In Descent: The Heroic Discovery of the Abyss, Brad Matsen brings to
vivid life the famous deep-sea expeditions of Otis Barton and William
Beebe. Beebe was a very well-connected and internationally acclaimed
naturalist, with the power to generate media attention. Barton was an
engineer and heir to a considerable fortune, who had long dreamed of
making his mark on the world as an adventurer. Together, Beebe and
Barton would achieve what no one had done before--direct observation of
life in the blackness of the abyss. Here, against the back drop of the
depression, is their riveting tale.