The individual incidents are gripping, but taken all together this will grind you down. ( )

Highly enjoyable despite the length. Growing up in the area, it brings back memories of conversations past, of events that seem as incredible now as they did when I first heard about them decades ago. ( )

Long. Exhaustively detailed. sometimes difficult to follow. I'd give it 3 1/2 stars if I could. I think it's a must read if you're planning a trip to the Grand Canyon. Particularly the first several chapters regarding falls, drowning, etc. The last part of the book gets into the area of sheer bad luck... not much you can do about random boulder from above or kidnapping. ( )

Contents

Why a book on Death
Cross Section
Map
1 Say, How many People Fall Here From the Rim
From Within the Canyon
2 The Desert Crucible: Environmental Deaths within the Inverted Mountain
3 Flash Flood!
4 Killer colorado
5 If Looks could kill: Deaths from the air
6 Lightning... Freak Errors and Accidents
7 Suicide
8 Murder
Eiplog
continuing research
Author Profiles, Order form
Reference
Index

This book is fascinating enough that it didn't take long to read it. ( )

The Grand Canyon is a magnificent natural landmark. Situated almost entirely in the great state of Arizona, the Canyon is massive in scope. The colors are gorgeous, and the sheer immensity and scale of the canyon take your breath away. Unfortunately, the Grand Canyon is also extremely dangerous. Since its ‘discovery’ over 150 years ago, the Grand Canyon has aided over 700 people in leaving this mortal coil.

I have visited the Grand Canyon, and I was taken aback by several things. First of all, the scope of the Canyon itself, I cannot emphasize enough how huge this thing is. Secondly, I was surprised that there was a settlement right by it, allowing one to have hotel accommodations. Thirdly, I was never that good at geography in other states, so it was a bit colder than I thought it would be. Fourth, the squirrels are the most dangerous creatures in the park. Finally, a lot of the Canyon is open to just casually walk off the edge. In one sense I can understand this; with both the south rim and the north rim together, the Canyon would require a massive amount of steel. Also, that would not stop everyone from dying at the Canyon. If you build it, they will climb, right?

Over the Edge: Death in Grand Canyon covers this subject, not as an attempt to embarrass or entertain, but rather to inform and educate. Although it will never be a foolproof method, it is more economical than fencing the entire Canyon. The book is written by two veterans of Grand Canyon exploration, Michael P Ghiglieri, and Thomas M Myers. The book is exhaustive and is as comprehensive as possible. With a lot of the old records and scattered accounts, a majority of the book was researched as a cold case. The book is separated into chapters, with each chapter talking about a different place or method of death. It goes as follows, Death from Falls on the Rim, Death from Falls within the Canyon, Death from Exposure to the Elements, Death from Flash floods, Death from the Colorado River, Death from Plane Crashes or other Air Travel, Death from Freak Accidents, Death from the Flora and Fauna of the Canyon, Suicides, and finally, Murders.

The book contains a checklist to avoid danger, another checklist on what to bring with you and a number of maps and charts. So as with most dangerous places, the idea is to be prepared and respect the environment. I enjoyed this book a lot, even if the subject matter is rather gruesome. If you plan on going to the Grand Canyon, this book is pretty good. I wouldn’t say it’s a must-read, but it was quite informative and interesting. ( )