Phaeophyta of the Eastern Gulf of Mexico, Phycologia Vol. 7, No. 2 (Sylvia Earle's dissertation, signed)
Berkeley: International Phycological Society, 1969. First edition. Softcover. Sylvia Earle's doctoral dissertation on algae (seaweed) in the Gulf of Mexico, here as an offprint from the journal Phycologia (Vol. 7, No. 2, Sept. 9, 1969). Inscribed by her at the top of the front wrap: "With best regards -- Sylvia A. Earle." A scarce publication--we can locate no other copies on the market--and scarcer signed. WorldCat shows just 13 copies in libraries, 5 in the U.S. She finished her dissertation in 1966 and it was first published in Phycologia in 1968. We believe it is Earle's first publication, as no work of hers is cited in the extensive bibliography at rear. This is a major study. As Earle says in an interview about the algae herbarium she donated to the Smithsonian, "Before I even started my doctoral program, it was difficult to find out who knew what about life in the Gulf of Mexico. There was one publication in 1954 that tried to pull together as much as was then known about the [Gulf’s] biology, geology and the currents and tides. A very small portion was about marine plants and algae written by William Randolph Taylor, which summarized all that was known then. It wasn’t very much. Most was derived from what could be either dragged from the ocean using a net or trawl or picked up off the beach. People just did not get into the water." With advances in scuba diving, she did, and she's gone on to become known as "her deepness" as a standout marine biologist, oceanographer explorer, and ambassador for seas. She is often described as a Rachel Carson of the oceans. She has been a National Geographic explorer-in-residence since 1998, was the first female chief scientist of the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), and was named by Time Magazine as its first Hero for the Planet in 1998. Among many, many other accolades, she has won the Rachel Carson Award from the National Audubon Society and the Carl Sagan Award for Public Understanding of Science. Perfect bound in two-toned blue wraps, 254 pages with black and white photographs, charts, and illustrations throughout. Very good with sunning to spine and to some edges, creasing to spine. A rare item that embodies the start of Earle's significant career. Very good. Item #1911
Price: $1,750.00 save 5% $1,662.50