Lechuguilla Cave
Max WISSHAK &
Hazel A. BARTON (eds)
Speleo-photo, Friedeburg, Germany. 2022. 240pp, 258 colour photographs and 7 graphs. Hardback, 225mm × 305mm. £60
ISBN 978-3-9821714-2-5
CAN anyone truly imagine what it must have felt like to be one of the first to explore New Mexico’s Lechuguilla Cave in 1986? Is it one of those occasions when you had to be there? Or perhaps, if not, to be on one of the following expeditions, pushing leads, capturing data for science, exploring, photographing and revelling in the sheer wonder of this most unusual cave.And so, in 1991 Lechuguilla. Jewel of the underground was published, rich in photographs and an instant hit among cavers who sought a fine coffee-table book. Now, three decades later, it’s been upstaged.
Lechuguilla Cave. Discoveries in a hidden splendor is indeed sumptuous in its presentation. Open it up and the photographs shine out, from inset images on a white background to full double-page spreads (and in one case, a double fold-out depicting a 3D model of the system – in publishing terms, an expensive addition). The book is published in Germany (the text is in English) by Speleo-photo, which is owned by one of the editors, Max Wisshak. Bibliophiles may own New Zealand Karst that Max co-authored with his wife (see Descent 276 for the review) and, if so, you already know the standard attained: this hardback binding contains sewn pages and is at the upper end of production values.
The thirteen main sections – with titles such as Camp Life, Exploration, Mapping Mazes, Speleothems and Water – open with an essay on the topic, some of the text being factual and some anecdotal, but all of it written well and easy to read. The spread covering photography demonstrates why the feel of the book is different from earlier ones: the images are more modern, originating from digital cameras that, often, have been used during exploration.
The book ends with an extensive bibliography and a fact sheet, the latter being fascinating in its coverage: we have a list of the most active explorers, ranked by survey length returned (an interesting idea in its own right), system statistics (surveyed length 244,790m, area 3,763,024m2, volume 62,037,861m3, vertical range 484m – and if not already out of date, these figures soon will be), the longest straw (5.5m) and even ‘remoteness’ (twelve hours to one of the terminations). Most cavers know that Lechuguilla Cave is named after the agave plant found in the desert above, but how many know that its alternative name was Misery Hole?
These sort of additions change Lechuguilla Cave from being a coffee-table book into one that performs that service admirably, yet stills draws in cavers to read the text spreads; it is an unusual and successful accomplishment, with all credit to the editors (Descent readers will recognise the name of Hazel Barton as co-editor) and the 36 contributors to the project (see their smiling faces and brief bios at the end).
Lechuguilla Cave. Discoveries in a hidden splendor is one of those beautiful, stylish titles that, once you have seen it, you will want to leaf through time and again until you give up and buy one. This is not a low-cost book, but its quality and niche publication status explain all. Lechuguilla Cave is stocked by Wild Places, so see the website for sample spreads from the book.
Chris Howes