Ergor Rubreck (Roger Brucker) loves to make you laugh with his zany, unbelievable cave exploring short stories. Explorers will discover their own secret motives hidden from relatives. This is a follow up to "Mama Says Don't Cave". More cautionary tales, more tales beyond belief (or are they). This review says it all: "If Mark Twain had owned a headlamp and suffered from questionable judgment, he might have written this book. Fortunately for us Ergor Rbreck did. A must read for those who enjoys geology, humility and poor decisions."
Ergor Rubreck (Roger Brucker) loves to make you laugh with his zany, unbelievable cave exploring short stories. Explorers will discover their own secret motives hidden from relatives. Ergor has selected his best 73 short stories of a total of 160 written over eleven years for caver newsletters. His ego tops his imagination, restricted only by his motto, "True if interesting." Worldwide adventures will thrill you, even his startling evidence of a paleo flat earth.
Ergor takes you to Iceland, Antarctica, Zanzibar, Italy, Canada, Netherlands, Panama (which he bypassed), China, India, and New York. Read these stories aloud with feeling to see your friends snort and hoot. This self-styled wonderful caver is never shy about accepting fees or certificates suitable for framing.
Author Martin Broen, Foreword by Alex Mustard, Introduction by Paul Nicklen
Ten Best Photography Books of 2024, Smithsonian Magazine
An immersive journey into a natural wonder--the underwater caves and cenotes of Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula, a destination very few divers have ever reached.
Shining a light into the "Underworld" (Xibalba, as the Maya called this sacred place), these stunning images from cave diver and award-winning photographer Martin Broen transport us into a secret and fascinating world accessed from cenotes, water-filled gateways to an infinite labyrinth of tunnels that create the longest underwater cave systems on the planet.
Over multiple expeditions and utilizing groundbreaking diving and photographic techniques, Broen has captured more than 250 different cenotes, their caves, and the dramatic secrets that lie within them, bringing photographs from his explorations back to the surface. Paired with images of startling otherworldly beauty, Broen's engaging text guides readers through the unique features of the Yucatan cenotes: from dramatic sinkhole entrances to decorated underwater caverns filled with rainbow colors; from ancient time capsules that document the fossil record to the critical environmental role that cenotes play today.
With contributions from Alex Mustard and Paul Nicklen based on their own diving experiences, this volume beckons divers, cavers and armchair explorers into a uniquely dangerous yet beautiful and essential underwater world.
By by Veronica Chiarini and Jo De Waele, with illustrations by Veronica Chiarini. This 135-pages book, printed in color and in English, is dedicated to the geology of caves accompanied by photographs of more than 40 international cave photographers and original illustrations. It is a small manual that aims to guide the reader in observing caves with a different eye, through pictures, drawings, captions and short stories.
The guide tells us that caves and their infillings are like "pages torn from a book", and that a fantastic story can be hidden behind every detail. The targets of the volume are everyone interested in the geology of caves, from speleologists, to scientists and students. The text is revelatory but scientifically correct and updated at the latest frontiers of karstological research.
Rick Stanton MBE served for years as a firefighter, but it was his “hobby” of cave-diving that was his passion He has quietly spent forty years exploring caves around the world, steadily building his unique skill set as he defied limits, pushed boundaries, and discovered parts of the earth that had never been seen before. Along the way, he and his dive partners became the ones to call for the most challenging cave rescue and recovery missions. In 2018, he found himself on the world's stage when he led the team that rescued a children’s soccer team that was trapped inside Thailand's flooded Tham Luang cave. Rick needed to rely on all the experiences and friendships he'd gathered along the way, as he carefully planned and then successfully executed one of the most noteworthy rescue missions in modern history.
This book tells the enthralling inside story of the Tham Luang cave rescue in Thailand--told by the leader of the daring underwater rescue mission.
In July 2018, twelve boys and their soccer coach disappeared into the Tham Luang Cave in Thailand.
Trapped miles beneath the surface, not even the Thai Navy SEALs had the skills to bring them to safety. With the floodwater rising rapidly, time was running out.
Any hope of survival rested on Rick Stanton, a retired British firefighter with a living room full of homemade cave-diving equipment. As unlikely as it seemed, Rick and his partner, John Volanthen, were regarded as the A-team for exactly this kind of mission.
The Thai Cave Rescue was the culmination of a lifelong obsession, requiring every ounce of skill and ingenuity accumulated by Rick over a four decade pursuit of the unknown.
While the world held its breath, Rick, John, and their assembled team raced against time in the face of near impossible odds. There was simply no precedent for what they were attempting to do. . . .
Paul Saxon, a geology professor, is warned of a pending apocalypse -- political divisiveness is creating social collapse. Who will die and how will they die? Paul sees it as the Quick Death in the immediate panic, then the Big Death as supplies run out, then the Slow Death as the survivors struggle to see the next day. Paul purchases a cave property in western Alabama, outfitting the cave to be a secret, hidden refuge. Away on business in Atlanta, riots break out and Paul flees to northwestern Georgia. The rest of his family barely makes it to the safety of the Alabama cave as the President declares martial law and the southern states close their borders. Paul stumbles onto a refuge that has taken a different approach. He becomes the Discriminator, deciding who is let in and who is sent away. Hundreds of miles distant, his family is discovered and must flee. Where can safety be found, how can they get there, and will anyone help them? pb, 234 pp.
John Mylroie is Professor Emeritus of Geology at Mississippi State University. After childhood in rural upstate New York, he attended Syracuse University, graduating in 1971 with a Zoology degree Summa Cum Laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and also lettering on the soccer team. He met Joan Saxon, a fellow Zoology major and Phi Beta Kappa, in Chemistry lecture his freshman year; they were married in 1970. Draft number 69 in the first draft lottery sent John to the Navy for a year as a sonar technician. While subsequently working in the electronics laboratory of the Biology Department at SUNY Albany, John decided to turn his sporting interest in caves into a career. He entered the Geology PhD program at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1974, graduating in 1977 and taking a faculty position at Murray State University where Joan earned a MSc in microbiology and taught as an instructor.John and Joan decided to start a family in 1981, and by November 1983 had three sons, the latter two appearing as undiagnosed identical twins (surprise!). With five mouths to feed, John took the Department Head position in the Geology and Geography Department (now Geosciences) at Mississippi State University in 1985. Joan later became a Geography instructor. He continued his island cave research program, often taking the entire family into the field. The National Speleological Society awarded John their Science Award for his work on island caves in 2000, and the Honorary Member award, the society's highest award, for lifetime contributions to cave science in 2008. Joan and John have completed field work in 25 countries, and they have published hundreds of professional papers, reports, field guides, and articles. Their work on islands across the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans, as well as the Caribbean and Mediterranean Seas, has given them insight into how peoples and cultures interact with the environment in remote settings.After a career of writing factual material in scientific literature, John decided it was time to make things up and write fiction. He has written books in the science fiction, fantasy, mystery, and spy thriller genres.
Meet the Secret Explorers - a band of brainiac kids from all around the world, here to take young readers on a series of fact-filled fictional adventures! Each with their own specialty, from outer space to dinosaurs, these young globetrotters will teach kids aged 7-9 that learning can be fun, encouraging them to become experts in something they love.
In this story, Leah the biology explorer and Cheng the geology expert are sent on a daring mission to a network of caves in India. However, when they get there they realize there's more to this mission than meets the eye. The gripping narrative is filled with scientific facts as the explorers navigate the subterranean world and come across the animals that live there.
This epic adventure is packed with:
- Fun facts and beautiful subterranean illustrations for kids aged 7-9. - Informative diagrams to make science and nature seem simple. - A summary of all the scientific discoveries made throughout the story. - Quizzes, mission notes, and a glossary of definitions making it the perfect classroom read.
Foreword by Robert & Johanna Titus, trade paper, 6 x 9, 344 pages, 87 illustrations. Author Dana Cudmore grew up in the middle of New York State's "Cave Country"--home to an astonishing 150+ caves including world-famous Howe Caverns and Secret Caverns. This book explores the wonder and drama in the history of the caves and describes the remarkable personal and engineering accomplishments that turned some into popular tourist destinations. It is an intriguing, surprising, sometimes humorous and very human look back at nearly 200 years of adventure in New York's most famous caves and the explorers and entrepreneurs whose courage and vision have made the caves a part of the lives of millions of visitors from around the world. Cudmore and friends explored many of the area's caves, including some of the spectacular ones that are not public and less well-known, such as Ball's, Schoharie Caverns, Selleck's, and Knox Cave. Still not rediscovered, however, is Lester Howe's legendary Garden of Eden Cave, which Howe claimed was "bigger and better" than the famous cave he discovered and opened to the public in 1842. The search continues.
Hand-in-hand with the story of the caves is the story of the stone and cement quarry that was also built on the region's unique geology, and the history of the feisty, hardscrabble community that grew up around the original Howes Cave entrance and the quarry.
Previously undocumented details taken from years of accumulated research have formed this compelling history, including such exciting recent developments as the sale of Howe Caverns and its rebirth as an adventure destination (Naked Cave Tour, anyone?), the reopening of the Howes Cave quarry, and the creation of a new, first-of-its-kind, museum dedicated to these underground empires.
"Cudmore has written a book not solely about the caves' history, but about all the history attached to the caves--the multitude of personalities and the cultural and economic tides that have swept across the Leatherstocking Country and its greatest natural wonders. ... Underground Empires is a rise, fall, rise, fall, and rise again story filled with colorful characters, high adventure, a little romance even, and some tantalizing mysteries." -- From the foreword by Robert and Johanna Titus
ABOUT THE AUTHOR Dana Cudmore of Cobleskill is a retired communications professional who worked as a newspaper reporter and editor as well as a public relations director in the New York State university system. After running his own agency, Media Services, for a dozen years, he worked as an external affairs officer for a federal disaster response agency before retiring. Among other distinctions, he was a member of the original board of directors of the Cave House Museum of Mining and Geology, created in Howes Cave in 2003. Cudmore put himself through college working summers at Howe Caverns, where he developed an interest in its history and folklore. As a young man he explored many of the region's other, undeveloped caves, as well as caves in Missouri, Pennsylvania, Vermont, Virginia, and West Virginia. He writes of his first experiences as a young Howe Caverns tour guide: The 52? "other world" of the cave offered a bit of thrill, and I was fascinated by its mysterious dark passages--some unseen and unavailable to the public. I wanted to explore and to know all I could. Cudmore's fascination with caves and Schoharie County's Cave Country eventually led to his first book, The Remarkable Howe Caverns Story (1990), which was followed by Unearthing Howes Cave: A Community and a Quarry from 1842 On (2005).
By Philippe Crochet and Annie Guiraud. This coffee table book offers a photographic journey into some of the world's most beautiful caves. The eight thematic chapters include a large number of high-quality photographs supplemented by explanatory texts in French and in English. The authors'aim is to share their passion for the underground world and pay tribute to its hidden splendors. Size : 30 cm x 30 cm (11.8 in x 11.8 in). 336 pages , weight : 4.4 lb, includes 365 color photographs. "For decades (Philippe and Annie ) have been producing world class cave images with an elegant marriage of artistic sensitivity and painstaking technique..." (Kevin Downey) "The cave photographs of Philippe Crochet and Annie Guiraud are among the best I have seen. The way they are organized and presented in these pages makes this the best cave photography book I've read." (George Veni)
Autographed by author Roland Vinyard. 273 pages, paperback. 2020. We all knew Pete Hauer. With a foot solidly planted in two unique communities, cave explorers and hippie homesteaders, he was a gentle Pacifist, yet he supposedly murdered a young man he barely knew, an unpremeditated killing, with no discernible motive. In his informal will, he admitted to it. This solved the case for the police, but for everyone else, as many doors were opened as closed. Before Pete's remains were found, the case involved witches, drugs, caves, and homosexuality-and the FBI's search had spread across the US. That was in 1975; weird things started to happen as strange people, witches, moved into this quiet rural West Virginia county. Pete's livestock were brutally slaughtered. Emotions skyrocketed. As we tried to make sense of the events, pet theories formed, each with drawbacks, and we still wrangle over "What really happened?"
Mammoth Cave was under private ownership before it became a National Park in 1941. For over 85 years, the cave was owned and operated by John Croghan of Locust Grove and his heirs. This is the first comprehensive look into the history of the Mammoth Cave Estate using unpublished information and rarely seen photographs of the Cave Estate from private collections. Maps, drawings, and floor plans of the Hotel and Estate are provided as well as never before seen images of the 1916 Mammoth Cave Hotel Fire aftermath. by Richard Hobart, Bob Thompson, Norman Warnell , Elizabeth Grace Winkler. From Cave Books. 2020. 122 pages, soft bound. From Cave Books.
Letters from the Mammoth Cave" provides a fascinating insight into a mid-19th century visit to Mammoth Cave by Alexander Clark Bullitt. Already familiar to many, Bullitt published one of the earliest, illustrated guides to Mammoth Cave in 1845 based on a visit in 1844. But his return in the second half of 1845 is less well-known. Joseph Douglas' collection of Bullitt's letters, published in the New Orleans Picayune in September and October, 1845, provides a fresh and engrossing look at one of the early narratives of the 'Settlers', as Bullitt described his party. Aside from detailed descriptions of the passages through which his party traveled, cave visitors and enthusiasts will be especially taken by Bullitt's description of his party's encounter with Rigg's and Blackman's Domes-the first Europeans to do so, and the first people to leave a record of the exploration. Taken individually Bullitt's letters are engrossing. As a whole they serve as an important account of the 19th century exploration, the early Mammoth Cave and regional tourism industry, and ideas about what would become know as karst science. --Andrew McMichael, WKU 70 pages, soft bound. From Cave Books.
This second edition was published in May 2022, and is now available in spiral bound hard copy. 80 pp. An overview of the speleothem repair accomplished by the New Mexico-based, all-volunteer Cave Formation Repair Project from its inception in June 2018 through its third year. It also delivers step-by-step instructions for making and using the new repair tools and methods that are unique to this project. Project founder and author Mike Mansur strongly desires the techniques he and his volunteers have developed to be widely available to other cavers nationally and internationally so they might undertake formation repair work in their own local caves. In addition to informative text, each chapter features high-resolution photographs from work trips conducted by the Cave Formation Repair Project.
The author will donate $5.00, from each sale of this book to the NSS Cave Restoration Fund. The purpose of the Cave Restoration Fund is to support the repair of human-caused damage, both malicious and inadvertent. 62 pages. 2021.
The Cave Formation Repair Project: Restoring the Beauty of New Mexico’s Greatest Caves
by Michael C. Mansur (NSS #26393CL FE)
This book is designed to meet two main goals: first, to give an overview of the work accomplished by the New Mexico-based, all-volunteer Cave Formation Repair Project from its inception in June 2018 through its third year, and second, to deliver step-by-step instructions for making and using the new speleothem repair tools and methods that are unique to this project. Project founder and author Mike Mansur strongly desires the techniques he and his volunteers have developed to be widely available to other cavers nationally and internationally so they might undertake formation repair work in their own local caves.
This book is projected to be 70 pages and contains five embedded how-two videos. Each page features text blocks and captioned, high-resolution photographs from work trips conducted by the Cave Formation Repair Project.
Chapter One: How the Project Started introduces Mike Mansur, his 35-year background in cave conservation, and his impetus for initiating the Cave Formation Repair Project. Here he discusses the role federal land management agencies play in the project, the Buehler epoxy that is the central component of each repair, and his leadership philosophy about open-sourcing the knowledge gained through formation repair work to benefit caves, the caving community, and the general public.
Chapter Two: The Caves and the Formation Repairs gives an overview of the repair work conducted through the project in seven New Mexico caves. The chapter is organized by cave and displays before-and-after photos of the work accomplished at each site. Text addresses the major challenges, accomplishments, and learnings from each cave, as well as Mike’s evolution as project leader.
Chapter Three: The Tools and How to Make Them presents 10 cave-safe, PVC-based tools Mike and his volunteers have innovated to facilitate formation repairs. A list of components and step-by-step assembly instructions are given for each tool, as well as photos of each tool in use in various in-cave repair situations.
Chapter Four: New Methods and Procedures presents techniques Mike and the volunteers have pioneered that build on and expand prior approaches to effecting formation repairs. These include new ways to identify breakage and match broken pieces, improved techniques for installing reinforcement pins and stabilizing formations while epoxy cures, and camouflaging techniques for restoring the natural appearance of repaired formations.
Lechuguilla Cave ( New Mexico, USA) is one of the most beautiful caves on Earth. Since its discovery in 1986, more than 240 kilometers of cave has been explored – with no end in sight. Owing to its geologic setting and unusual process of formation, the cave contains a remarkable diversity of rare minerals and formations, which have helped change our understanding of how caves form and the microbial life they can contain.
In this book, the most active explorers of the cave show the features that made it famous and reveal new discoveries in terms of beauty, scale, and science. Through their writing and photography, they take the reader on their journey of preparing for, and exploring, this remarkable cave. They describe how to successfully live and work in the underground, and highlight the challenges that must be overcome to discover and map new passages. An explanation of how the stunning imagery is captured takes the reader along in this visual journey of Discoveries in a Hidden Splendor. Finally, the extraordinary lengths undertaken to conserve Lechuguilla are illustrated, and how such efforts go hand-in-hand with exploration and photography to reveal the intriguing nature of this wonder of the underground.
Contents:Hidden Splendor (opening statement) / Fragile Beauty (foreword) / Greatness (foreword) / Beginnings (introduction and editors’ preface) / Discoveries / Speleogenesis / Speleothems / Water / Hidden Life / Preparation / Camp Life / Exploration / Mapping Mazes / Photographing Darkness / Rescue / Conservation / Best of the Best (closing remarks) / Fact Sheet / Bibliography / Contributors
Editors:Max Wisshak and Hazel A. Barton
Forewords and Afterword:Jonathan B. Jarvis, Rodney D. Horrocks, Peter Bosted, and Dale L. Pate
Text:Stan Allison, Andy Armstrong, Bonny Armstrong, Hazel A. Barton, Catherine H. Borer, Peter Bosted, Derek C. Bristol, Paul A. Burger, Beth Cortright, Jennifer Foote, Arthur J. Fortini, Donald G. Davis, Kevin Downey, Harvey R. DuChene, James F. Hunter, Daniel S. Jones, John T. M. Lyles, Aria A. Mildice, Arthur N. Palmer, Patricia E. Seiser, Jake Turin, Doug Warner, and Max Wisshak
Photos:Andy Armstrong, Bonny Armstrong, Daniel C. Austin, Hazel A. Barton, Peter Bosted, Derek C. Bristol, Dave E. Bunnell, Daniel Chailloux, Stephen Eginoire, Jennifer Foote, Kevin Downey, Rodolfo González, James F. Hunter, Brian K. Kendrick, Jean Krejca, John T. M. Lyles, Michel Renda, Robbie Shone, Rainer Straub, and Max Wisshak
Paperback. Carsten Peter's adventures in volcanoes, caves, canyons, deserts, and beyond. The earth explodes in shoots of hot magma, glaciers crash into the ocean, grotesque creatures lurk in deep caves... follow noted National Geographic explorer and photographer Carsten Peter as he shows us that our precious planet Earth is one wild and extreme place!
Tornadoes, ice caves, glaciers, lightning--no territory or phenomenon is too scary for daring explorer Carsten Peter, who is right at home exploring the most outrageous places and raucous natural occurrences around the globe. Kids can follow along as he heads into extreme places and reveals the science and background behind these seemingly unexplainable natural places and phenomenon. Underlying each of his adventures is a dose of hard science, intriguing history, provocative images, tips, gear and gadget advice, and more to help kids learn about the Earth how they can help preserve the planet.
To celebrate the International Year of Caves and Karst and the great role of women in speleology. Bernard Chirol, President of the UIS Commission on History, published the book Ces Heroines des Caverns/Heroines of the Caverns - Little known history of women in the caves of the world. Speleobooks has a limited number of copies of the English language edition available. 2022. 240 pp. Paperback.
The story is centered on the Butler Cave-Sinking Creek System in Virginia. The principal character, named "Fred Wefer," is pursued into the cave by a group of people trying to kill him because of something he knows or something they think he knows. They have him outnumbered and are confident that they will soon eliminate him. Fred uses his knowledge of the cave to avoid capture while trying to eliminate those who are pursuing him.
Radiation, radioactivity, radon: these are words that, since Hiroshima, the Cold War and Three Mile Island, have conjured fear and fascination for many Americans. The danger of radon - a colourless, odourless gas that could seemingly strike any home and afflict its residents with cancer, was brought home in the 1980s when whole neighbourhoods were deemed unsafe due to a perceived threat from radon. But how much of a threat does radon really pose? Is the government's aggressive policy warranted. Indeed, is their a legitimate threat at all? These are the questios Leonard A. Code asks in this provocative and fascinating new book, and his answers are ones that all homeowners will want to understand. In clear, non-technical language, Code dispells many of the myths surrounding radon as he makes recommendations for a coherent reasonable environmental policy towards what is, certainly, a dangerous gas. As he carefully traces the development of the US indoor radon policy, Code illuminates the many scientific uncertainties that lie behind it, exposes the policies of those who stand to gain from radon policy decisions made in Washington, and challenges the EPA's risk-cost assessment of radon levels. Thoughtful and timely, ELEMENT OF RISK illuminates one of the most important public policyissues of our time.
By Martyn Farr. Paperback, 1977. 126 pp. Darworld recounts the history of the exploration of the myriad of caves within Llangattock mountain. Lavishly illustrated, with pictures and dated surveys, this book deals specifically with the exploration of one mountain. Over the course of the past 50 years a series of dramatic discoveries has led to the establishment of one of Britain's longest cave networks, a system now well over 70 km in length. Highly acclaimed in international reviews, this is no dry and crusty compilation of events. This book recounts the spirit of adventure and outlines the dramatic events as they unfolded.
By Michael Ray Taylor. 1996. Hb. 286 pp. From a 1,000-foot-deep sinkhole in Mexico (where a seasoned diver drowned while the author watched in horror) to Wyoming's aptly named Great Crawl of Death, Michael Ray Taylor takes readers to some of the world's deepest and most treacherous caves. And in this thrilling and elegantly written book, he makes it abundantly clear why caving has become an addiction for thousands of enthusiasts.Whether he is inching his way through the dreaded Crisco Crack or holding his nose against the potent fragrance of bats in Jamaica's Cockpits, Taylor is the best guide imaginable. He balances astute scientific reportage with humor -- and he conveys the sport's allure so infectiously that anyone who reads Cave Passages will want to strap on a carbide lamp and clamber down after him.
The island of Palawan, in the Philippines, conceals an extraordinary subterranean treasure: the Puerto Princesa Underground River, or Natuturingan, as the locals call it. This immense cave has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999, and since 2012 it has been listed as one of the "New7Wonders of Nature".
It plays host to an underground river that traverses the mountain from one side to another, and which flows out just a few yards from the South China Sea. It features an exceptionally rich eco-system, encompassing hundreds of animal species, many of which are native, and a food chain based on the guano generated by gigantic colonies of swiftlets and bats. One of the most popular caves in the world for tourists, Natuturingan retains intact its ancient fascination thanks to far-sighted management: no lighting has been installed inside, no passageways have been paved, and no jetties have been built on the beach. Using small outriggers, visitors can sail for around one mile into the breathtaking flooded galleries. But the cave also includes numerous other chambers, some of which are colossal in scale. Here, immersed in the silence of time, there are mineral formations of quite stunning beauty.
Over the past thirty years, the La Venta group has made a crucial contribution to the efforts to explore and document this cave. La Venta's longstanding input is at last charted in this book, which gives everyone an insight into what is one of our planet's most extraordinary underground. by Antonio De Vivo, Paolo Forti (Editor), Leonardo Piccini (Editor)
One afternoon, eleven-year-old Titan, his friends from the Wild Boars soccer team, and their coach rode their bikes to explore local caves. They crawled through the narrow tunnels in the dark to reach the center of the cave. When they turned to go home, heavy rains had flooded the tunnel. They were trapped!
With rising waters and monsoon season upon them, time and oxygen were running out. The world watched with bated breath as rescuers from around the globe joined forces to try to free the boys. After eighteen harrowing days, in an unprecedented effort of international teamwork, they were finally saved.
Award-winning author Susan Hood and journalist Pathana Sornhiran based this picture book on Sornhiran’s first-hand reporting of the event, and Dow Phumiruk’s beautiful illustrations bring the story to life. The book also includes a timeline. Ages 4-8, 48pp, HB.
The Natural Bridges have become one of the most popular attractions of California's Calaveras County. These two caves were formed by a process distinctly different from most caves, as chronicled in the chapter by Geologist Bruce Rogers, and shown on detailed surveys made by the first two authors. They have been attracting visitors since the days of the Gold Rush, and the fascinating history of those days of yore are chronicled in a historical writeup by historian Daniel Snyder, complete with rare illustrations of the Bridges. The main section consists of over 60 full color images of the Bridges taken by Dave Bunnell, a professional cave photographer, who resides in the local area. Many of these full page images use multiple flash techniques to fully illuminate the dark interiors of the caves. A three-page guide to the Spring flowers found along the trail rounds out the book. By David Bunnell, Daniel Snyder and Bruce Rogers. SB, 72 pp.
SPAR - Expedition and Small Party Rescue Manual. 600 pages double spiral bound. More than 1000 illustrations and photographs. The skills and techniques presented in this manual have also been referred to as Small Party Self Rescue, or simply, Self Rescue. The book covers a set of assessments, skills, and techniques that a small team of cavers can use to assist an injured member of their own party without the reliance or assistance from outside resources/teams. While written in the context of caving, these skills work in other environments. They are equally useful to mountaineers, rescue personnel, fire-rescue, rope access, arborists, and military/police personnel dealing with specialized situations where minimal gear, urgency, remoteness, and sub-optimal anchor situations exist. Topics addressed in the manual include: Expedition Planning, SPAR Decision Making, SPAR Medical Considerations, Climbing Systems, Alpine SRT Haul Systems, Small Party Patient Evacuation, Water Rescue Considerations, Contingency,Anchors And More...
By John Benton, Bill Napper, Bob Thompson. 202 black And white images. 128pp. Sb. Collins was a Kentucky cave explorer who was trapped for more than two weeks during the winter of 1925 in a cave located within the boundaries of what is now Mammoth Cave National Park. Collins had no fear of exploring the most difficult cave passages, and few people could match his persistence and endurance. The story of Floyd Collins becoming trapped, then buried alive, and ultimately dying alone in a cave held a powerful grip on the hearts and minds of people the world over. The resulting media coverage put Mammoth Cave on the map and helped usher the actual designation of Mammoth Cave as a national park.
By McKenzie Funk, who recently spent a month in China covering the Britsh Caving Association's China Caves team for National Geographic Magazine, has had a major book on the effects of global warming published. Although this title does not address karst, caves or bats, it would be an amusing and insightful read for anyone interested in the interaction between mankind and the environment.
The author examines three different effects of global warming: melting ice caps and glaciers, droughts and desertification, and floods resulting from rising oceans. As polar ice retreats, new shipping routes and farmland open up. Greenland is set to become "an untapped Gulf of Mexico in the North Atlantic" and is already ranked in the top 20 of countries with oil reserves. In the western United States, Spain, Israel, and parts of Africa and Latin America, desertification and other effects of rising temperatures--e.g., devastating wildfires--are allowing speculators to put a premium on land ownership and acquire water rights in the expectation of future gains. Furthermore, Monsanto and BASF have filed more than 150,000 patents on the seeds of food plants, trying to lock up the genome. Funk contrasts these attempts to profit from global warming with more-or-less-feasible engineering approaches to mitigation. A well-written, useful global profile emphasizing concrete solutions rather than ideological abstractions. 320 pp. HB.
"Funk's take on global-warming profiteering is as entertaining as it is disturbing." -- The New Yorker, Best Books of the Year
"A shocking account of how governments and corporations are confronting the crises caused by global warming... A well-written, useful global profile." -- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"In alarming terms, he lists three major categories of global warming--the melt, the drought, and the deluge--all of which have nations and citizens jockeying for position to cash in on the world's dwindling resources... Funk's original, forthright take on this little-discussed profit-taking trend in the climate change sweepstakes is very unsettling." -- Publishers Weekly (PW Pick of the Week)
"Somewhere In The Depth There Exists A Light: A Story About The Secrets of Caves" By Andreas Pflitsch and Dirk Steinhofel. A 10 by 13 inch story book in German spectacularly and ingeniously illustrated with drawings, photographs and many other small details creating the look of a hand made scrapbook following the story of an underground scientific mystery deep in the chambers and halls of a mile long cave system. A fictional story about cave explorer Elias Hope, his special knowledge and a secret that he could never understand. For his great-grandchildren Jonas and Sophi a visit leads to a clear understanding..with their great-grand father they will solve the puzzle. HB, 2014, 49pp.
Die beiden Geschwister Jonas und Sophie besuchen ihren Urgrossvater Elias in den USA. Der kauzige alte Mann ist Hohlenforscher und weiss alles uber Hohlen: wie sie entstehen, warum Tropfsteine wachsen und welche Schatze die unterirdischen Welten bergen. Doch es gibt ein Phanomen, das Elias sein Leben lang nicht ergrunden konnte: Ein geheimnisvolles Licht, tief in einer Eishohle. Fur Jonas und Sophie ist klar - gemeinsam mit ihrem Urgrossvater werden sie das Ratsel der Eishohle losen. Die perfekte Mischung aus Abenteuer und Wissen liefern der Illustrator Dirk Steinhofel und der Hohlenforscher Andreas Pflitsch in diesem besonderen Sachbuch. Willkommen in den Tiefen der Erde!
A renowned author and cartoonist with a style all his own, Jim Eyre from England has now written his life story - warts and embarrassments and all. The war years and his subsequent career as a freelance painter and decorator - to say nothing of his caving exploits and involvement in the heart of the Cave Rescue Organisation, established a pattern for Jim's life. One of those rare men who not only has accomplished much, but has the talent to tell the tales to others in a rich, humorous style. 256pp, sewn softback binding, 64 cartoons, 21 mono photos.
No not electric! A collection of very humorous essays, stories & oddments. Insight into the world of caves & caving by Thom Engel, illus by Mary Ann Siron, 152pp, 1992, pb.
Visions Underground traces the history of the artists and photographers who have explored the awe-inspiring forms and colors in one of the most extensive cavern systems in the world. The book includes images from the first caver/artist to capture the cave's mysteries in oil and canvas, to contemporary, surrealistic, photographs of cave pearls, soda straws, and pristine pools of blue-green water. By Lois Manno, 2009? 178 pages, Softbound.
By Michael Ray Taylor. Trade paperback, 2020. 330 printed pages. More than ten thousand known caves lie beneath the state of Tennessee according to the Tennessee Cave Survey, a nonprofit organization that catalogs and maps them. Thousands more riddle surrounding states. In Hidden Nature, Michael Ray Taylor tells the story of this vast underground wilderness. Besides describing the sheer physical majesty of the region's wild caverns and the concurrent joys and dangers of exploring them, he examines their rich natural history and scientific import, their relationship to clean water and a healthy surface environment, and their uncertain future. As a longtime caver and the author of three popular books related to caving--Cave Passages, Dark Life, and Caves--Taylor enjoys (for a journalist) unusual access to this secretive world. He is personally acquainted with many of the region's most accomplished cave explorers and scientists, and they in turn are familiar with his popular writing on caves in books; in magazines such as Audubon, Outside, and Sports Illustrated; and on websites such as those of the Discovery Channel and the PBS science series Nova. Hidden Nature is structured as a comprehensive work of well-researched fact that reads like a personal narrative of the author's long attraction to these caves and the people who dare enter their hidden chambers.
Three adventurers in search of an ancient Mayan book meet two mysterious women who entangle them in intrigue. Soon they find themselves chased by smugglers through the rain forests, ruins, and caves of Mexico. An incredibly real illusion! You can almost taste the guano! A classic road trip that spins out of control weaving through Mayan ruins and rainforests into the Puuc hills of Yucatan, and then kaleidoscoping from a cave trip into a mind trip and back to the brink of the Usamacinta River. By Larry C. Simpson, 2007, 198 pages, softbound.
An autographed insert will be with your copy of the book from Author Paul Dye.
From the longest-serving Flight Director in NASA's history comes a revealing account of high-stakes Mission Control work and the Space Shuttle program that has redefined our relationship with the universe.
A compelling look inside the Space Shuttle missions that helped lay the groundwork for the Space Age, Shuttle, Houston explores the determined personalities, technological miracles, and eleventh-hour saves that have given us human spaceflight.
Relaying stories of missions (and their grueling training) in vivid detail, Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving Flight Director, examines the split-second decisions that the directors and astronauts were forced to make in a field where mistakes are unthinkable, and where errors led to the loss of national resources -- and more importantly one's crew. Dye's stories from the heart of Mission Control explain the mysteries of flying the Shuttle -- from the powerful fiery ascent to the majesty of on-orbit operations to the high-speed and critical re-entry and landing of a hundred-ton glider.
The Space Shuttles flew 135 missions. Astronauts conducted space walks, captured satellites, and docked with the Mir Space Station, bringing space into our everyday life, from GPS to satellite TV. Shuttle, Houston puts readers in his own seat at Mission Control, the hub that made humanity's leap into a new frontier possible. Hardcover. 320 pages.
Author and NSS member Paul Dye is currently working with his wife and long-time NSS member, Louise Hose, to document caves in eastern Nevada.
Sale Price: $25.00 Regular Price:$28.00
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