Reviews

Descent 296: coming out soon

The next issue of Descent magazine is due out shortly. If you haven’t got a subscription, go to the link ...
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Cave and Karst Science Vol 50 No 3: Biology, Archaeology and … Muons!

The latest edition of the BCRA’s Cave and Karst Science contains six main papers, some shorter forum pieces, including meeting ...
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Descent 295 – Delivering The Goods

The latest issue of Descent Magazine is out, in good time for Christmas. Descent 295 arrived on the author’s doormat ...
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Descent 295: Coming Soon

The next issue of Descent magazine is due out shortly. If you haven’t got a subscription, go to the link ...
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Rick Stanton at Hidden Earth 2018

Tratman Award for 2021: Rick Stanton takes the prize.

  The publications of 2021 were particularly fine, both in quality and quantity, causing the shortlist for the Tratman Award ...
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Cave and Karst Science Vol 50 No 2: Caves, Karst, Archaeology and a Great Scientist

There are five main papers, two short Forum pieces and a Photo Feature in the latest edition of the BCRA's ...
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Descent 293 – in sharp focus

Descent 293 is now published and without further ado, here is a review! There is one article in this issue ...
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Book Review: Hidden Realms

Cave diver and photographer Martyn Farr has produced a tempting array of descriptions and photographs of 100 cave and mine ...
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Descent 292: Hard Graft

Descent 292 has been out for several days now, but with summer in full swing, I have only just found ...
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Book Review: Aberllefeni Slate Quarry, by Jon Knowles

A really good mining book comes along from time to time. Mike Moore reviews a newly-published volume on an important ...
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Descent 291: Respecting Cavers Future and Past

It was with a good deal of reflection that I read the newly-published Descent 291. Within its pages there are ...
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Book Review: Somerset Underground volume 3

This is the third volume of a four volume set covering the caves, mines and associated features of the county ...
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Descent 289: Drones, bones, and a huge stalagmite

Descent 289 - The first issue under new management, and the verdict is more, please! Chris Scaife and Carolina Smith ...
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Coming Soon: Descent 289, the start of the new editorial era …

The first issue edited by the new team of Chris Scaife and Carolina Smith is about to hit the streets ...
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Descent 288: a special issue!

Descent 288 is now out, and marks a significant milestone in its long history. This issue is a major landmark ...
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Caves of Assynt, edited by Tim Lawson and Peter Dowswell

The Grampian Speleological Group (GSG), Scotland's premier caving club, has a long history of producing guides to the country's caves; ...
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Descent 286: Lights! Action! Cavers go to the movies

Secret hideouts, cave-related films, bats and the latest on CRoW are among the stories in the latest informative and enjoyable ...
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Descent 285: Jet-washing, drills, big birthdays and a gradual return to normal caving

The caving world may be slowly starting to return to what passes for normal, according to the latest issue of ...
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Descent 284: The Smithy rescue, and much more

Subscribers of the magazine Descent will by now have received the latest issue, number 284, and for those that do ...
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Descent 283: The Grand Traverse, return to Llethrid, and how old is that dog?

If you want to guess the age of an old dog, and help a rescue team at the same time, ...
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Cave and Karst Science Vol 48 No 2: Chalk, more chalk, dogs and graffiti.

The latest issue of Cave and Karst Science is dominated (the editors' word!) by karst and caves within the English ...
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Review: Thirteen Lessons That Saved Thirteen Lives

In the summer of 2018, few people in the world with access to news reports could fail to have been ...
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Review: A Darker Domain

Caves turn up regularly in crime fiction, and this time it's Scotland's turn to see some speleological literary action. Karen ...
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Descent 280: an honour with a difference for hero Aussie cave divers

, If you want to know why a couple of Aussie cavers have had two new species of cave spider ...
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Aquanaut – A life beneath the surface

It is an honour to have been given the opportunity to review Aquanaut, and to immerse myself in Rick Stanton’s ...
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Descent 278: Video, digs and the biggest cave in the world!

Another excellent issue from the Descent team is packed with interesting and exciting content including a trip in the "world's ...
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Descent 277: Why cavers are visiting Harry Potter’s bedroom!

Descent 277 is now here. It's yet another great issue from the Descent team with interesting and exciting content, including ...
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Book Review: Caves and Cave Diving

Alan Jeffreys dips into his bookshelf again to take a look at another caving classic. Back in the day when ...
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Book review: Somerset Underground volume 2

This is the second volume of a planned four volume set covering the caves, mines and associated features of the ...
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Review: Dorking – a Town Underground

Naughty boys, grand follies, an underground control centre for a railway and a Quaker congregation falling through the floor into ...
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Review: Journeys Beneath the Earth, The Autobiography of a Cave Explorer

Dave William Gill (not to be confused with Dave ‘Icarus’ Gill) will be known to many cavers in this country ...
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Review: Yorkshire Caves and Potholes

As I type, the Craven Pothole Club (CPC) is well into its 91st year. The founder member in September 1929 ...
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Big rivers, maze caves and a Roman dog – the latest in cave research from the BCRA

A report on the big river caves of Papua New Guinea in the Nakanai Mountains and one on harvesting swiftlet ...
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Review: One Thousand Metres Down

It is impossible to either ignore or underrate this fine book, which is part of my triumvirate of classic cave ...
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Losing yourself down the rabbit hole – an anthology of Mendip cave rescues

If you're anticipating having a lot of time on your hands and wondering what on earth you are going to ...
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Book Review: Adventures Underground

Following Alan Jefferys' review of Concrete Evidence by Victor S Wigmore, Darkness Below heard from Jim Pennington who came across ...
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BCA Newsletter now available

The BCA Newsletter 37 - February 2020 is now available. Editor David Rose has put out a bumper edition which ...
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Somerset Underground – Volume One. Book Launch

The Mendip Cave Registry and Archive (MCRA) are pleased to announce the launch of Volume 1 of ‘Somerset Underground’, at ...
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Concrete Evidence – a curious manuscript

Alan Jeffreys recently came across a curious manuscript entitled Concrete Evidence, a speleo novel by Victor Stephen Wignore and reviews ...
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Descent 269 now available

Descent 269 should now have landed on your mat, making an even heavier thud than usual with eight extra pages ...
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Book review: Life Ruins

A young woman is so savagely beaten that it’s impossible to work out her identity. Becca thinks she knows who ...
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Book review: Death Sentence

Swildon's Hole and a terminally bad experience in Sump 1 feature in our latest look at caving fiction. I’ve followed ...
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Descent 268 now available

Descent 268 is now available! If a copy hasn’t arrived with you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing ...
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Book review: Underground

As the cover states, Underground sets out to tell a human history of the worlds beneath our feet. As a ...
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Cave and Karst Science Vol 46 No 1 now available

Reports on amphibians and reptiles in caves, 3-D cave mapping, and racial segregation in a South African cave are among ...
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Descent 268 coming soon

The June issue of Descent is about to land on your mats, so take a moment to check whether your ...
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Book review: Caving: Episodes of Underground Exploration

Alan Jeffreys enjoys a caving classic even if he doesn't entirely approve of the author's somewhat cavalier attitude to risk ...
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Book review: The Cave

Kate Mosse is better known for Labyrinth and other books, but Alan Jeffreys recommends taking a look at her novella, ...
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Descent 266 – the half century!

It’s birthday cake plus cheese and pineapple on sticks all round this issue as Descent 266 celebrates 50 years in ...
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BCA newsletter now available

BCA Newsletter no 37 for January 2019 is now available. Editor David Rose has produced a bumper issue starting with ...
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Book review: Potholing Below the Northern Pennines

In his quest for vintage caving books, Alan Jeffreys has delved into his bookshelves again, and has come up with ...
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Book review: Subterranean Climbers

Alan Jeffreys continues his look at classic caving books with a review of a classic text that captures the excitement of underground ...
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Book review: Pennine Underground

As part of our ongoing series of reviews of classic caving books, Alan Jeffreys looks at the groundbreaking Pennine Underground ...
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Review: Cave and Karst Science, December 2018 Issue

The December 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 3 carries six articles. The ...
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Book review: Rich Mountains of Lead

Mike Moore reviews a valuable addition to any mine explorer's book collection. This new book is a detailed study of  ...
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Descent 265 now available

If it looks like you’ll be restricted to armchair caving over the festive season, make sure you get the latest ...
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Book review: Styx

As part of a new series on classic caving books, both fact and fiction, Linda Wilson reviews Styx, a 1982 ...
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Book review: Underground Adventure

As part of a new series on classic caving books, both fact and fiction, Alan Jeffreys takes a look at ...
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News: Descent 264 Now Available

Descent 264 is now available! If a copy hasn’t arrived with you, it’s time to head over to Wildplaces Publishing ...
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Book Review: The Archaeology of Darkness

By way of preface to Archaeology of the Caves of Ireland in 2012, archaeologists Marion Dowd and Robert Hensey brought ...
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Book Review: The Anomaly

TV archaeologist Nolan Moore is in search of a mysterious cavern in the Grand Canyon, discovered in 1909 by Kincaid, ...
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News: Descent 264 Coming Soon

Descent 264 will be with you very shortly! If you’re not up to date with your subscription don’t forget that ...
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Review: Cave and Karst Science, August 2018 Issue

The August 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 2 carries five main articles; ...
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Review: Descent 263 Now Available

Descent 263 is now available! If you’re not already got your copy, we hope this short round up will tempt ...
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News: Descent 263 Coming Soon

Descent 263 will be out soon so now’s a good time to check if you’re up to date with your ...
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Review: Descent 262 Now Available

Descent 262 should have landed on your mats and in the shops by now! If you’re not a subscriber, we ...
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News: CDG Wookey Hole Book Now Available at a Special Price

Special Offer! The CDG publication WOOKEY HOLE tells the story of the pioneers and their cutting edge approaches to exploratory ...
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News: Descent 261 Now Available

Descent 261 should have reached subscribers and shops by now! If you’re not a subscriber, we hope this short round ...
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Review: Cave and Karst Science, April 2018 Issue

The April 2018 issue of Caves and Karst Science is now available. Volume 45, Number 1 carries six main articles, ...
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Book Review: The Devil’s Dice

Respectable patent lawyer Peter Hamilton is found dead at a spot known as The Devil’s Dice, a remote crag in ...
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Review: Caves of North Wales Website

In today’s Information Age we’ve all become used to having what we want to know at our fingertips – literally! ...
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Rhosydd Slate Quarry – a classic book republished

A new print run of Rhosydd Slate Quarry, by M.J.T. Lewis and J.H. Denton, is now available. In 1974, the ...
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News: Descent 260 Now Available

Descent 260 should by now have landed on mats all around the country! If you’re not a subscriber, we hope ...
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News: Descent 259 Now Available

Descent 259 is now available! Newsdesk’s five pages will bring you up to date with news at home and abroad ...
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Review: Underground Worlds Calendar 2018

The internationally renowned Underground Worlds calendar for 2018 is now available from Wild Places Publishing, better known to most of ...
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Review: Adventures Underground

When I first began caving, I eagerly worked my way through as many of the caving classics as possible. Most ...
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News: Descent 258 Now Available

Descent 258 is now available! As ever, Newsdesk will bring you up to date with news at home and abroad ...
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News: Northern Caves – new guide coming soon!

For those of us that remember rushing to Bernies or Inglesport to get our copy of Northern Caves 3 back ...
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News: Descent 257 Now Available

Descent 257 is now available! As ever, Newsdesk will bring you up to date with news from around the world, ...
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News: Descent 256 Now Available

Descent 256 is now available! As ever, Newsdesk will bring you up to date with news from around the world ...
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News: Descent 255 Now Available

Descent 255 is now available! As ever, the edition starts with the information-packed Newsdesk, featuring a rapid run-down  on news ...
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Adventures Underground – book signing at Clapham

The Clapham Bunk, Cafe and Bar is the venue this Saturday (8th April) for a book signing by Adventures Underground ...
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Book Review: The Chalk Pit

Elly Griffith’s latest outing for Norfolk archaeologist Dr Ruth Galloway, involves the chalk mines under Norwich, with which I have ...
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News: Descent 254 Now Available

Descent 254 is now available! The latest issue starts with a three page Newsdesk spread with a quick fire round ...
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New Website : Northern Mine Research Society

If a society wants to thrive nowadays, it is important that they have a good website. It is by far ...
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Book Review: The Archaeology of Caves in Ireland by Marion Dowd

Ireland has long been a popular destination for cavers the world over. But there is much more to Irish caves ...
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Book Review: The First Man by Xavier-Marie Bonnot

The mysterious and dangerous Le Guen’s Cave near Marseille claims another victim, an experienced diver who has been studying the ...
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Book Review: The Last Years Of Coal Mining In Yorkshire by Steve Grudgings

The Yorkshire coalfield is one part of a continuous coal measure that spreads across Yorkshire, Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire. As the ...
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Website Review: Images of South Crofty Mine

Simon Jones's unrivalled record of Cornwall’s last tin mine. French horns. That was what we associated with Simon. He used ...
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Book Review: Deep Shelter by Oliver Harris

DC Nick Belsey is driven down into the miles of abandoned tunnels under the streets of London in search for ...
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Book Review: Prayer for the Dead by James Oswald

DI Tony McLean struggles to find a link between a series of bizarre killings in Edinburgh. Prayer for the Dead, ...
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Book Review: Last Words by Michael Korta

Garrison in Southern Indiana is a town that’s harbouring quite a few secrets, as Mark Novak discovers to his cost ...
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