When small-town farmer and spelunking enthusiast Floyd Collins became trapped in a southern Kentucky cave in early 1925, the sensationalism and hysteria of the rescue attempt generated America's first true media spectacle, making Collins's story one of the most prominent of the century. The crowds that gathered outside Sand Cave turned the rescue site into a carnival. Collins's plight was front-page news throughout the country, hourly bulletins interrupted radio programs, and Congress recessed to hear the latest word.
With a new foreword by Tina Landau, bookwriter and director of the musical Floyd Collins, as well as a new afterword by Roger W. Brucker, Trapped! is a tense adventure and a brilliant historical re-creation of the past--a tale as enthralling today as it was when the event took place over one hundred years ago.
Robert K. Murray (1922-2019) was professor of history at Pennsylvania State University for more than three decades as well as a senior fellow in the university's Institute for the Arts and Humanities. His work includes The Harding Era: Warren G. Harding and His Administration, The 103rd Ballot: Democrats and the Disaster in Madison Square Garden, and the coauthored book Greatness in the White House: Rating the Presidents--From George Washington through Ronald Reagan.
Roger W. Brucker is a lifelong cave explorer and cofounder of the Cave Research Foundation. He is coauthor of several books, including The Longest Cave with Richard A. Watson, and is also author of Grand, Gloomy, and Peculiar: Stephen Bishop at Mammoth Cave and Mama Says, Don't Cave: Ergor's Unbelievable Cave Stories (under the pseudonym Ergor Rubric). 358 Pages, Trade Paperback.
----
An eye-opening look at the 1925 news story of Kentuckian Floyd Collins, trapped in a cave near Cave City.... Both a fine historical investigative piece and a compelling read.
~Kentucky Monthly
The tension and confusion of the days of rescue attempts are made real.... The abysmally tragic efforts to capitalize on an exhibition of the cave explorer's body is not omitted.
~The Augusta Chronicle
Trapped! puts into context the importance of exploration and the role of media in accurately reporting on the accidents that can happen in original exploration.... [It] illustrates the spirit of one man's curiosity, resilience, and deep commitment to humankind's drive for expanded horizons.
~C. William Steele, international cave explorer and author of Huautla: Thirty Years in One of the World's Deepest Caves
 "Trapped: The Story of Floyd Collins Updated Edition 2025")
