazing men who ever lived.Beebe worked in zoos.He took expeditions to identify and capture specimens from Indonesia, South America, and China.He broke records in deep sea diving in the bathysphere that was designed for him.He wrote two dozen books that were best sellers, widely appreciated by the public and by professional scientists who shared his realm of study.He was so famous that in the original play of _The Man Who Came to Dinner_, the hot-tempered protagonist receives an octopus shipped from Beebe, and audiences immediately understood the joke, as they do not, now, when they see the play in revival.If time has passed Beebe by, his influence is still substantial, and Gould has performed a useful service in bringing him back for us to wonder at.

Beebe was born in Brooklyn in 1877, when his neighborhood had wild woods that he could explore.He was a prodigy.Many kids set out to collect things, but the young Beebe kept snakes, learned taxidermy to keep snake and bird specimens, bought or traded for exotic specimens, and camped and hiked to get more.School was a breeze for him, but he loved being out in the field.In a final entry in an 1893 journal, he wrote, "To be a Naturalist is better than to be a King."The exuberance which this youthful manifesto exemplifies never left him.He became Assistant Curator of Birds at the new Bronx Zoological Park, but his career of exploring for the sake of discoveries in natural history took off when he left with his wife for an official exploit to Mexico.The press and public were enthusiastic about his account of the trip, the first of his bestsellers.Sometimes being a popularizer detracted from appreciation of his scientific work, but there was plenty of both.His voyages made him fascinated with sea life, and he became an adept diver, applying the same principles of studying a broad, three dimensional swath rather than individual inhabitants.In 1930, he and his engineer were "sealed in a spherical steel coffin and thrown into the ocean."Especially on initial dives, as the readings approached 800 feet, he had to be scared; he wrote, "Only dead men have sunk below this."Eventually, he was to broadcast his observations live from such a descent, a radio event that caused a sensation.

Beebe died in 1962, always grabbing as much of life and learning as he could.He was an entertaining friend, and among the visitors to these pages are Noël Coward, Gertrude Lawrence, Rebecca West, and especially Teddy Roosevelt.More important, he inspired biologists such as Rachel Carson, Ernst Mayr, and Edward O. Wilson.His emphasis on studying an ecosystem as a whole was original and vastly influential.Gould obviously admires his popular writings, many of which are quoted here, but shows that his scientific work is monumental.Calling his a remarkable life is indeed an understatement.

What a great man - and brilliant book
This is a wonderful book - a really engrossing story about an amazing man who was both an explorer and a scientist during the last century. If they made a movie about him, he'd probably be styled as an Indiana Jones type character, as he really did look death in the eye a few times in his lifetime - particularly during the dives he made in `the bathysphere' off Bermuda in the 1930s (the bathysphere being a sort of cast iron bubble with tiny windows, which was winched off the side of a boat, and dropped down to a depth of half a mile underwater). But in my mind's eye Beebe was more like a David Niven sort of person, because as well as having a passionate interest in exploring the natural world, he was a really gifted writer, had an enormous sense of humour, and was quite dapper and a great believer in cocktails all round in the late afternoon! And when he wasn't travelling the world, he was feted in New York society circles by people like Katherine Hepburn, Noel Coward and Rudyard Kipling. The book is really enjoyable and easy to read, and quite inspiring too - transporting you back to a bygone age. And it has LOADS of pictures, which bring it to life all the more. Lovely - good antidote to grim winter weather! ... Read more

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William Beebe was a pioneer in the field of ecology, the father of deep-sea exploration, and an avid conservationist. This picture-book biography charts the life of this famous naturalist from his childhood studying animals in New Jersey through his later years studying birds at the research station he started in Trinidad. Back matter includes quotes from Beebe, a glossary of terms, and an illustrated cross section of the Bathysphere, which Beebe helped design. ... Read more

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Rutgers University Project on Economics and Children
William Beebe, a popular naturalist and author, loved all types of wildlife from an early age and trained himself in animal observation, taxidermy, insect mounting, and cataloging.Before he graduated from college he had already published articles in professional outlets and had gotten hired as the assistant curator of ornithology at the New York Zoological Park.Over the years, his unconventional approach to observing animals in their natural habitat and his courageous efforts to discover new species in remote regions generated a growing audience for his publications and public talks.

In the late 1920s, Beebe partnered with an engineering student named Otis Brown to invent the Bathysphere, a spherical diving vessel made of thick steel that enabled deep-sea exploration at depths hitherto unimagined. Their observations of magnificent sea creatures provided fodder for entertaining radio broadcasts and motivated people to start caring more about the environment.

This biography gets high marks for its informative and crisp writing style.Children will be especially intrigued by the Bathysphere, a somewhat daunting and mysterious-looking contraption that involved quite a bit of danger as well.The text seamlessly weaves some key concepts in economics, including innovation and human resources, into the account of Beebe's scientific contributions.The colorful and detailed illustrations work well to engage young learners.
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Tales by a world-renowned naturalist ranging in scene from the tops of lofty jungle trees to a half mile beneath the sea. Illustrated with several photographs. ... Read more

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Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free.This is an OCR edition with typos.Excerpt from book:IllTHE HOME TOWN OF THE ARMY ANTS From uniform to civilian clothes is a change transcending mere alteration of stuffs and buttons. It is scarcely less sweeping than the shift from civilian clothes to bathing-suit, which so often compels us to concentrate on remembered mental attributes, to avoid demanding a renewed introduction to estranged personality. In the home life of the average soldier, the relaxation from sustained tension and conscious routine results in a gentleness and quietness of mood for which warrior nations are especially remembered.Army ants have no insignia to lay aside, and their swords are too firmly hafted in their own beings to be hung up as post-bellum mural decorations, or—as is done only in poster-land—metamorphosed into pruning-hooks and plowshares.I sat at my laboratory table at Kartabo, and looked down river to the pink roof of Kalacoon, and my mind went back to the shambles of PitNumber Five.1 I was wondering whether I should ever see the army ants in any guise other than that of scouting, battling searchers for living prey, when a voice of the jungle seemed to hear my unexpressed wish. The sharp, high notes of white-fronted antbirds—those white- crested watchers of the ants—came to my ears, and I left my table and followed up the sound. Physically, I merely walked around the bungalow and approached the edge of the jungle at a point where we had erected a small outhouse a day or two before. But this two hundred feet might just as well have been a single step through quicksilver, hand in hand with Alice, for it took me from a world of hyoids and syrinxes, of vials and lenses and clean-smelling xylol, to the home of the army ants.The antbirds were chirping and hopping about on the very edge of the jungle, but I did not have to go that... ... Read more

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Glad to find it!
I had looked for this item for a long time before finally locating it on Amazon. It is a very good resource to have. In fact, I prefer these editions over the previous volumes that I purchased. Very informative.

Good reprint of a classic
This great work is the result of an expedition across most of Asia inthe years just before World War I.It is not just a dry ornithological survey, although all the necessaryapparatus is there, but is packed with superb descriptions of thelandscape and wildlife. It is a work of literature as well as science.The colour plates are from paintings by Thorburn, Lodge, Fuertes, etcand are well reproduced from the original books - not as good asmodern colour printing, but good enough.The photographs are rather grey, as they are in the original printing.The text is an exact facsimile, of the excellent typography. ... Read more

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A biography of the naturalist, explorer, and writer emphasizing his underwater explorations and discoveries about marine life. ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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Reference to original
This book is a facsimile copy of "Nonsuch: land of water" by William Beebe, published in New York by Brewer, Warren & Putnam in 1932. The title page includes the texts "...with 55 illustrations" and "Published under the auspices of the New York Zoological Society." The Preface states "This volume is the first of four ... dealing with the life in the waters about Nonsuch, Bermuda."


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Galapagos World's End
I found it terribly dry and difficult to wade through, despite the fact that I was on my way to the Galapagos.Even after I got back home, I simply couldn't get through it.I is scientific to a fault, in my opinion and although it reads like a novel, I thought it got bogged down in the minutia of specimen collections.

Still Pertinent after all these years...
In anticipation of a forthcoming trip to the Galapagos a visit to the local library turned up this 1924 book by Wm Beebe.Somewhat to my astonishment, the book captivated me.Wm Beebe (1877-1962) was not (as I heretofore had thought) merely a one-dimensioned, deep sea explorer.World traveler, naturalist, director of the NY Zoological Society -- he wrote books ranging from birding to jungle exploration.Beebe turns out to have been an early 20th century Loren Eiseley.This book records a 1923 trip undertaken by fourteen scientists from New York to the Galapagos in a steam power yacht, provided by a wealthy patron.They were later to learn that it was more suited to ladies "sipping tea" than oceanic cruising.They discovered to their astonishment that it was "neither an inexhaustible reservoir of fresh water, nor a floating coal mine".They had to cut short their Galapagos collecting and beat an unplanned retreat to Panama for more provisions.Beebe is a very readable author, with many a well turned phrase sprinkled thru the book.He describes the ocean voyage as, "... driving a momentary wedge thru sunshine, wind, and water..." Later, in a small boat, going ashore in the Galapagos, he describes the gentle swell"...which rose and fell as if the Pacific were breathing quietly and regularly."Accordingly, when it came time to jump, he appropriately waited for the ocean to "exhale".He finds both comfort and wonder in contemplating the Darwinian explanation of all he sees.For Beebe, there is an "honour of being one with all about me and in a small way to have at least an understanding..."He marvels, for example, in picking up a crustacean's shell, that having parted ways uncountable millions of years previously, now, quite by accident, they cross again.Beebe deplores both the early sailing depredations of the tortises and the wholesale slaughter of animals by previous scientific expeditions (how many flightless cormorants do you need to get an accurate description?).This expeditionrestricts themselves to capturing various specimens, which they hauled back to the NYC Zoo.They also took back sacks full of lava rocks, sand, plants, etc with which to make scenic dioramas in the AM Museum of NH.On page 265 one comes across the single most arresting observation in this book.As usual, profundity lies hidden in the details.It seems that Beebe "secured" (his euphimism for collecting) several specimens of different Darwin finches on Daphne, and found to his astonishment that their crops all contained identical food items, despite their differing bill shapes.All, even the heavy beaked birds, for exaple had uncrushed seeds in their crops.He repeated this observations several times, always with the same results.So there is more to the oft repeated, now almost cannonical evolutionary explanation of the differing finch beaks.The various finches are all eating the same things!Natural selection provides what appears to be a reasonable hypothesis to explain the various beaks, but what is really going on?I can think of no less than four explanations, but that is another tale.If anybody reads this and is curious, I am at proode@pol.net. ... Read more

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The book has no illustrations or index. Purchasers are entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Subjects: Natural history; Nature / General; Nature / Essays; ... Read more

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PHEASANT JUNGLES BY WILLIAM BEEBE DIRECTOR OF TROPICAL RESEARCH OF THE NEW YORK ZOOLOGICAL SOCIETY ILLUSTRATED BLUE RIBBON BOOKS, INC. New Yorl City The Dramatic Chief of Sin-Ma-How Pointing out the best stalking ground for the rare pheasants which live near the meeting place of Burma, Tibet and China see page 122 To CYNTHIA DRYDEN KUSER PREFACE WHEN I spent seventeen months in the Far East gathering material for a Monograph of the Pheas ants I naturally devoted all possible time and energy to the accomplishment of this object. But the human senses are not wholly concerned with direct impressions, and sometimes the oblique, corona-like visual and aural contacts are afterwards all the more vivid for being at the time semi-sub consciously received. Portions of the chapters in this volume, have ap peared in The Atlantic and Harpers Magazine, but all have been rewritten. The natural history of the pheasants I have recorded elsewhere. These pages have to do with a few of my adventures, servants and thoughts as they came to me in Cey lon, Sikhim, Garhwal, Burma, Tibet, Yunnan, Pahang and Borneo. This was the first important scientific under taking which I made as Director of the Depart ment of Tropical Research of the New York Zoological Society. W. B. CONTENTS PAGB I. THE GATES OF THE EAST ..... 3 II. THE PHEASANTS OF KINCHIN JUKOA. . . 41 III. THE HILLS OF HILLS ..... 65 IV. WILD BURMA 97 V. SERVANTS AND SUPER-SERVANTS . . .139 VI. FROM SEA TO MOUNTAIN-TOP IN MALAYSIA . 161 VII. MALAY DAYS 190 VIII. WITH THE DYAKS OF BORNEO .... 209 INDEX 245 Yll PHEASANT JUNGLES Pheasant Jungles THE GATES OF THE EAST GOING over Niagara Falls in a barrel has now no terrors for me the memory of two wing-slips and a vicious tail-spin has been made more vivid the experience of being fired from a torpedo tube is not unimaginable for in His Majestys mail boat Isis, I have wallowed and plunged through a forty-eight hour Mediterranean cyclone, from Brindisi to Port Said. Only one other experience has ever laid me low a typhoon and a junk in the China Sea but then I had at least an unlimited supply of ships biscuits. These thoughts came to me in the heart of a hot tropical night when I took a blanket from my stateroom and went up on the deck of the Lady McCallum to sleep. The Lady McCaLlum, a small, compact, untidy coast steamer from Colombo, was bound for Hambantotta, Ceylon. She was true to her type over all the world and appeared to take no pride in her work, moving along at a negligible rate amid a generous creaking that arose from some mysterious depths amidships. 3 ... Read more