Cave Passages (HB)

Believe it or not, there are people who get their kicks crawling hundreds of feet beneath the earth through crevices so tight that they have to take off their clothes to wriggle through, braving darkness, cold and the very real possibility of death. They call themselves cavers, and Michael Ray Taylor is one of them. And in this thrilling and elegantly written book, he manages to convey all the sport's excitement, terror and allure.

From a 1,000-foot sinkhole in Mexico, where an experienced cave diver drowned before Taylor's horrified eyes, to Wyoming's aptly named Grim Crawl of Death, and from the potent fragrance of bats in Jamaica's Cockpits to the coffins stacked in a Chinese burial cave, Taylor ushers readers through the world's deepest and least accessible caverns. He points out their wonders while celebrating the skill and courage of his fellow cavers, filling Cave Passages with so much adventure, awe, and naturalistic observation that you won't be able to read this book without wanting to strap on a carbide lamp and slither down after him.