Interview with Martyn....probably aimed more at the public, but it shows some of the pages from the book.
I have the deluxe, hardback copy.......well worth the money.
Yes, it's probably not aimed at hard cavers necessarily, but it is a very well turned out coffee table type book.
I can't remember the last time there was a dedicated book of photos from UK caves. Probably Paul Deakin's, back in the 70's,
so something like this is well overdue.
I'm not a fan of all the pictures in the book, but there's no doubt that Martyn takes much better photos underground than I ever will, so I'm prepared to overlook the few that don't float my boat. I'll never get to see all the caves featured either, so he's done me a favour by giving me an idea of what I'm missing.
Photos are obviously very subjective.
Do you like colour or (the maybe more evocative of underground) black and white?
Do you like all features shown or areas of shadow to allow the imagination to run riot?
Do you want people in the photos for scale or not?
As for the text, what are people expecting?
It's not aiming to be a guidebook or a blow-by-blow description of exploration.
Not evryone is going to be satisfied with this book, That was always going to be the case.
The comment posted above about some of the pictures being 'staged' made me chuckle.......aren't most caving photos staged?
Most that I've posed for have been set up to some degree.
Conclusions:
It's not a cave exploration book. It's not aimed solely at cavers. It is a collection of photos that celebrate some of the UK's best underground sites. This is Martyn Farr.....he doesn't turn out naff books (and no...I don't know the guy!)
Go on the website. Watch the video. Borrow a copy from a library.
Make your own decision about the book.