I bought this book in June 2015. In the past couple weeks I have seen or or heard it mentioned numerous times. I figured that was fate telling me to finally pick it up and read it. No, I didn't do the damage shown! I bought it new, but at a "scratch & dent" sale (paid $6.49 instead of the cover price $19.99). The cover is a little beat up from rough handling at a store but, in my eyes, a few tears, scuffs, and folds just give it extra character.

I decided to go back in time and re-read Cussler's Dirk Pitt books. This one has a copyright date of 1981 but is set in "the future" year of 1989. I giggled at things everyone has ( ie. holographic telephones) and mourned some of the things we no longer have -er, I guess that would be "had" ( Pan Am flights, lax airport and government building security).
A modern reader has to overlook chauvinism, but it still is a fun action/adventure book.