Beneath the Seven Seas: Adventures with the Institute of Nautical Archaeology

Editor's Pick for February 14, 2006

Joan W. Gartland, Detroit P.L. -- Library Journal, 2/14/2006

Bass (emeritus, Texas A&M Univ.; Ships and Shipwrecks of the Americas) is a pioneer in the field of nautical archaeology. The first person to fully excavate an ancient shipwreck on the seabed, and founder of the Institute of Nautical Archaeology (INA), he brings together in this handsomely illustrated book accounts by many distinguished archaeologists associated with the INA. They tell of the discovery, excavation, and preservation of more than 40 shipwrecks—and one sunken city—the world over, from ancient times through the Byzantine, medieval, and Renaissance eras and on through World War II. The shipwrecks featured range from an ancient Sea of Galilee fishing boat to the Titanic and a D-day landing craft. The sunken city is Port Royal, Jamaica, engulfed in 1692. Each narrative, rich in detail and insight, covers the planning, execution, and significance of the project and the meticulous work carried out at the site and with the excavated objects afterward. The color photography includes magnificent deep-sea shots as well as closeups of recovered artifacts. The text is framed by Bass's introduction to each chronological section, giving historical context and the significance of the excavation. A work about reconstructing, and sometimes rewriting history through nautical archaeology, this book will appeal to general readers and specialists alike in nautical archaeology. Strongly recommended.