Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms

by Michael Ray Taylor, Ronal C. Kerbo

A companion volume to the new IMAX film offers a sumptuously illustrated, close-up look at the world's great cave environments, capturing the wonders and perils of caving and describing the unique characteristics of these underground habitats. 25,000 first printing.

Genres: Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 2001

About the author

Michael Ray Taylor is the author of Cave Passages, Dark Life, and Caves, and has written for Sports Illustrated, Audubon, Outside, Reader's Digest, National Geographic Traveler, The Houston Chronicle, and the website of The Discovery Channel. He has consulted on feature films and has worked on documentaries for National Geographic, PBS and The Discovery Channel. He is a professor of communication at Henderson State University and lives in Arkadelphia, Arkansas, with his wife, three sons, his father-in-law, two cats, and a rat terrier. His hobbies include caving, cooking, and playing bass in Blind Opie, a rock band.

Reviews

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is an extensive "behind the scenes" story about the filming of the 2001 IMAX film "Journey into Amazing Caves." The photos are stunning, as is the story of those documenting underground worlds. The book also discusses the study of caves, including the often bizarre extremophile life forms discovered. Extremophiles challenge our understanding of what and where life exists on Earth, and what may exist on other planets. Any reader who likes to travel vicariously should love learning about caves' hidden beauty--sometimes fleeting, sometimes ancient--and be humbled by how much we still have to learn about our planet.

[H.V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sometimes, nonfiction can be more fascinating and spooky than anything fictional. I love caves, but I also respect and sometimes fear them. And this book supported that response. Caves are amazing, filled with microbes and organisms found nowhere else on earth, sometimes in extremely hostile environments. They're dangerous and alluring to humans, even people who are experts in their fields. I'm planning on going on public cave tours and continuing to support conservation and scientific exploration of caves, but I am never ever ever going into a cave I have no business in. If you've got any interest in caves at all, check this book out!

[Sheri McLaughlin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spectacular, colorful cave photographs and an interesting read. Well organized and compiled, I read it several times, making notes about where to find such beauty. It makes me want to go caving.

[Daryl Greaser · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book has a different ISBN, need to correct this ISBN 0-7922-7094-2

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Utterly fascinating!