Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life

Name: Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life
Brand: Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand
SKU: 9780733641725
Price: 37.99 NZD
Availability: InStock

The remarkable story of the trailblazing ocean conservationist, photographer and shark expert

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Summary

Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life by Valerie Taylor and Ben Mckelvey delves into the extraordinary journey of Valerie Taylor, a pioneering marine conservationist and filmmaker with a passion for shark advocacy. This engaging memoir explores her adventurous spirit, detailing her explorations of the ocean's depths and her dedication to preserving marine life, all while navigating personal and professional challenges. It's a captivating story of courage, love for the ocean, and the relentless pursuit of a cause.
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Format: Paperback / softback

$37⁹⁹

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Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life

$37⁹⁹

Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

You might enjoy this book if you're captivated by tales of adventure and pioneering spirit. It offers a deep dive into the life of a legendary underwater explorer, providing thrilling accounts of ocean exploits and personal triumphs. This memoir will fascinate anyone interested in marine life, conservation, and the incredible journey of a passionate oceanographer.

From trainee animator to Spielberg, from JAWS to BLUE LAGOON, to falling in love with the ocean and with her husband, Ron, this is the exceptional and unique life story of pioneering marine conservationist, photographer and shark expert Valerie Taylor.

Description

At 83 years old, Valerie Taylor has lived a big, bold adventurous life.

Born in Australia, Valerie spent a great deal of her childhood in New Zealand. A talented artist, she dropped out of school when she contracted polio and was saved by Sister Elizabeth Kenny's treatment plan; it was two years before she could walk unaided. When Valerie was fifteen, she found work as an animator and moved back to Australia with her family. All the while she thrived on being close to the ocean, and was a keen spear fisher.

In the 1950s, she met Ron Taylor and then her real adventures started. Together they sailed all over the world, photographing and filming their travels for magazines, TV and movies, and making many documentaries. Valerie and Ron became interested in conservation, and focused on sharks in particular. They did all the shark work on Jaws, and James Cameron decided he wanted to become a filmmaker because of Valerie and her husband.

Valerie is working with the brilliant Ben Mckelvey to share her story of falling in love with the ocean and with her husband, Ron. From trainee animator to Spielberg, from JAWS to BLUE LAGOON, this is the remarkable story of an incredible woman.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Valerie Taylor: An Adventurous Life offers an engaging portrayal of Valerie's captivating journey, highlighted by her work on a Spielberg film and her lasting passion for the ocean and husband Ron. Her story unfolds around her distinguished career in filmmaking and photography, portraying her unique courage around sharks and her exceptional insight into their behaviour.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780733641725

Publisher: Hachette Australia

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 24 September 2019

Country: Australia

Imprint: Hachette Australia

Illustration: 2 x 8 pages colour illustration

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 30.0mm

Width: 154.0mm

Height: 234.0mm

Weight: 480g

Pages: 336

Collections

Biography & Memoir Non-Fiction Valerie Taylor

About the Author

Valerie Taylor (Author)

Valerie Taylor is a pioneering diver, shark advocate, conservationist and artist. An acclaimed spear fisher, she met her husband Ron through this sport and together they became a formidable team and pioneers of skindiving, underwater photography and cinematography. They were the first to film great white sharks without the protection of a cage and made countless shark films, including Blue Water, White Death, which led to their work with Steven Spielberg on Jaws. A renowned conservationist, Valerie has compaigned for the protection of Australia's wild oceans, islands and reefs including the Great Barrier Reef before it was given World Heritage status. She was awarded the Order of Australia in 2003 for her conservation efforts. Valerie lives in Sydney and, at 83, is still diving and still fighting for us to save our oceans.

Ben Mckelvey (Author)

Ben Mckelvey is an author, journalist and editor. Ben's books have won the Australian Independent Book Award for non-fiction, an Australian Book Industry Award and the Nib Military History Prize and they have been shortlisted in the Victorian and Queensland Premier's Literary Awards and for the Les Carlyon Literary Prize. Ben has been the editor of Mr Jones, Sports&Style and Juice magazines and worked at the Sydney Morning Herald as a Senior Feature Writer. As a freelance writer, Ben has been embedded with the ADF in East Timor and Iraq, and has worked independently in Iran, Syria and Afghanistan.

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