About this item
The controversial history of the attack submarine -- and the story of its colorful creator, John Philip Holland -- that reveals how this imaginative invention changed the face of modern warfare. From Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea to The Hunt for Red October, readers the world over have demonstrated an enduring fascination with travel under the sea. Yet the riveting story behind the invention of the submarine -- an epic saga of genius, persistence, ruthlessness, and deceit -- is almost completely unknown. Like Henry Ford and the Wright brothers, John Philip Holland was completely self-taught, a brilliant man raised in humble circumstances, earning his living as a schoolteacher and choirmaster. But all the while he was obsessed with creating a machine that could successfully cruise beneath the waves. His struggle to unlock the mystery behind controlled undersea navigation would take three decades, during which he endured skepticism, disappointment, and betrayal. But his indestructible belief in himself and his ideas led him to finally succeed where so many others had failed.Going Deep is a vivid chronicle of the fierce battles not only under the water, but also in the back rooms of Wall Street and the committee rooms of Congress. A rousing adventure -- surrounded by an atmosphere of corruption and greed -- at its heart this a story of bravery, passion, and the unbreakable determination to succeed against long odds. B&W illustrations and photographs throughout
About the Author
Lawrence Goldstone is the author of more than a dozen books of both fiction and non-fiction. Six of those books were co-authored with his wife, Nancy, but they now write separately to save what is left of their dishes.Goldstone's articles, reviews, and opinion pieces have appeared in, among other publications, the Wall Street Journal, Boston Globe, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, Hartford Courant, and Berkshire Eagle. He has also written for a number of magazines that have gone bust, although he denies any cause and effect. His first novel, Rights, won a New American Writing Award but he now cringes at its awkward prose. (Anatomy of Deception, The Astronomer, and Murtro's Niche are much better.) Despite a seemingly incurable tendency to say what's on his mind (thus mortifying Nancy) , Goldstone has been widely interviewed on both radio and television, with appearances on, among others, Diane Rehm (NPR) , "Fresh Air" (NPR) , "To the Best of Our Knowledge" (NPR) , "The Faith Middleton Show" (NPR) , "Tavis Smiley" (PBS) , and Leonard Lopate (WNYC) . His work has also been profiled in The New York Times, The Toronto Star, numerous regional newspapers, Salon, and Slate. Goldstone holds a PhD in American Constitutional Studies from the New School. His friends thus call him DrG, although he can barely touch the rim. (Sigh. Can't make a layup anymore either.) He and his beloved bride founded and ran an innovative series of parent-child book groups, which they documented in Deconstructing Penguins. He has also been a teacher, lecturer, senior member of a Wall Street trading firm, taxi driver, actor, quiz show contestant, and policy analyst at the Hudson Institute. He is an unerring stock picker. Everything he buys instantly goes down.For those with insatiable curiosity, you can learn more at www.lawrencegoldstone.com
