Ten Years Under the Earth

by Norbert Casteret

This is the best of the many books by Norbert Casteret, prolific author and undoubtedly the most famous of speleologists. Through his evocative writings, which have been translated into more than a dozen languages, he has introduced countless readers to the wonders of caves and the adventure of caving. Here are Casteret's firsthand accounts of adventure and archaeological discovery in the caves of the Pyrenees, on the border of France and Spain. Ten Years Under the Earth ranges from "The Story of a Raindrop" (concerning the slow growth of cave features) to "An Ice World below The Grotte Casteret," from "The Phantom Hands of Gargas" (about ritual mutilation practiced by ancient man) to "The Deepest Abyss in France, the Gouffre Martel." Here is a wealth of firsthand archeological and caving lore, for the beginner as well as for the experienced caver and caving enthusiast. This volume contains the essential parts of two successive books by Norbert Dix Ans Sous Terre, which was honored by the French Academy, and Au Fond des Gouffres.

Genres: Nonfiction, Adventure, Nature, Memoir

320 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1939

Reviews

[Laura · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very random and delightful find at a second-hand bookshop in Bakewell.

While I'm taking all the paleontology and biology sections with a grain of salt, I really enjoyed the autobiographical chapters of Casteret's undoubtedly fascinating life and carreer.

The pictures it included where a pleasant surprise and helped understand some of the descriptions a bit (although I confess it was hard for me to imagine some of the excursions).

Looking forward to going through this again and marking some of the most interesting and funny passages!

[Les Gehman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ten Years Under the Earth by Norbert Casteret is a true classic of cave exploration literature from the 1920's and 30's. Casteret was a master caver who made many important discoveries, both of caves and of paleontological artifacts within caves. This edition includes a number of excellent photos, especially so given the era they are from.

Modern cavers will shudder at the techniques Casteret used and the risks he took. However, he was also very good at turning around and leaving a cave for later when it got too dangerous. I would have liked more details in his descriptions of the caves, and cave maps would have been a great help, but this is still an outstanding book.

[Hannah Keith · Rating 5 out of 5]

A caving classic. Great for anyone interested in a fascinating bit of caving history and curious what it was like back before electric lights and single rope technique. Some of the author’s methods horrify cavers today, how times have changed.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

Casteret was an incredibly keen archaeologist / geologist, and this book does justice to his insane adventures. Some of them send shivers down my spine just when I think of them!

[Chanel Baron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating stories of extreme courage and intelligence—early cave exploration. I had to read many passages out loud! They were too good not to share.

[Vera · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating! And incredibly well-written, especially considering this was published in 1952! What a great find.

[ur mom · Rating 4 out of 5]

*3.5

[Adam]

I'll never looks at the Pyrenees the same

[Amerynth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Norbet Casteret's "The Descent of Pierre Saint-Martin, tells a fascinating story of the exploration of a cave in the Pyrenees, which was found to be one of the deepest caves (at the time anyway.) The story follows the 1951, 1952 and 1953 expeditions to the cave -- beginning with the tragic loss of Casteret's best friend and fellow speleologist Marcel Loubens. Loubens died due to the failure of a clip on his harness, so he plummeted to the cave bottom and broke his back. A good portion of the book focuses on the efforts to recover Louben's body. Casteret's description of the cave exploration strikes just the right balance between being the technical and the descriptive, making the book really engrossing. The final chapters of the book detail some of his other finds while caving, and I actually liked this half of the book even better. This book is out of print and hard to find, but a worthwhile read.