By David W. Hughes, 324 pages, Hardbound. Baltimore-Based caver Dr. Lewis A. Bicking, Jr., was exceptionally bright-some would have said "brilliant." He was valedictorian of his high school class and earned a Ph.D. at a relatively young age. Bicking was a scientist and, in his spare time, he was also a cave explorer. Lew worked and studied in the Biophysics Department at Johns Hopkins University during nearly the entirety of his caving career. Lew was the first caver to consistently, energetically, enthusiastically, and repeatedly unravel some of the mysteries of what is now the world-class Friar's Hole Cave System, West Virginia. Diminutive in physical stature, Bicking seems to have possessed that critical intangible attribute-desire-in generous abundance. Lew's explorations in Friars Hole are legion, and the man himself is an American caving legend.
 "Lew Bicking: A Legendary American Cave Explorer")
