Customer Reviews

Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms (Imax)

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I purchased this book sight unseen and for one reason - it was written by Michael Ray Taylor (I'd read bathroom cleaner cans if he wrote the text for them). When I opened the box, I was stunned to find a coffee-table type book filled with incredibly beautiful photographs and great text. _Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms_ is a (stand alone, IMO) companion to the IMAX film of the same name; Kerbo's pictures are mind-blowing and the text is classic Taylor - accessible, entertaining, educational and just downright fun.

As an added treat, the microbiology angle of _Dark Life_ finds its way into _Caves: Exploring Hidden Realms_ as well. A bit of the text was taken from _Cave Passages_ but a very small bit and this didn't diminish my enjoyment. I can't say enough positive things about this book. Buy it!

This book is very well written with lovingly detailed chapters devoted to the many splendid cave networks dotted around the world. There's a great section on the flora and fauna of the underworld, as well. I went potholing in Kak Canyon once, and saw a couple of chutney ferrets, all thanks to this book. Incredible creatures - and I wouldn't have known they were there until I read this.

I really liked this book. It has good pictures for people who want to be a cave explorer. It tells you a good description of the caves these people explored. I really liked the fact that they explored ice, water and earth caves. I think students that are studying caves would really like this book

I used this book, and the related IMAX video, as part of a cave biology experience for undergraduate biology majors this year. Both the book and the video are fantastic; I challenge anyone to consider biology boring after reading/viewing them. To prepare for a spring break "wild cave tour," our students read Taylor's book, watched the video, then had a presentation on caving by Taylor. He also accompanied us on the caving trip. (It doesn't hurt that both of us teach at the same university....) The students loved it all. They asked for, and received, permission to sample for microbes in the cave, and have grown up their bugs. We don't expect to find anything earthshaking, as human contamination even in lightly used caves is apparently ubiquitous, but this really got students excited. I enthusiastically recommend the book and the video combined, and following it up even with a trip to a developed cave would be a great experience for students.

I am always left breatheless at the majestic beauty of every cave I am blessed to enter. This book gives wonderful descriptions of caves and the pictures in this coffeesque style book are the icing on the cake.

For what you get, this IS a good book. However, there are a few things about it that I think detract just enough to only give the book 4/5.

1. The caves are all North American - no mention of the rest of the world. That said, the caves featured are abot the best in North America.

2. The other articles on cave geology and biology are good, but there are better ones. If you really want to know more, Cave Geology by Arthur Palmer and The Biology of Caves and Other Subterranean Habitats (Biology of Habitats) by David Culver are the ones to get.

So yes, this is a great "coffee table" book with some good generalist info. Though I think that the old Time Life book Underground Worlds (Planet Earth) is better all round, even if the photos aren't as good as this new one.

Well worth having if you get a good deal on the price, bt it's not the absolute best general book on caves around.

My husband and I sent this to a friend who really loved the book. A great gift success.

CAVES: EXPLORING HIDDEN REALMS by Michael Ray Taylor (0792279042, $35.00) provides some outstanding cave shots from caving experiences around the world. The book accompanies a new film 'Journey Into Amazing Caves' which was released in March 2001: many of the hundred-plus photos are from the film and highlight places no large-format camera has gone before.