Hi,
I have a copy of THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER from 1938 and another from 1957. I have heard a story that only so many copies were re-printed in 1957 and that many were damaged in a flood yet it seems that for quite a while every edition of Skin Diver mag had an ad for the book. Which edition is the least common?
THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER
Moderator: Britmarine
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
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COMPLEATE GOGGLER
1) The 1938 edition is the rarest and generally very expensive--somewhere around $300.00 to ???$1000.00 with dust jacket in good condition
It was published in the US and in England
The English edition was aquired in Paris in 1938 and presented to JYC by one of his goggling companions.
2) The SDM reprint is rare and not so expensive, $200.00 to about $500.00.
When it was reprinted in 1957 the orginal edition was less than 20 years old but even at that time somewhat rare.
The Co-editor, Co owner of SDM Chuck Blakeslee was at that time and still is an avid reader & bibliophile. It was through the efforts of Chuck that permission was received from the original publisher and the the book was reprinted both in the pages of SDM and in book format.
It was placed on the market for $5.00 with few if any takers. Later it was offered as an inducement for new SDM subscribers; subscribe to SDM and receive a copy. I somehow suspect that this is how most of the books were marketed and how they ended up in strange places.
SDM was sold to Petersen publishing company in the 1960s. At that time the walls of the then SDM office in Lynwood California was was lined with unopened boxes of Compleat Gogglers. Since Petersen was in the magazine publishing business and not books the entire enventory was tossed. There was no flooding.
Chuck Blakeslee is alive an well and lives in central California. He has been a bibliophile all his life. He recently disposed of his world class collection of first edition, inscribed Jack London books -Just one has the value of a new auto-- but he saved four editions of the Complete Goggler; one as his personal copy and one for each of his children.
Guy Gilpatric passed on in Santa Barbara California in June 1950.
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It was published in the US and in England
The English edition was aquired in Paris in 1938 and presented to JYC by one of his goggling companions.
2) The SDM reprint is rare and not so expensive, $200.00 to about $500.00.
When it was reprinted in 1957 the orginal edition was less than 20 years old but even at that time somewhat rare.
The Co-editor, Co owner of SDM Chuck Blakeslee was at that time and still is an avid reader & bibliophile. It was through the efforts of Chuck that permission was received from the original publisher and the the book was reprinted both in the pages of SDM and in book format.
It was placed on the market for $5.00 with few if any takers. Later it was offered as an inducement for new SDM subscribers; subscribe to SDM and receive a copy. I somehow suspect that this is how most of the books were marketed and how they ended up in strange places.
SDM was sold to Petersen publishing company in the 1960s. At that time the walls of the then SDM office in Lynwood California was was lined with unopened boxes of Compleat Gogglers. Since Petersen was in the magazine publishing business and not books the entire enventory was tossed. There was no flooding.
Chuck Blakeslee is alive an well and lives in central California. He has been a bibliophile all his life. He recently disposed of his world class collection of first edition, inscribed Jack London books -Just one has the value of a new auto-- but he saved four editions of the Complete Goggler; one as his personal copy and one for each of his children.
Guy Gilpatric passed on in Santa Barbara California in June 1950.
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compleat Goggler --revisted
"The Compleat Goggler
Being the First and Only Exhaustive Treatise on the Art of Goggle Fishing. That Noble and Excellent Sport Perfected and Popularized by Guy Gilpatric in the Mediterranean Sea - Though Long Practiced Elsewhere by Other Benighted Savages; Setting Forth the Proper manner of Making the Goggles, Spears and Other Needful Gadgets Together with Descriptions of Many Marvels Witnessed Upon the Bottom of the Sea And Fully Exposing the Author's Cunning Methods of Swimming, Diving & Spearing Fish and Octopi."
By Guy Gilpatric
1938 Dodd Mead & Company, New York City, NY
Hard cover with a dust jacket
182 pages; excess of 30 illustrations approximately 25 pictures, several taken underwater
The very first modern printed document chronicling the genesis of "goggle fishing" or as know today "spear fishing."
It it a collection of short goggling /spearfishing stories written by Mr. Gilpatric for the
Saturday Evening Post during the years 1934, 1935, 1937 & 1938.
There are very few of the original books on the open market, and there apparently is no clear estimate of the number remaining.
Few modern divers, including my self, would not have had the opportunity to own or read the Compleat Goggler if it had not been for the insight and courage of the founder of Skin Diver Magazine. Mr. Charles "Chuck" Blakeslee. He entered into a relationship with the original publisher, Dodd Mead and company who were still in business in 1956 to use the original plates to reprint 1200 copies of the book under the SDM banner in 1957 with an added forward by Mr. James Dugan, a very popular writer of that era and the US public relations agent for Cousteau; who at that time was almost unknown in the US.
The Skin Diver magazine reprint was listed a $5.00 dollars a copy but only a few books were sold, so the remaining books were converted into a marketing inducement. Purchase a subscription to Skin Diver Magazine a receive a copy of the book. Even then very few were sold.
In late 1960s the original owners , Chuck Blakeslee and Jim Auxier sold Skin Diver Magazine to the giant speciality magazine company Petersen Publishing in Hollywood. All the remaining editions of the SDM Compleat Goggler which were stored in boxes in the hall way of the firm's Lynwood office were "disposed with extreme prejudice " in the Long Beach California dump by the new owners of Skin Diver Magazine.
Epilogue:
Guy Gilpatric purchased a home on a hill over looking Santa Barbara California where he and his beloved wife spent their remaining days together. They passed away in June 1950
The Saturday Evening Post ceased publication in 1969
Chuck Blakeslee is alive and well and lives in a small northern California community with his wife Jere.
Jim Auxier passed away about 15 years ago at his daughter's home in Georgia
The current market value of decent used original copy of the compleat Goggler is in excess of $1000.00
The current market value of a SDM reprint of the compleat Goggler is in excess of $300.00.
The great pioneer spear fisherman/author/ world explorer Dr Professor Hans Hass who is alive and well today was a young man on a vacation in France when he was introduced to goggle fishing by Mr. Gilpatric. He is the only person remaining alive who knew Mr. Gilpatric and was mentioned in the book.
Being the First and Only Exhaustive Treatise on the Art of Goggle Fishing. That Noble and Excellent Sport Perfected and Popularized by Guy Gilpatric in the Mediterranean Sea - Though Long Practiced Elsewhere by Other Benighted Savages; Setting Forth the Proper manner of Making the Goggles, Spears and Other Needful Gadgets Together with Descriptions of Many Marvels Witnessed Upon the Bottom of the Sea And Fully Exposing the Author's Cunning Methods of Swimming, Diving & Spearing Fish and Octopi."
By Guy Gilpatric
1938 Dodd Mead & Company, New York City, NY
Hard cover with a dust jacket
182 pages; excess of 30 illustrations approximately 25 pictures, several taken underwater
The very first modern printed document chronicling the genesis of "goggle fishing" or as know today "spear fishing."
It it a collection of short goggling /spearfishing stories written by Mr. Gilpatric for the
Saturday Evening Post during the years 1934, 1935, 1937 & 1938.
There are very few of the original books on the open market, and there apparently is no clear estimate of the number remaining.
Few modern divers, including my self, would not have had the opportunity to own or read the Compleat Goggler if it had not been for the insight and courage of the founder of Skin Diver Magazine. Mr. Charles "Chuck" Blakeslee. He entered into a relationship with the original publisher, Dodd Mead and company who were still in business in 1956 to use the original plates to reprint 1200 copies of the book under the SDM banner in 1957 with an added forward by Mr. James Dugan, a very popular writer of that era and the US public relations agent for Cousteau; who at that time was almost unknown in the US.
The Skin Diver magazine reprint was listed a $5.00 dollars a copy but only a few books were sold, so the remaining books were converted into a marketing inducement. Purchase a subscription to Skin Diver Magazine a receive a copy of the book. Even then very few were sold.
In late 1960s the original owners , Chuck Blakeslee and Jim Auxier sold Skin Diver Magazine to the giant speciality magazine company Petersen Publishing in Hollywood. All the remaining editions of the SDM Compleat Goggler which were stored in boxes in the hall way of the firm's Lynwood office were "disposed with extreme prejudice " in the Long Beach California dump by the new owners of Skin Diver Magazine.
Epilogue:
Guy Gilpatric purchased a home on a hill over looking Santa Barbara California where he and his beloved wife spent their remaining days together. They passed away in June 1950
The Saturday Evening Post ceased publication in 1969
Chuck Blakeslee is alive and well and lives in a small northern California community with his wife Jere.
Jim Auxier passed away about 15 years ago at his daughter's home in Georgia
The current market value of decent used original copy of the compleat Goggler is in excess of $1000.00
The current market value of a SDM reprint of the compleat Goggler is in excess of $300.00.
The great pioneer spear fisherman/author/ world explorer Dr Professor Hans Hass who is alive and well today was a young man on a vacation in France when he was introduced to goggle fishing by Mr. Gilpatric. He is the only person remaining alive who knew Mr. Gilpatric and was mentioned in the book.
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
The book is full of historical notes but at the same time is a really great read in a fun style and with great pictures as well.
I have not seen many copies come up in the last year even searching outside the USA. There is another way of getting to read the book. Skin Diver Magazine published the Compleat Goggler over 4 months (March 1956 to June 1956). These have the text as well as the photos. There are also copies of the beginning versions in very early Saturday Evening Posts. I have one from 1934 and another from 1938. I spent a lot of time looking into these but have little information on them. I think VintageScuba and/or 21 are more knowledgeable on such publications.
I recently read of a native of French Polynesia that was brought to the beaches of southern France in the late 1920's where he taught spear fishing to the tourists. If anyone has more information on this man I would love to hear it.
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving I picked copies of most of Guy Gilpatric's books out of curiosity. They can be very cheap if you are not looking into collector copies. If you can get into reading in the Scottish accent he writes in within the Glencannon series they are very enjoyable. Using today's standards they are politically incorrect in the best way. I picked up a copy of Flying Stories mostly because it had his signature inside. It is a collection of flying stories from 1900's to WWII. Some of the stories remind me a bit of Roald Dahl. It is both powerful and humorous. I consider this his best book and highly recommend it.
The earliest writings I have of Guy Gilpatric relate to letters to the editor during his early flying days. These are from just before the First World War. I do not think he was paid to write until several years later when he returned from the war but these still suggest his sense of humor.
I have not seen many copies come up in the last year even searching outside the USA. There is another way of getting to read the book. Skin Diver Magazine published the Compleat Goggler over 4 months (March 1956 to June 1956). These have the text as well as the photos. There are also copies of the beginning versions in very early Saturday Evening Posts. I have one from 1934 and another from 1938. I spent a lot of time looking into these but have little information on them. I think VintageScuba and/or 21 are more knowledgeable on such publications.
I recently read of a native of French Polynesia that was brought to the beaches of southern France in the late 1920's where he taught spear fishing to the tourists. If anyone has more information on this man I would love to hear it.
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving I picked copies of most of Guy Gilpatric's books out of curiosity. They can be very cheap if you are not looking into collector copies. If you can get into reading in the Scottish accent he writes in within the Glencannon series they are very enjoyable. Using today's standards they are politically incorrect in the best way. I picked up a copy of Flying Stories mostly because it had his signature inside. It is a collection of flying stories from 1900's to WWII. Some of the stories remind me a bit of Roald Dahl. It is both powerful and humorous. I consider this his best book and highly recommend it.
The earliest writings I have of Guy Gilpatric relate to letters to the editor during his early flying days. These are from just before the First World War. I do not think he was paid to write until several years later when he returned from the war but these still suggest his sense of humor.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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Gilpatric--JYC relationship
[quote="eskimo3883"]...
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving but these still suggest his sense of humor.....[/quote]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gilpatric was JY Cousteau's hero and inspiration. So far as I can determine they never met.
Please note the third page of James Dugan's introduction in The Compleat Goggler
"Philippe Tailliez ...brought copies of the Compleat Goggler in Brentano's in Paris. He (Tailliez) inscribed one to JYC...."
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving but these still suggest his sense of humor.....[/quote]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gilpatric was JY Cousteau's hero and inspiration. So far as I can determine they never met.
Please note the third page of James Dugan's introduction in The Compleat Goggler
"Philippe Tailliez ...brought copies of the Compleat Goggler in Brentano's in Paris. He (Tailliez) inscribed one to JYC...."
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21
Gilpatric--JYC relationship
[quote="eskimo3883"]...
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving but these still suggest his sense of humor.....[/quote]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gilpatric was JY Cousteau's hero and inspiration. So far as I can determine they never met.
Please note the third page of James Dugan's introduction in The Compleat Goggler
"Philippe Tailliez ...brought copies of the Compleat Goggler in Brentano's in Paris. He (Tailliez) inscribed one to JYC...."
Since this is the guy (sorry for the pun) that introduced Cousteau and Hans Hass to diving but these still suggest his sense of humor.....[/quote]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Gilpatric was JY Cousteau's hero and inspiration. So far as I can determine they never met.
Please note the third page of James Dugan's introduction in The Compleat Goggler
"Philippe Tailliez ...brought copies of the Compleat Goggler in Brentano's in Paris. He (Tailliez) inscribed one to JYC...."
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DiverTim
- Master Diver
- Posts: 159
- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:03 am
- Location: Baton Rouge, La
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21
Gilpatric
[quote="DiverTim"]Interesting history! Tim[/quote]
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Aren't you fortunate that you are a member of this board?
All this dive history!
sdm
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Aren't you fortunate that you are a member of this board?
All this dive history!
sdm
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DiverTim
- Master Diver
- Posts: 159
- Joined: Sat Jul 12, 2008 11:03 am
- Location: Baton Rouge, La
Tim-
eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
In “Diving to Adventure” Hans Hass writes about watching Gilpatric dive in Cap d'Antibes in 1937 and later speaking with him on equipment.
Cousteau mentions Guy Gilpatric in a nice way in "The Silent World": "Undersea hunting raged with arbalests, spears, spring guns, cartridge-propelled arrows, and the elegant technique of the American writer, Guy Gilpatric, who impaled fish with fencing lunges.” In Tailliez’s “Hidden Depths” he mentions “Guy gilpatric, who from 1934 onwards impaled fish with fencing lunges on the shores of the Riviera and whose “Perfect Goggler” was the first bible of submarine hunters, was another of our heros”. If they had met Gilpatric I would think it would be mentioned in one of the trio’s books (Dumas, Tailliez, Cousteau).
In Trevor Norton’s “Stars Beneath the Sea” it is noted Cousteau came to the states in 1950 and asked to meet Gilatric but only after the shooting had already occured. It does not mention if this was to be the first meeting or not. The web is covered with references to Samuel Menefee's critic of Lesley A. DuTemple, 2004 biography of Cousteau where Menfee complains DuTemple failed to note that Cousteau actually knew Guy Gilpatric when he lived at Cap d'Antibes. No doubt both Cousteau and Gilpatric were in the south of France before Gilpatrc left France in 1939. However, I could not find any reference to why and do not give any meeting substance. I have sent a note to Mr. Pyeat,asking for information and if I get a reply I will forward it.
Cousteau mentions Guy Gilpatric in a nice way in "The Silent World": "Undersea hunting raged with arbalests, spears, spring guns, cartridge-propelled arrows, and the elegant technique of the American writer, Guy Gilpatric, who impaled fish with fencing lunges.” In Tailliez’s “Hidden Depths” he mentions “Guy gilpatric, who from 1934 onwards impaled fish with fencing lunges on the shores of the Riviera and whose “Perfect Goggler” was the first bible of submarine hunters, was another of our heros”. If they had met Gilpatric I would think it would be mentioned in one of the trio’s books (Dumas, Tailliez, Cousteau).
In Trevor Norton’s “Stars Beneath the Sea” it is noted Cousteau came to the states in 1950 and asked to meet Gilatric but only after the shooting had already occured. It does not mention if this was to be the first meeting or not. The web is covered with references to Samuel Menefee's critic of Lesley A. DuTemple, 2004 biography of Cousteau where Menfee complains DuTemple failed to note that Cousteau actually knew Guy Gilpatric when he lived at Cap d'Antibes. No doubt both Cousteau and Gilpatric were in the south of France before Gilpatrc left France in 1939. However, I could not find any reference to why and do not give any meeting substance. I have sent a note to Mr. Pyeat,asking for information and if I get a reply I will forward it.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
Re: THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER
This link goes to a copy of the St Petersburg Times and you c
an read a period newspaper article describing the death of Guy Gilpatric for free.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8 ... 74,2455740
an read a period newspaper article describing the death of Guy Gilpatric for free.
http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=8 ... 74,2455740
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
Re: THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER
This link is from a book on women with cancer and describes the death of Guy Gilpatric : "Bathsheba's breast" By James Stuart Olson.
I checked on the reference listed on the page and it turns out it is only the short New York Times article. I have a copy and the referenced article says very little about the details mentioned in the book, such as comments within a note they supposedly left. I have yet to see a reference to some of the claims on the net.
The article in the St Petersburg Times said Guy was told in private that his wife's tumor was malignant but that doctor told Louise the tumor was not malignant out of kindness.
http://books.google.com/books/jhu?q=gil ... A1-PA99,M1
James S Olsen Bathsheba’s Breast Section on Gilpatric death
It is a little too easy to change history on the net. I did it today myself. Up until today Wikipedia said: By accident, her medical status card was swapped with that of someone else and she was told she was terminally ill. The couple then decided to commit suicide together, which they did on 7 July of the same year. After their deaths, the medical error was noticed." As there was no reference I changed this today to say this part of the story was urban myth until someone leaves a reference.
I checked on the reference listed on the page and it turns out it is only the short New York Times article. I have a copy and the referenced article says very little about the details mentioned in the book, such as comments within a note they supposedly left. I have yet to see a reference to some of the claims on the net.
The article in the St Petersburg Times said Guy was told in private that his wife's tumor was malignant but that doctor told Louise the tumor was not malignant out of kindness.
http://books.google.com/books/jhu?q=gil ... A1-PA99,M1
James S Olsen Bathsheba’s Breast Section on Gilpatric death
It is a little too easy to change history on the net. I did it today myself. Up until today Wikipedia said: By accident, her medical status card was swapped with that of someone else and she was told she was terminally ill. The couple then decided to commit suicide together, which they did on 7 July of the same year. After their deaths, the medical error was noticed." As there was no reference I changed this today to say this part of the story was urban myth until someone leaves a reference.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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eskimo3883
- Master Diver
- Posts: 383
- Joined: Mon Aug 14, 2006 5:15 pm
Re: THE COMPLEAT GOGGLER
I got to learn how to cut and paste.
This link is from a book on women with cancer and describes the death of Guy Gilpatric :
"Bathsheba's breast" By James Stuart Olson.
http://books.google.com/books/jhu?q=gil ... A1-PA99,M1
James S Olsen Bathsheba’s Breast Section on Gilpatric death
I checked on the reference listed on the page and it turns out it is only the short New York Times article. I have a copy and the referenced article says very little about the details mentioned in the book, such as comments within a note they supposedly left. I have yet to see a reference to most of the claims on the net concerning the deaths. It is a little too easy to change history on the net. I did it today myself. Up until today Wikipedia said: By accident, her medical status card was swapped with that of someone else and she was told she was terminally ill. The couple then decided to commit suicide together, which they did on 7 July of the same year. After their deaths, the medical error was noticed." No reference was given. The article in the St Petersburg Times said Guy was told in private that his wife's tumor was malignant but that doctor told Louise the tumor was not malignant out of kindness. This sounds less sensational but more credible. I changed the Wikipedia page today to say that this part of the story was urban myth until someone leaves a reference. Got to question any source that lets you change the facts so easily and does not demand any references.
This link is from a book on women with cancer and describes the death of Guy Gilpatric :
"Bathsheba's breast" By James Stuart Olson.
http://books.google.com/books/jhu?q=gil ... A1-PA99,M1
James S Olsen Bathsheba’s Breast Section on Gilpatric death
I checked on the reference listed on the page and it turns out it is only the short New York Times article. I have a copy and the referenced article says very little about the details mentioned in the book, such as comments within a note they supposedly left. I have yet to see a reference to most of the claims on the net concerning the deaths. It is a little too easy to change history on the net. I did it today myself. Up until today Wikipedia said: By accident, her medical status card was swapped with that of someone else and she was told she was terminally ill. The couple then decided to commit suicide together, which they did on 7 July of the same year. After their deaths, the medical error was noticed." No reference was given. The article in the St Petersburg Times said Guy was told in private that his wife's tumor was malignant but that doctor told Louise the tumor was not malignant out of kindness. This sounds less sensational but more credible. I changed the Wikipedia page today to say that this part of the story was urban myth until someone leaves a reference. Got to question any source that lets you change the facts so easily and does not demand any references.
“A skin diver is a fellow who pulls on a pair of fancy swimming trunks, some rubber fins, a diving mask and canvas gloves, then fills his lungs with air and noses down into the ocean looking for two fisted trouble.”
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