"The earliest perception of the earth and the sea was that they were flat and if a sailor reached the horizon, he would fall off the edge! The geographical extent of the sea was unknown, its depth unfathomable, and unlikely to be tested as myth proclaimed that the deep waters were inhabited by monsters ready to take the unwary seaman.

The last 170 years of scientific discovery have brought about revolutionary changes in the way in which we understand the deep seas and open ocean. Some of the most beautiful landscapes on Earth lie hidden deeper than light. This book will take us on a journey from relatively shallow waters down to the abyss, discovering exciting deep-sea creatures en route.

Motivated by a passion for life in the deep sea, the authors, all active members of the Census of Marine Life, wanted to share their enthusiasm and convey the unsuspected richness of marine life, its strange animals and unusual ways of life at the greatest depths.  Richly illustrated with photographs and art, the book introduces state-of-the-art knowledge in deep-sea biology and appeals to all curious by nature."

The DEep Sea Education and Outreach group (DESEO) and also authors of the book in alphabetical order are:
Maria Baker - ChEss, Brigitte Ebbe - CeDAMar, Jo Hoyer - MAR-ECO, Lenaick Menot - COMARGE, Bhavani Narayanaswamy - EuroCoML, Eva Ramirez-Llodra - ChEss, Morten Steffensen - MAR-ECO.

This book is now available from www.amazon.co.uk (at present this is limited to Europe, however it is anticiapted that in early 2008 this book will be available to bought worldwide).

The authors would like to thank Fondation Total for the support provided in order to produce this book. We would also like to thank the European Census of Marine Life for funding the initial workshop where DESEO was formed and for their continued support.