Speleology Books

Although this book was printed in 1961, it is still considered the "Bible" of Tennessee cave exploration. Approximately 700 different caves are located and described. Maps and photographs accompany many of these cave descriptions.

Special sections at the beginning of this book give information on the origin and development of caves, cave speleothems, and the variety of animal life found in caves.

This book is a wonderful source of information for both begining cavers and experienced cavers. Every serious Tennessee caver has a copy of this book in his/her library.

The First Edition of "Cumberland Caverns" was printed in 1989 by the National Speleolgical Society (NSS). At 318 pages long, this is one of the most extensive histories of any American cave ever written. This Edition went out-of-print from the publisher in 2002, but occasionally a new copy can still be found.

A new, updated and re-formated Second Edition was published in October, 2005. This new edition contains 37 new photographs and fourteen larger, more easily read maps. It is printed in an 8.5 X 11 inch format, whereas the First Edition was 5 X 8.

Unfortunately, nearly a dozen old, black & white photographs that were in the First Edition were lost in a house fire and do not appear in the Second Edition.

Larry E. Matthews

This book is a wonderful introduction to the history of cave exploration in the United States of America. It chronicles exploration by George Washington and Thomas Jefferson in Virginia (Chapter 3), slave Steven Bishop in Mammoth Cave (Chapter 1), and the infamous Floyd Collins who died trapped in a Kentucky cave in 1925 (Chapter 2). (The Death of Floyd Collins was the FIRST record to sell one million copies!)

All major cave regions of the country are included and both wild caves and commercial caves are featured. Some of these caves will either be near where you live or where you will go on vacation.

All types of caves are mentioned, including limestone caves (the most common), lava tube caves, and glacier caves. Chapter 15 discusses the beginings of exploring completely flooded caves with scuba gear and Chapter 13 chronicles the history of the development of modern vertical caving techniques.

If you have any interest at all in caves, you should enjoy this book. It includes many interesting black-and-white photographs and maps.

Bill Halliday's books were translated into Russian and he is regarded as having sparked the Russian's interst in their own caves. Some people have referred to him as the "Father Of Russian Speleology".

This is a fascinating compilation of serious research articles covering the geology and biology of caves. It is well written and accessible to the non-specialist, and is an invaluable reference for all scientists with an interest in caves. This volume has fewer entries than the excellent Encyclopedia of Caves and Karst edited by Gunn, however, the subjects in this work are discussed in considerable depth. Buy both and you will have the most complete and up-to-date references available on caves and karst.

Former show cave operator H. Dwight Weaver presents Missouri Caves in History and Legend, the concentrated essence of a lifetime of history and research into Missouri's caves created by limestone bedrock slowly dissolved by groundwater. Bringing the reader on a tour underground, Missouri Caves in History and Legend reveals what caves have to tell us about extinct species and early Native Americans; how caves were used to mine saltpeter, onyx, and guano; how caves became hideouts for Civil War soldiers and notorious outlaws such as Jesse James; and much more. A handful of black-and-white photographs illustrate this fascinating tour accessible to readers of all backgrounds - the next best thing to visiting Missouri's caves in person!

This a small book with a lot of information from how caves and various formations are created to the animals that inhabit caves. It is well-written and easy to understand though technical enough for those who want all the whys and wherefores. I've owned this book for 30 years and wouldn't consider parting with it.

'Vertical', by Alan Warild, has become a standard reference text for most, if not all, vertical cavers in New Zealand. Alan begins the book with an introduction to general caving equipment, then goes into further depth about specific equipment, techniques and tools of vertical caving. Descent equipment and techniques, ascent equipment and techniques, rigging of caves - both Alpine and American styles, safety, surveying and expedition caving are all covered in great depth in this excellent book.

Many techniques are discussed, such as crossing knots, rebelays and redirectors on both ascent and descent; different methods of ascent such as the Frog method used in New Zealand and the various ropewalking methods such as Gibbs and Texas; the pros and cons of various techniques and items of gear; and much valuable information on the safe rigging of caves.

The book has become a common reference used on rigging courses run by the New Zealand Speleological Society and is even used by New Zealand Department of Conservation staff who are involved in climbing trees, using SRT techniques originally from caving, to check bat roosts or nests of rare birds.

I would thoroughly recommend this book to any caver who is interested in vertical caving and rigging - both novice and expert cavers will gain much from it.

I still recommend this book highly. The story of these explorers is simply amazing. As someone who is very very claustrophobic (my worst fear is being stuck in some confined space), I have to be an "armchair" explorer, and this book makes you confront these fears. In the end it's very rewarding.

The book's only flaw is the "reconstructed" dialogue. I don't know who recommended the author(s) adopt this format, because it is really awkward in places. The narrative of, say, a Jon Krakauer book or a Simon Winchester book is much, much more effective than a lot of the bogus, even boring dialogue that comes across here. There are a lot of characters the author(s) and the readers have to deal with, so perhaps giving most of them "voices" was thought of as the best way to do it, but after a while it gets a little tiring and actually disrupts the build-up of the action.

Still, it's an awesome story of exploration and what drives us to keep pushing the limits.

I'm a scuba diver. I have also done a lot of spelunking in my late teens and early 20's. I never really considered combining the 2. It just didn't cross my mind.

Now I never will.

There were so many times in this book that I simply got the willies. (Did I spell that right?) It became more frightening that some of the horror I've read.

It also (in my humble opinion) addresses one of the greatest downfalls of some explorers; Not taking into consideration one's mortality.

While I doubt I'll ever willingly mix traditional scuba diving with spelunking I may consider it if I had access to the re-breathers this team used.

This book is NOT for the claustrophobic.

I really wanted to like this book but I found myself struggling to finish it. No doubt, the experience itself was immeasurably exciting / interesting, but the book was, well, kind of boring.

It could have easily been half the length and not lost much, and as another reviewer indicated, I never really got a feel for what is so great about crawling though caves. I'm sure it IS great, at least to those who are as into it as these people are, but I didn't get why or how from the book. I also found the third-person writing style a bit contrived, somehow.

If you DID like this book, I would highly recommend 'The Last Dive' which is in a similar vein but I found very exciting and extremely well written.

Fascinating book about the ultimate 'adventure' junkies-- who explore the world's most treacherous cave in Mexico. An amazing crew of people. What's so unusual is that these are divers-- deep see divers, not just guys and gals who go down into the cave on ropes or climb rocks. They call themselves CAVERS -- details make the true-life adventure come alive. What's disturbing though is that lives were lost on this expedition and the authors tend to gloss over those lost in their quest for the ultimate experiences. Cinematic and even outrageous tale of diving into disaster.

What is it that drives cave explorers to descend to unbelievable depths, as if they were involved in an international game of subterranean chess?

Perhaps the clues are to be found within the pages of a book entitled Beyond The Deep that chronicles the breathtaking 1994 San Agustin Expedition as told from the perspective of Bill Stone and Barbara am Ende.
Much of the information was gleaned from their logbooks, diaries, and recollections, as well as from dozens of interviews conducted by their co-author Monte Paulsen.

In 1977, 1979 and 1981 cave divers were unsuccessful in exploring the San Agustin sump or the underground tunnel that was flooded entirely with water. This sump is the deepest point in a cave known as Sistema Huautla, Oaxaca, Mexico.

Many of the difficulties were the result of using traditional equipment as well as the inability to effectively transport the supplies and gear necessary to accomplish this incredible feat.

In 1994 international exploring expert Bill Stone completed the constructing of an closed cycle life support system or as he termed it a "rebreather." This piece of apparatus was called the Mk-ll.

This would permit the cavers and divers to explore the San Agustin Sump far longer than anyone was able to accomplish in the past.

It was Stone's contention that the problem was primarily a technological challenge. Once this was overcome, the rest would fall into place.

The next step entailed the meticulous organization of the various components of the team.
There was expedition leader Stone, six dive team members, 35 support team participants and 5 members of the photo team.

These individuals wanted to "place their own boot where no one hand before." According to Stone, "every member had made enormous personal sacrifices in the pursuit of this elusive grail. They'd left family behind for a third of a year; had trained relentlessly for two years just to get there; had gone deeply into debt; and were subjecting themselves daily to physical hardships."

Why do it? Perhaps Stone sums it up when he asserts, "after so many years of struggle, he'd found the route, the secret doorway to the gaping, unexplored beyond."

One of the shortcomings of the book is the extensive use of technical jargon. The authors did indicate in the introduction that they have substituted common words for technical jargon wherever possible.

However, unfortunately, far too often I had to refer to the glossary at the back of the book to understand a paragraph or sentence. No doubt this deflated some of the suspense of the saga.

if you are into ropes , climbing this is the book to get. Detailed pictures, very informative. This is the bible of ropes ,climbing,rescue,ect. I reccomend this book to all who are into anything dealing with ropes!

No other book is needed when learning about hanging from a rope. An excellent resource to have in your library.

This is a great reference for anyone working with rope. It's well written with clear illustrations. What I found most valuable was the wealth of safety information. Highly recommended.

This is the most informative and educational book about Caving and Rope.
I have to keep buying them because they get borrowed and never find their way back. But thats ok because my next one is never leaving my site.
Well ilistrated and written.

This book is rated 5-stars because the information contained is absolutely necessary to anybody who climbs and/or works with rope. However, I must say that the information could be organized better, and the quality of writing could also use a little help. In the end, it is still the best "general" book on using rope when your life is on the line.

After my first trip through one of the sections of Mammoth Cave, I was addicted to this world. My husband turned me on to this man, Floyd Collins, who I have never heard of. We both bought a book from the park store and I couldn't pull myself away from this one. As we drove for hours on our vacation, I would read multiple parts to my husband while he was driving. I couldn't fight the tears as I read so many parts of this book to him. I don't normally get consumed by movies or books, but this book and the story of Floyd Collins has left such an impact on me. It is inevitable the you will find yourself feeling trapped along with Floyd and find a warm level of love and respect for him as his days and conversations are described. I can't even begin to describe feeling as though I was right there beside Homer, Skeets and Johnnie with their dedication to saving this man. I wish there was a movie about this - not a documentary, but a movie. The drama, suspense, characters and events of this story are so realistic and R.K. Murray did a great job on this book.

Definitely a winner.

The best book I've ever read, period. Within the context of a rescue attempt of a Kentucky caver, the authors paint a revealing picture of America in the 1920's. From the glory seeking Louisville fireman to a journalist who won the nobel prize, this story is not to be missed. Just read the 1st five pages, up to the 1st line break, & you'll be hooked. I've never handed this book to anyone who wasn't totally enthralled w/ it.

O.K.- this genre of book is not my usual reading. However- Since seeing the play (musical) and buying the O.B.C. C.D, I had to know more. This fast paced book is highly readable, and contains wonderful but chilling insights into the farce that passed as a rescue attempt as well as many sidelights into the people and events of this tragedy. What had me literally on chair's edge was the author's move by move of his personal trip into the very cave that was to be Collins' first grave. A real nail biter! Buy this book, buy the C.D., and please see the show- you too will be hooked! Good stuff!!

Trapped! the story of Floyd Collins, is a very well written account of one of the first mass media coverages of an American Tragedy. The book itself flows very well and engrosses the reader in the details of the often heroic effort to save Collins who was trapped in a cave near Mammouth Cave in Kentucky. Murray and Brucker do an excellent job in discussing the noted personalities associated with the media frenzy that closely followed the efforts to save Collins. Also dealt with is the exploitation of the entire event by a number of self serving individuals. A great book for those interested in Kentucky History and a noteworthy work for those who prefer casual reading.

When asked about his earliest childhood memory, my late father would tell of his dad carrying him to his uncle's house to listen to radio news reports of the attempted rescue of Floyd Collins from a cave in nearby Kentucky. This book brings to life those events that captured the nation's attention in Jan.-Feb. 1925. Trapped is a well-written, well-documented account of the tragedy that occured in the central Kentucky hills and before watchful eyes of the nation. Its a gripping account that manages to capture the facts of the event, including great details of America's first modern media circus, while still attending to the many colorful characters who played a role in Collin's life, the rescue attempt, and the aftermath.