Underwater Man (Signed and inscribed to Theodore Bikel, along with a signed letter to Bikel)

About this Item

First American Edition. This book came from the library of Theodore Bikel. You can read a little about him at the end of this description. The book as signed and inscribed by the author on the first front end paper. The inscription reads: ' To Theodore Bikel, In appreciation for that most precious human element, inspiration, Joe MacInnis, Singapore, May, 1980.' You can see the signed inscription in one of the photos provided. Mr. Bikel left a letter from the author inside the book. It is on stationary from a hotel in Singapore (The Mandarin Singapore). The letter is in an envelope and both are in very good condition. The letter reads: 'Dear Mr. Bikel, This is just a short note to say how much I appreciated your words and thoughts to the IBM audience. You have, in fact, given me several ideas and concepts that will be helpful in describing my concern and affection for the sea. Please accept this small gift in exchange for your greater one, inspiration, Joe MacInnis.' Joe MacInnis has lived a remarkable and admirable life. Check out his very long and interesting Wikipedia profile. Of this book the writer and environmentalist Farley Mowat writes: 'Joe MacInnis is Underwater Man, and in this fascinating book he tells us how he came to undergo his see-change, how it feels to be an alien in another world. A very personal, exciting and poetic account of human venturing into the primeval mystery of that elder womb, the ocean deeps. MacInnis writes with passion, love and true empathy for the dark world of waters and those other forms of life whose home it is.' You can see the blue covers in the photos. There is one tiny white spot the front cover. There isn't much where to speak of, a little crinkling at the spine ends. There are two tiny spots on the middle page edge and they just peek over the edge of a total of nine pages in the book, obviously very far from the print. The spine has a moderate forward lean. However, the book is very solidly bound from cover to cover with nicely tight pages throughout and nicely tight covers. There are no binding issues. The pages are exceptionally clean. With the exception of the aforementioned specks , I'm not seeing any soiling of any kind on either the text pages or inside covers and end papers. There aren't any markings in the book. There are no attachments. And with the exception of the author's signed inscription, no one has written their name or anything else anywhere. You can see the dust jacket in the first few photos. It's in solid condition. I've had it in a fitted protective cover for as long as I've owned the book which goes back a number of years. I'm not seeing any tears. There's a tiny bit of scuffing at the spine ends corners. There's only the lightest bit of handling soiling. The flaps are in excellent condition. The jacket is NOT price-clipped, not clipped at all. The book is illustrated with black-and-white photographs. Introduction by the former prime minister of Canada, Pierre Elliott Trudeau ( MacInnis first met Trudeau in late 1969. Trudeau and MacInnis would make approximately fifty dives together over the years. In 1970 Trudeau asked MacInnis to help write Canada's first national ocean policy. MacInnis began a series of ten research expeditions to study techniques for working under the Arctic Ocean). 'Bikel was a widely recognized and recorded folk singer and guitarist. In 1959, he co-founded the Newport Folk Festival and created the role of Captain von Trapp opposite Mary Martin in the original Broadway production of The Sound of Music. In 1969, Bikel began acting and singing on stage as Tevye in the musical Fiddler on the Roof, a role he performed more often than any other actor to date. He appeared in films including The African Queen, Moulin Rouge, My Fair Lady, and The Defiant Ones, where he was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor. Bikel was president of both the Associated Actors and Artists of America and Actors' Equity.'. Seller Inventory # 003123

Contact seller

Report this item

Bibliographic Details

About this title