Book Review - Atlas des Grandes Cavites Mondials

Paul Courbon & Claude Chabert
UIS & FFS, 1986, 255 pages, paperback, £25.00.

This French atlas attempts to provide a brief synopsis of the caves in every country in the world, and in the case of large systems often provides a survey. Obviously with over 224 pages, coverage of countries with many systems is limited (the UK gets 3 pages), so it isn't something to base an expedition on. However, if you are going to a country and are interested in its caving potential, it is worth refering to as it will give you a rough idea of what is there and also a list of references for further information, though these are obviously French orientated and I am not sure of their availability in the UK. A further helpful feature of the book is that it often makes comments about the cave potential of a country and the reasons for no cave having been discovered (eg. political difficulties in Iraq!), so it could be useful to anybody wishing to plan cave finding expeditions to exotic areas.

Note: An American language version of this book - "Atlas of Great Caves of the World" published by Cave Books, St Louss, Miss, USA - is now available from Lyon Equipment, Rise Hill Mill, Dent, Sedborgh, Cumbria, LA10 5QL.

Author: 
Chris Crowley