Beneath the Sea in 3-D

I ordered this book primarily for the benefit of my 7 year old son. We're doing a research project on oceans, and while we have a few good resources, I felt this one, with its 3d imagery, would more likely capture and hold his attention. What I didn't realize was how thoroughly it would capture and hold mine. For me, 3D had always meant multicolored plastic glasses and headaches. Though the book was described as stereoscopic, I didn't understand what that meant. Stereography was something new for me, even if as a form of photography it is over 150 years old. This is not a matter of red and blue separations; the 3D results from the human eye's trick of blending 2 photos taken (simultaneously) an eye's width apart. Photographer Mark Blum is a pioneer in the art of underwater 3d photography, and his work is beautifully displayed here. Everyone I've shown this book to has been fascinated by it, and I fully expect that when we've finished with our project the book will find its way to permanent display in my home.

BENEATH THE SEA IN 3-DI highly recommended this book for school children and adults alike.I was introduced to one of Blum's books by a friend and liked it so much that I sought out and bought all of his 3D books. I find the price so reasonable that I've since bought more to give as gifts.I enjoy looking at the 3-D photos as much as my seven year old son so I already know several adults as well as children who will be getting this book as a gift.The technical quality of the photos and printing of the books is very good. A magnifying, stereo viewer is built into a unique bi-fold cover of the book A little research showed that this idea is well over a hundred years old (like stereo photography) but I still find it very innovative because it is so rare and unusual. The photographer has an inspired eye and top technical skill. The underwater photography is amazing. I think the dimension of the ocean really goes well with 3D photos. The colors and forms of the undersea world show so amazingly well in 3D and Blum went all over the world making these photos.The writing accompanying each image adds to the photos with just the right amount of scientific and general information to serve both young and old reader. I like this book very much and I hope you find this review helpful. I recommend looking for the other 3-D books by Blum. They are all great!

The publisher has unfortunately tried to market these fabulous works as childrens books (not that they aren't wonderful for kids as well), but these photos are truely amazing both in the quality of the photography, but also in the presentation. They are printed on very high quality coated paper with a STURDY set of lenses built right into the hard cover, which allows you to view them in all their splendor without any additional equipment.These are not red/blue lenses! The images are presented in true color stereo pairs and when viewed, merge into a single, dynamic 3D image - WOW! I can't say enough about the overall quality of viewing for ADULTS as well as children.The price is another thing that confuses me. I don't know why these are so inexpensive? I urge anyone who loves nature to buy all of the books in this series!

Everybody that has seen my copy of Beneath the Sea in 3-D is entranced by it. The superb quality of the photography alone is worth the money. But add the astounding 3-D effect and it is just plain irresistible. My kids love it (ages 7, 11 and 17), and I love it. Great for all ages. The captions add fascinating facts about the animals and the circumstances of the photos. This is a great book! I'm ordering Mark Blum's other books, too! By all means, buy it!

This book was put out by Chronicle Books, which is the same company that released CALIFORNIA IN DEPTH few years back. The book contains a set of prism lenses built into a special flap connected to the front cover which allows the reader to see the stereo pairs in the book in all of their optimally magnified glory. The views are a collection of the authors best underwater stereo photography work from such places as the south pacific islands of Fiji and Borneo, marine parks in various Carribean islands and off the coast of California. As you peer throught the viewer, you find that it's very easy to lose yourself in that "other" world. In my opinion, one of the best features of the book is that the author decided to include his personal thoughts about the pictures he chose to include. A good example is an image of a Sea Turtle skeleton found deep in an underwater cavern. Apparently the darkness and the twists of the cave walls confused the animal, and it could not escape. Nearby (not in the picture), the author also found the skeletons of a dolphin and a marlin that suffered the same fate. He recounts: "Even with dive lights, I found the intricately chambered cave highly disorienting. When I turned my lights off in the deep recess and imagined being lost there, it was truly terrifying." To sum up, I really treasure this book and hope that Mark chooses to make another one like it in the very near future.