I have finally moved into my new house, it is very small, barely larger than a rabbit hutch. It is piled to the roof with boxes of caving books. The only way to get from one side of the room from the other is to crawl beneath the boxes. It is so precarious that Bent Gear and Dud Gear refused to follow me. I had to hand tea and biscuits out through a window and we all had tea on the lawn. But I digress. I really need to shift some books. No reasonable offer refused, postage extra
CHAUVET CAVE / The Art of Earliest Times edited by Jean Clottes and translated by Paul G Bahn 2003 225 pp, 207 illus, most are colour photos. The discovery of the Chauvet Cave in France?s Ard?che Valley in December 1994 was a remarkable event. The incredible age of the cave paintings, which date back 35,000 years, and their exceptionally high quality were the source of both astonishment and admiration. The images of mammoths, rhinoceroses, lions, bears, horses, and bison have since been seen around the world. No other major site exists that is close in age to the arrival of modern humans in Europe. All these discoveries are published here for the first time. Graham and Linda are mentioned in the acknowledgements. This is a large 11 x 14 inches coffee table book weighing out at 2?kg. HB DW ?45.00
[KUNGAR ICE CAVE] by T A KLCHAREVA 1990 303 pp numerous photos mainly in colour. A superb picture book with a much better colour quality than is usually found in Russian books. Although this book has been in print for nineteen years we have only been able to locate a few copies! In Russian, summary in English. HB boxed with colour photos back and front. ?30.00
URALSKIE PESHTERY [THE CAVES OF URALS] by Youri Lobanov 1979 172 pp, illus. A useful guide book. Signed copy. In Russian, HB ?20.00
PUTESHESTVIE POD ZEMLEY [UNDERGROUND TRIP] by V.Ilyohin & V.Dubljanski 1968 142 pp, 50 illus. This is the Russian equivalent of British Caving. Good, solid advice. SB In Russian. ?30.00
THE UNDERGROUND WORLD OF RHODOPE MT by Boyan Petrov& Paves Stoev 2008 86 pp, many colour photos, about one a page. Another super guide book with photos, location map and surveys, in Bulgarian with English summary. SB ?40.00
THE KARST TREASURES OF SMOLIAN MUNICIPALITY by Geogy Raitchev 2008 44 pp, colour photos, surveys. A useful guide book, in English! SB ?12.00
SPELEOLOGICAL ATLAS OF BELOGRADCHIK REGION bilingual, Bulgarian, English. 2009 36 pp, surveys, colour photos. A useful guide book. SB ?12.00
JOURNAL OF THE SPELEOCLUB ?HELICTIT? Vol 11 for 2007 published 2009 80 pp, illus, surveys etc. Mainly caving in Bulgaria, but also describes expedition to Monte Negro, Greece and Albania. In Bulgarian with English summaries. ?10.00
BATS ? methodology for environmental impact assessment and appropriate assessment by Boyan Petrov - Colour, 88 p. ? 2009 88 pp, colour photos ave 3 /page, in Bulgarian together with a CD with full text in English. SB ?20.00
PROCEEDINGS OF THE EIGHT NATIONAL CONFERENCE ON SPELEOLOGY devoted to the 100th anniversary of the Surnena Gora Tourist Society, Stara Zagora, 11-13 October *2002 192 pp, illus, surveys, maps, photos. Topics include; Earth Sciences, Archaeology including folk lore, speleological exploration etc. In Bulgarian with English summaries with at least one paper in English. SB ?10.00
PROCEEDINGS OF THE JUBILEE SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE 75 years of organised speleology in Bulgaria. Sofia 4-5 April, 2004, published 2006 format A4, BW-161 pp illus. Mainly scientific articles: Cuba ?81, Rhodope Museum of Karst, Calcite-Aragonitetelations in caves; Cave Minerals in Bulgaria etc. In Bulgarian with English summaries. SB ?30.00
ROCK MONASTERIES IN THE SHUMEN PLATEAU by Asen Pejcheb 2001 84 pp, many colour phoros, surveys etc. Situated in beautiful natural sites, cut out in almost inaccessible cliffs, for ages they gave shelter to monks. In Bulgarian with English summary. SB ?10.00
FORTY YEARS OF SPELEOLOGY IN THE TOWN OF SHOUMEN 1961 ? 2001 by Masgasita Mischeva and Zdsavko Iliev 71 pp, colour illus, map and 31 pages of surveys. Mainly a collection of scientific papers. In Bulgarian with English summaries. SB ?10.00
MUSEUM OF CAVE AND KARST CHEPELARE nd [2009?] by Elka Spasova 10 pp all in colour, many photos. Half Bulgarian, half English ?5.00
TROGLODYTES: THE ROCK-CULTURE OF THE THRACIANS ALONG THE WEST COAST OF THE BLACK SEA by Ivan Hristov 2009 58 pp + 24 plates of colour photos. Half Bulgarian, half English ?15.00
KARSTOVOTO BOGATCTVO NA S IAGODINA by Dumumr Raychev et al ND 60 pp, many colour photos, ave 3 a page. In Bulgarian. SB ?15.00
MONOGRAPH OF THE STALACTITES & STALAGMITES OF THE CLEAVES COVE NEAR DALRY AYRSHIRE by John Smith. Illustrated with 36 super full page plates. Published in 1894. As far as I know this is the first book to be published on this topic. A superb copy that is unread and in fine condition. Bound in original publishers cloth. No wear to the outer binding. Internally in fine condition with tight square text blocks with bright clean pages that are free from foxing, many pages remain uncut. No inscriptions. ?150.00
ZASTICENA GEOBASTINA REPUBLIKE HRVATSKE [Nature Reserves in the Croatian Republic] by Gordana Zwicker et al 2008 80 pp, colour photos. Many caves are listed. SB in Croatian. ?5.00
CAVES AND CAVERNS OF THE PEAKLAND by Crichton c 1950 104 pp 8 photos. Peak Cavern; Russett Well; Speedwell Cavern; Blue John Cavern; Bagshawe Cavern. Interesting account of caves in Derbyshire. SB ?5.00 x2
A 15 ANS DEUX RECORDS AU BOUT D?UN FILLE [15 year old girl wins 2 world records] 3pp text 3 colour photos. [in] Paris Match (1003) July 1968. The complete magazine in French ?1.00
THE CAVES OF MENDIP by H E Balch 1926 82 pp illus. This is the rare and highly sought after book published in "The Somerset Folk Series". Fair condition with very slight foxing to end papers and to some page ends. There are tears to cover at spine, one with loss approx :half inch SB ?12.00
another copy, spine very worn, but binding good. SB ?8.00
CAVING / Episodes of Underground Exploration by E A Baker [1932] reissued in cheaper edition September 1935 252 pp over 70 photos. Classic account of cave exploration in Britain, France and Belgium. HB covers faded [green cloth] ?49.00
MAĞARABILMI VE MAĞARACILIK [Cave Science and Caving] by Caner Ozansoy and Hamdi Mengi 2006 335 pp, numerous photos in colour.
This is the Turkish equivalent of British Caving. It begins by describing lava tubes which are illustrated with many fine colour photos by David Bunnell. This is followed by a detailed account of karst caves, how they are formed, types of passages and surface features. This neatly transforms into the Caves of the Bahamas and their fauna, mainly anthopods or cave shrimps. From the underwater caves of the Bahamas we travel to the caves of the Yucatan and its underwater fauna, again, all illustrated with either line drawings or photos.
The chapter on speleothems begins with an explanation of the formation of stalactites, and stalagmites. The various forms of speleothems: aragonite, crystal, spar, Baldacchino canopies, rafts, curtains, balloons, moonmilk, bathtubs, soda straws, deflected stalactites, coralloids, popcorn, showerheads, bell canopies, flowstone, blisters, shields, are described and illustrated by more fine colour photographs.
Forty-two cave minerals are described and most are illustrated in colour.
The chapter on Caving begins with a brief history of cave exploration. Even Lloyd?s descent of Eldon Hole in 1770 receives a mention. Caving in Turkey began in 1850 when Abdullah Bei described some caves near Istanbul. In the first half of the twentieth century caves were mainly explored by archaeologists. In 1955 Dr Temucin Aygen explored and published descriptions of many caves. Organised caving began in 1964 when the MAD (Magura Arastirma Dernegi) [caving club] was formed. Since 1973 BŰMAK (Bogazici Universitesi Magura Arrastirma Kulűbű) [Bosphorus University, Cave Research Club] have taken the lead, followed by other university caving clubs.
Surveying, caving gear, ropes, knots, SRT, photography are all covered in the chapter on Caving.
A short chapter on Cave Tourism is followed by descriptions of 45 top Turkish Caves:
The first is, Dupnisa Magarasi [Dupnisa Cave] which is located near the village of Sarpdere, in the Demirkőy district of Kirkareli. Well off the beaten track, a 4WD vehicle is required to get to the cave. The cave has three entrances, one of which is the resurgence for the River Rezve. This river forms the border between Turkey and Bulgaria. One chamber is 150 x 60 m and contains some massive speleothems. Another chamber is the hibernation site of the Greater Horseshoe bat. The total length of the cave is 2720 m.
The book is concluded with, Longest & Deepest Caves of the World, Largest Chamber, Longest and Deepest in Turkey, a Glossary and 96 references. SB In Turkish ?35.00
CAVES OF APPLECROSS AND KISHORN by Richard Simpson, and David Morrison with contributions by Alan L Jeffreys and Mark Tringham. 2007 50 pp, 9 B&W, 10 colour photos, 3 location maps, 20 surveys. Occasional Publication No 8 Grampian Speleological Group. An essential guide book for anyone visiting the area. SB ?8.50
BIBLIOGRAPHIE SP?L?OLOGIQUE ou Les Grottes dans la Litterature Fran?aise de 1547 ? 1987 par Jean Marc Mattlet 1989 347 pp. Re-stocked by popular demand, this is a useful reference work which is in daily use. The books are first listed under author, then cross reference under topic and finally by alphabetical index of names, either cave or country. SB In French ?25.00 .
MINING LIST No 1 NOW AVAILABLE, FREE - ON REQUEST
MYST?RIEUSES CIVILISATIONS DANS LES ENTRAILES DE LA TERRE by Michel Siffre 1979 239 pp 120 photos. These are the result of a seven month expedition to the Peten jungle in Guatemala where Siffre discovered some remarkable caves with unusual carving and paintings. The numerous photos and surveys makes this an easy book for even the non French speaker. SB In French ?12.00
HIGHWAYS AND BYWAYS IN SOMERSET by Edward Hutton with illustrations by Nelly Erichsen 1919 419 pp over 90 illus Good background information on caves, mines etc. His description of Cheddar ?rabble of touts, the confusion of bristling advertisements and the air of Bank Holiday? is just as relevant today as it was in 1919. HB ?9.00
TRAPPED! - The Story of the Struggle to Rescue Floyd Collins from a Kentucky Cave in 1925, an ordeal which became one of the most sensational news events of modern times by Robert K Murray and Roger W Brucker revised edition 1999 347 pp 17 photos maps etc. A gripping story, unbelievable but true. Once started, difficult to put down. Now brought up-to-date with some recent information. ?9.00
CAVE POSTCARDS An interesting collection in excess of one thousand six hundred cave postcards. The bulk of my specialist collection is the old country of Czechoslovakia. The cards vary in price from ?10 each [1900] to 20p each [1960] with the bulk of the cards averaging 40p each. Sample lots at ?20 per 100 are available.
WANTED: The British Caver Volume No 11
OGOF FFYNNON DDU, Penwyllt, Breconshire by P M O?Rielly, S E O?Reilly, C M Fairbairn and members of the South Wales Caving Club,1969 52pp sb 9 figs, 18 b & w plates, fold out survey in text and two separate large surveys and a survey of the Nyth Bran series. Foreword by Lewis C Railton. An early monograph on this cave. Contents include Historical aspects ? discovery and exploration of OFD, Description of area and the cave, other caves and sites, Geology, Cavern Formation, Geormorphology of OFD, Origin of OFD, a note on access, conservation and safety and bibliography ?19.00
KARST GEOMORPHOLOGY by J N Jennings 1987 293 pp, 91 figs, 45 plates. Highly recommended as the standard reference work for readers at all levels. SB scarce and highly sought after ?45.00