Read Ebook {PDF EPUB} Stars Beneath the Sea The Pioneers of Diving by Trevor Norton Stars Beneath the Sea. Was it a failure of nerve? A victory of pragmatism over romance? Whatever the case, Vanishing Point has taken a promisingly poetic idea and ended up with a disappointingly prosaic show. The company's inspiration for Stars Beneath the Sea is the book of the same name by Trevor Norton. Subtitled The Incredible Story of the Men who Invented Diving, it's a colourful testament to the pioneers who ventured into the sea over the past two centuries, opening up new areas of archaeology, biology and treasure-seeking. It ranges from Benoit Rouquayrol, a mining engineer who designed a with a compressed air cylinder in 1865, to Hans and Lotte Haas, whose BBC programmes in the 1950s captured the imaginations of a generation. Not a natural for theatrical adaptation. But that made the prospect more tantalising. How exactly would the adventurous Glasgow company bring to life the multiple stories, the quirky details and the factual detail of Norton's book? The answer is that co-directors Kai Fisher and Matthew Lenton have backed off from the challenge. Rather than cram such diverse material into one production, they've devised their own story about an oddball Victorian scientist, Hans Haldane (Sandy Grierson), who learns of treasure lying off a Greek island. His attempt to find it, first ingratiating himself with a bereaved local family, is neither very interesting as a story nor much to do with diving. This is a shame - because on a moment to moment basis, the production has flair, charm and wit. There's a feel of Thétre de Complicité, not just in the stock situation of posh Brit meeting naive peasants, but in the seamless transitions from scene to scene. Throw in some puppets, a mask and some good gags and you've got a strong and likeable production. All it needs now is a decent narrative and some of the transcendent poetry that the title suggests. Trevor Norton. Trevor Norton is a marine biologist and was Professor of at Liverpool University until his retirement. He was also Director of the Marine Laboratory there. Trevor's last book, IMAGINATION AND A PILE OF JUNK, was published by Hodder and Stoughton in January 2014. He passed away in February 2021. 'Wonderful. Norton strikes the right mixture of wit and awe in his discussions' Telegraph. 'Wonderful. Norton writes with engaging fluency and is easily understood by the non-scientist' Independent. 'This is a rip-snortingly entertaining omnium gatherum of the riskiest and most extraordinary experiments in the history of science and medicine, told in breezy pop-science manner' Daily Mail. Non-Fiction. IMAGINATION AND A PILE OF JUNK: A DROLL HISTORY OF INVENTORS AND INVENTIONS. A celebration of the extraordinary people who created the modern world, spiced with anecdotes and wit. Trevor Norton weaves an entertaining history with a seductive mix of eureka moments, disasters and dirty tricks. Although inventors were often scientists or engineers, many were not: Samuel Morse (Morse code) was a painter, Lazlow Biro (ballpoint) was a sculptor and hypnotist, and Logie Baird (TV) sold boot polish. The inventor of the automatic telephone switchboard was an undertaker who believed the operator was diverting his calls to rival morticians so he decided to make all telephone operators redundant. Inventors are mavericks indifferent to conventional wisdom so critics were dismissive of even their best ideas: radio had 'no future,' electric light was 'an idiotic idea' and X-rays were 'a hoax. The head of the General Post Office rejected telephones as unneccesary as there were 'plenty of small boys to run messages.' Inventomania is a magical place where eccentrics are always in season and their stories are usually unbelievable - but rest assured, nothing has been invented. SMOKING EARS AND SCREAMING TEETH. Many have followed the advice of the great Victorian scientist Jack Haldane to ‘never experiment on an animal if a man will do’ and ‘never ask anyone to do anything you wouldn’t do yourself.’ This book celebrates the great eccentrics who have performed dangerous experiments on themselves for the benefit of humankind. UNDERWATER TO GET OUT OF THE RAIN. This is the beautifully told tale of Norton's growing love of the sea, from family holidays in Whitley Bay as a boy, to his first over zealous attempts at diving. REFLECTIONS ON A SUMMER SEA. The funny and touching story of a menagerie of eccentric and talented ecologists who spent forty summers at Lough Ine, STARS BENEATH THE SEA. The story of a bunch of intrepid and inspired men who pioneered the exploration of the last great unknown: the deeps of the sea. Stars Beneath the Sea : The Pioneers of Diving. Among the colorful adventurers from the past two centuries included in this volume stand the likes of Guy Gilpatric, who wrote a film for Humphrey Bogart, invented , and shot his wife; Roy Miner, who wore a bucket over his head and stole a coral ; , who sealed himself in a metal coffin to dangle a half mile undersea; and John Haldane, who learned how tn control human and prevent bends. If you've never even dreamed of diving, this book will make you wonder why -- and may Indeed tempt you to try. Bookshelf: Stars Beneath the Sea. Stars Beneath the Sea: The Extraordinary Lives of the Pioneers of Diving – Trevor Norton. Marine biologist Trevor Norton channels Bill Bryson in this often hilarious collection of vignettes featuring a selection of the adventurers, scientists and other lunatics who shaped the last two hundred years’ history of skin and . A propensity for gadget-making and a willingness to experiment on oneself seem to be the personal characteristics that have served these men (all of them, alas) very well in their chosen field. I hadn’t heard of many of the pioneers profiled by Norton – much of their work was done during the First and Second World Wars, during which time many people were distracted with other matters. Some familiar names do crop up during the course of the narrative, however: (in the chapter about Guy Gilpatric), George Bass (in the chapter on Peter Throckmorton), and , who will be familiar to all candidates. Norton contributes personal knowledge of at least one of his subjects: Jack Kitching, a British experimental zoologist. Kitching spent much of his career studying the marine life at Lough Hyne, Europe’s oldest marine reserve. During this time he used a surface supply of air and a makeshift (involving a bucket and a hosepipe) to walk about on the bottom of the lough and collect samples. Norton has written more than one account of this time – you can read some here and here. I found this a refreshing look back to a time when scuba diving wasn’t the slickly packaged, aggressively marketed, neon-hued “cool” sport that it is today. Norton’s writing is very funny, and he fully conveys the quirkiness and eccentricity that enabled his subjects to make some of the advances – scientific and experimental – that they did. I recommend this book – you’ll learn something, and after reading it you’ll probably want to do some further reading. All good things! You can get a copy of the book here or here, otherwise (possibly – not often in stock) here if you’re in South Africa. Facebook. It is with great sadness that we announce the recent passing of the eminent marine biologist and author Dr Trevor Norton (Sheffield, 1940–Isle of Man, 2021) formerly Professor of Marine Biology at Liverpool University and Director of the Port Erin Marine Laboratory, Isle of Man (1983– 2005). He was a Lecturer at Glasgow University, Scotland (1966-1976), Senior Lecturer (1977-1981), and Professor (1982). He was President of the British Phycological Society (1989–90) and of the International Phycological Society (1992–94). Capitalising on an innate ability to make a good story great, he became the well-known author of popular works such as Stars beneath the Sea: The Extraordinary Lives of the Pioneers of Diving, Century (London, England), 1999, published as Stars beneath the Sea: The Pioneers of Diving, Carroll & Graf (New York, NY), 2000; Reflections on a Summer Sea, Century (London, England), 2001; Underwater to Get out of the Rain: A Love Affair with the Sea, Century (London, England), 2005. "Smoking Ears and Screaming Teeth” (2011) is a is a celebration of early eccentrics who performed dangerous experiments upon themselves. Trevor listed his hobbies as "Writing, photography, conversation, movies, climbing trees.” but could also have included ballet. Ann Skea, writing on the Eclectica Web site, said that the author's "writing is often very funny and he describes some eccentric and funny characters, but he also writes poetically and lovingly about science.” She added: "He is exceptionally good at making such seemingly dull things as sponges and seaweeds into objects of fascination.” Trevor spent many summers at Lough Hyne (Ine) in Co. Cork, Ireland, with such marine ecological luminaries as Professors Kitching and Ebling and lovingly described in "Reflections on a Summer Sea” evocative of the early days of marine ecology when marine biologist actually spent less-than-comfo rtable summers getting wet and healthy. His wife, Wim (née Price), to whom we extend our sincere condolences, provided the illustrations for several of the books. May he rest in peace. Michael Guiry. [photo with Pilomena Bohane and Colin Little at the Lough Hyne @ 30 conference in 2011]