Book Review

Along the lines of the successful 1995 Death in Yellowstone, but without the bison gorings and thermal cookery, the double-doctors (one a Ph.D., one an M.D.) Michael P. Ghiglieri and Thomas M. Myers have really gone over the edge this time with their research in Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon (2001; Puma Press, PO Box 30998, Flagstaff, AZ 86003). Authors of previous books Canyon and Fateful Journey, among others, the gcrg members have compiled the “gripping accounts of all known fatal mishaps in the most famous of the World's Seven Natural Wonders,” the Grand Canyon.
After defining the geographical boundaries of the “Grand Canyon” for this study, Tom and Michael divide the types of deaths into eight chapters: falls; environmental; flash floods; river; air; lightning, and freak accidents (rock falls, venomous creatures, etc.); suicide; and murder. They don't discuss all the accounts of death, however, as doing so would have probably doubled the length of the book, but charts at the ends of the chapters list names and pertinent information. Very complete references and an index allow cross-referencing. Although deaths are the main focus of the book, the authors have included a variety of interesting “near miss,” events that could have resulted in death but didn't.

My favorite is ten-year-old Tommy Manis' 120-foot bicycle ride off the Rim Trail resulting in only relatively minor injuries.
Of main interest to bqr readers would most likely be “The Killer Colorado.” But of equal importance is the chapter on “Environmental Deaths,” because it concerns practices in off-river activities where a good portion of river-trip time is spent. Although the accounts will certainly suck you in and entertain you, highly important end-of-chapter discussions, such as “Lessons of Safety & Survival From the Grand Canyon Colorado,” and the Epilogue, “What Can We Learn From All This?,” may change the way you guide river trips, or at the very least make you think about how you might be able to more safely engage in them. Many of us have had close calls; “there, but for the grace of God, go you or I” could be applied to the stories in the book and the personal events on our own trips.
As Tony Hillerman is quoted on the cover, “If you believe that everything interesting about the Grand Canyon has already been written, you're dead wrong.” I concur; the book is a “grand” read, but don't let the fact that you might learn something practical slow you from buying the book and enjoying it, too. Be sure to attend the authors' book sales, book signing, and presentations to be held Friday night, June 29, 2001, at Northern Arizona University Cline Library Assembly Hall in Flagstaff, Arizona.
C.V. Abyssus