VanDine Geological Engineering Limited

The book is very well and clearly illustrated, with numerous useful and descriptive tables, maps, line drawings, and photographs, many of which are in color. All the maps and drawings were prepared by a single individual, and again the book benefits from consistency in format. Several specific important and useful topics are highlighted by means of shaded ‘‘text boxes.’’

Overall, I think most geologists and engineers who practice in the areas of landslides, and not only landslides related to low-cost and low-volume mountain roads in humid tropical and subtropical regions, would benefit by reading or referring to Slope Engineering for Mountains Roads. As most books these days, this one is pricey, but I think it is worth it.

Principal Geologist, Marc Hendrickx and Associates Pty Ltd

This review was featured in Geological Society of Australia newsletter TAG

I am highly envious of the authors of this excellent book. In their well thought out, well-structured and wonderfully illustrated tome they have published a most useful book on engineering geology applied to the design, maintenance and assessment of mountain roads, one that I would have liked to have authored had I the time, patience and access to one of the best collections of landslide photographs and engineering geology illustrations I have seen in one place.

The text is supported throughout by an excellent collection of photographs, figures and tables. The authors are to be commended for the variety and sheer volume of photos and illustrations. Some photos are really quite stunning and they are well produced in colour. More to the point they are all relevant to the text and help expand on the excellent commentary.

Case studies are referenced throughout. These emphasise the practical nature of the text in seeking to provide users with practical guidance on the selection of remedial options for instance. They are brief and to the point and again supported by well-chosen photos often annotated to clearly show the features mentioned in the text.

One of the others things I enjoyed about the book was the practical no-nonsense approach to remediation and design. Many of the case studies have been collected from developing nations where funds for remedial works or for upfront design and construction of new roads are limited and common sense decisions that weigh practical factors of safety against the cost involved to implement them need to be made.

This book will be of great practical use to those responsible for maintaining and managing fragile slopes next to roads in misty mountains in all countries not just those found in the tropics. Congratulations again to the authors and editors.