"When Dawn Wright submitted her master’s thesis in the 1980s, her supervisor told her that she had no future in oceanography. Today, she is a distinguished oceanographer and chief scientist at software company Esri. In 2022, she became the first Black person to visit Challenger Deep, the deepest place on Earth’s sea bed, more than 10,000 metres below the sea surface. This charming book, written by Wright in collaboration with four Esri Press colleagues, shows how, in her words, “we can turn the unknown deep into the known deep”." -- Andrew Robinson ― Nature (a top 10 Nature 2024’s best Books in brief)

“Written lucidly and accompanied by an engaging collection of photographs, diagrams, explanatory asides and illuminating personal anecdotes, Mapping the Deep is perfect for anybody with a thirst for exploration – especially young adults looking for inspiring role models." -- Neil Simpson ― Dialogue Earth

““Deepsea Dawn,” is an oceanographer who is an authority on the mapping of the seafloor. Her new book Mapping the Deep: Innovation, Exploration, and the Dive of a Lifetime, documents not only her groundbreaking research but also her personal journey to the great ocean depths. Being the first African American and one of a handful of women to make such dives, she has broken multiple barriers and served as an inspiration to many.” – The Explorers Journal

“Mapping the Deep is a highly visual, narrative telling of the people and technologies involved in mapping the ocean floor … It places Wright’s life’s work in the context of several threads, including among key women in marine mapping and oceanography.”