Forty Fathoms Deep

Forty Fathoms Deep: Pearldivers and Searovers in Australian Waters is a 1937 book from Ion Idriess about pearl divers.[1][2]

Forty Fathoms Deep
First edition
AuthorIon Idriess
Cover artistEdgar A. Galloway
CountryAustralia
LanguageEnglish
PublisherAngus and Robertson
Publication date
1937
Pages343 pp
Preceded byThe Cattle King 
Followed byOver the Range 

Critical reception

A reviewer in The Canberra Times noted this as a"unique book": "Mr. Idriess reveals to the reader the technique of pearling with him, the reader boards the lugger for the pearling grounds, makes the acquaintance of skipper and crew, dons the diving dress and descends to the sea floor, sees the wonders of a new and beautiful, fascinating and frightful world, shares the divers' dangers, gathers the shell, opens it on the lugger, thrills at the sight of baroque and pearls, sells them to the dealer and watches as the rough pearl is transformed by delicate and skilful hands into a thing of exquisite loveliness"[3]

In The Sydney Morning Herald the reviewer found a novel trying to cover a lot of ground: "But if his book seems to meander a little, and sometimes lose its way, there can be scarcely a doubt about the sheer power, and often beauty, of certain chapters and passages. Qualities of Mr. Idriess's, such as his extraordinary thoroughness in inquiry, his determination to master every branch of a subject, his almost microscopic accuracy of observation, and his almost poetic gift of natural description-not to speak of narrative power often seen in harmonious combination with this cannot be too often insisted upon as positive and peculiar merits."[4]

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References
  1. Book information at Ion Idriess fan page
  2. Interview with Ion Idriess", ABC
  3. "ION IDRIESS". The Canberra Times. 11 (2918). Australian Capital Territory, Australia. 22 January 1937. p. 5. Retrieved 26 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.
  4. "CURRENT LITERATURE". The Sydney Morning Herald (30, 925). New South Wales, Australia. 13 February 1937. p. 12. Retrieved 26 March 2016 – via National Library of Australia.


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