Underwater Scilly by Tim Allsop & Anna Cawthray

This picture book has been put together by two local divers with some 4500 dives of Scilly Isles waters between them, so they know their stuff.
The intro makes clear that it is not intended as a species reference book, but as a celebration of the underwater world, intended as much for non-divers as for divers. Its four chapters cover shallows, reefs, wrecks and seals.
While I appreciate the aim, the execution unfortunately falls a bit short. The picture quality is variable, the macro generally faring better than the wide-angle, and though there are some attractive images, overall the reproduction is rather flat. The seals come out well, and there are an awful lot of anemones.
Because the text is terse and very basic, there is too little here to engage the reader - after 20 minutes, you'll move on to something else. I was left thinking how much more I would have enjoyed this book had it been based on some inspired writing about the Scilly Isles' underwater attractions, illustrated by a selection of the best of these pictures.
Steve Weinman

Marshfield U/water Publications
ISBN: 9780956187406
Hardback, 116pp, £24