Caves: Underground Worlds

Stephanie Zvirin

The latest from a prolific science writer has some nice features. Foremost are the photographs (drawings and diagrams are also attractive but not always adequate). Then there's Benedick's use of scientific terminology. She's managed to make the sometimes difficult words an integral part of her presentation without compromising the book's accessibility. Apart from a few too many exclamation marks, the text is nicely handled, lucid, and quite encompassing, with information on everything from geological formation and cavern life to cave art and spelunking. The section on cave decorations is particularly interesting, as it includes descriptions of a few less familiar formations, such as cave rafts and soda straws. An excellent glossary is appended.