The Octopus's Garden: Hydrothermal Vents and Other Mysteries of the Deep Sea (Helix Books)
YA?Van Dover gives an accessible account of her experiences as an oceanographer and as the first woman to pilot the research submersible ALVIN. Scientists use ALVIN to descend to the sea  floor and observe firsthand geologic features such as trenches and hydrothermal vents as well as the flora and fauna that brave this harsh environment. The author emphasizes the need for further study in this field, especially the revolutionary hypothesis that the origins of life on Earth occurred at ancient submarine hydrothermal vents. Her experiences as a pioneer woman in what had been a man's field and on the frontier of human knowledge of the world's oceans will fascinate aspiring oceanographers and engineers. Van Dover brings an intriguing and largely unknown science, deep water marine biology, to a level that will appeal to any student.?Hilary Stevens, Earthwatch, Watertown, MACopyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.