I’ve just finished an exciting book titled Monturiol’s Dream; the Extraordinary Story of the Submarine Inventor Who Wanted to Save the World, by Matthew Stewart (Pantheon, 338 pages with illustrations). This is the true story of the revolutionary Catalan inventor Narcis Monturiol, who built the first true submarine–with successful oxygen scrubbers that allowed the crew to stay submerged for up to four hours and an underwater steam engine that worked by chemical combustion instead of fire!–all of this way back in 1858. The submarine, which was built in two versions, was called the Ictineo–”the Fish” and its design perfectly embodied its name, because the inventor felt that his mystic ship was an “organic” machine–a living extension of human intelligence into a new realm. It had double hulls and observation windows that allowed the submariners to marvel at the wonders of the deep, and it could safely dive in up to five meters of open ocean, though the Catalan designed it to go much deeper. Unlike the inventors of the Hunley and the Alligator, Monturiol did not build his marvelous craft for battle. Instead, it was meant for scientific research, coral harvesting, and for the general advancement of humanity. Sounds beyond belief, doesn’t it? The fact is that every word is true! This incredible genius built a safe, reliable means of underwater exploration when submarine designers were still looked upon as elaborate coffin builders. Why have we not heard of Monturiol before? Most of the information concerning his life and career are in Spanish. As I read this book, however, Monturiol’s personality and the design of the Ictineo grew more and more familiar. Of course! Jules Verne had based his Captain Nemo–with his quirky mixture of idealism and inventive genius–on the Catalan inventor and the Nautilus is merely the Ictineo raised to the realm of science fantasy.

Stewart’s scholarship and his ability to explain the politically complicated times in which Monturiol pursued his dream are first-rate. I heartily recommend this book.