A couple months ago when I got really excited about this new sport, I purchased both of the books under the "Basics" category in the NSS Technique Library page. You can read the blurb about each book there. I've finished both books at this point. Learned a ton (although, as many here will tell you, "nothing can trump experience"). Here are two mini reviews.
1. Caving Basics, 3rd Ed 1992 (Thomas Rea)
This book is a collection of essays by various NSS members focusing on various areas of caving. This creates more problems than it solves:
-- The articles are often needlessly detailed and complex.
-- The first 30 pages are devoted to carbide lamp construction and maintenance.
-- The design and feel says that that the revised edition didn't change all that much from the original publication of the early '80s.
-- There's no unifying theme and construction to the book.
On the positive side, it does cover quite an array of topics. The chapters on biology, archeology, and geology were quite interesting -- and were not even touched in the book described below.
2. Adventure of Caving, 2nd Ed 1996 (David McClurg)
This book was only published 4 years after Rea's book, but it's far superior in many areas:
++ It has a broad coverage of topics with logical progression.
++ It has modern design and professional illustrations / photos.
++ Complete introduction that touches on everything you need to know.
++ Seems relatively undated even though it is over 11 yrs old.
This is an excellent book and a great introduction. Even after reading through most of the posts here, glancing through the PDF of Vertical Caving (Warild), and reading various websites for beginner cavers, I *STILL* learned things from McClurg. And he's an entertaining writer.
So, there are some recommendations for the bibliophiles out there!