author
Clay Perry
1887–1961
Best remembered as a writer, outdoorsman, and early cave enthusiast, this Wisconsin-born author helped popularize the word "spelunker." His books brought the underground landscapes of New England and New York to a wider audience with a mix of curiosity, adventure, and local history.
2 Audiobooks
What's life worth?
by Clay Perry
Two-way trail
by Clay Perry
About the author
Born in Waupaca, Wisconsin, in 1887, Clay Perry later made his home in western Massachusetts. He worked as a novelist, short story writer, and journalist, and in the 1930s he was part of the Federal Writers' Project.
He is most closely associated with cave writing. Perry explored and wrote about caves in New England and the northeastern United States, and he is widely credited with coining or popularizing the term "spelunker" in the 1940s. Among the books linked with his name are Underground New England (1939), New England's Buried Treasure (1946), and Underground Empire: Wonders and Tales of New York Caves (1948).
Perry died in Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1961. Though not a household name today, he remains an appealing figure for readers who enjoy regional writing, outdoor adventure, and the early literature of cave exploration.