Just out of curiosity, anyone know why this volume is rare as Hen's Teeth? Were not all the volumes published in the same quantities for some reason?

No idea but when I searched for a copy some time ago I found one available on a USA sight for $150 dollars!

Just to confuse, I have a copy of the 3td edition (1979), though this is titled Wharfedale and Nidderdale - it is available to a good home.
Presumably you are talking about the first published edition?

Cheers

I thought that the very first edition (the one with a photo of Sleets Gill on the cover) became rare because it was badly bound and had a tendency to self-destruct, shedding pages like confetti. Mind you, the information in it at the time was beyond price, as quite a lot of it of it simply wan't available anywhere else.

Had a chat with on of the authors (David Book) about this and regarding the 1990's editions Dalesman printed equal copies of both volume 1 and 3 in the first batch. Volume 2 recieved a second print batch of 1000-3000 copies due to it's popularity.

Regarding the original white versions volume 5 (North yorkshire) was the least printed.

When I talk of Northern Caves I think of the plastic jacketed black cover volumes 1, 2 and 3.


Not NC1 but check this treasure trove out!

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Caving-potholing-books/284260006511?hash=item422f377a6f:g:gcQAAOSwOaBgeUOm

Pitlamp said:

I thought that the very first edition (the one with a photo of Sleets Gill on the cover) became rare because it was badly bound and had a tendency to self-destruct, shedding pages like confetti. Mind you, the information in it at the time was beyond price, as quite a lot of it of it simply wan't available anywhere else.

Click to expand...

i wonder what edition i have then?...  its got out sleets beck pot on the cover.  and previously owned by Andy Hine (5.4.93)

Genuine question, based on total ignorance. Do caving guidebooks actually make money? My back-of-an-envelope calculation suggests that the profits would be minimal (this is based on medical textbooks which also have a limited circulation).

I really enjoy holding a well produced guidebook and reading it in comfort (Mendip Underground being a perfect example). However, I wonder whether the effort involved by the guidebook editors is ever repaid? Given that printed guidebooks to most caving regions are out of date as soon as they're published and produced (at best) about once a decade, would it not be better to have a genuine caving wikipedia which could be kept permanently up to date? If it included links to trip reports etc, it would be a valuable and enjoyable resource.

Generally the guidebooks do make money, but not enough to reimburse the hours taken to compile them. Editing, publishing & printing are (comparatively) cheaper now than they were in the 90s. Most of the info is available online, but not in a single database.

Out sleets beck is the most recent edition of NC1 (1988)

I am waiting to get the next one, when is it due out?