The Handbook of Slope Stabilisation is a compendium of chapters written by a group of 8 notable Brazilian geotechnical specialists. It should really be subtitled ‘... in steep slopes of tropically-weathered soils and rocks, especially in Brazil, but with brief mentions of Hong Kong’, as it does not set out to cover a wider remit. Nevertheless, it succeeds in being thorough and readable. It is written in clear English (but not without the occasional typographic error), and is copiously illustrated.

Above all, it is illustrated with colour, particularly towards the front of the book. If one or two of the photographs are a little dark, then that is offset by the quality of the others: a number of them show spectacular failures. Most of the line drawings are heavily shaded with grey tints, and there are many black and white photographs as well as coloured ones. Figure captions are sometimes rather short and unhelpful.

After an introductory chapter by the Editors, there is a useful chapter on geology, and how geological structure and weathering give rise to certain landslide types. Most of the body of the book is concerned with detailed design of surface water drainage, anchors and nails, and retaining walls; shotcreting and mesh covering are presented in less detail. Reflecting the practical experience of the Authors, key points are all made with reference to particular case records. Such theory as presented is simple, and couched in terms of limit equilibrium methods. The book closes with a review of instrumentation systems, and a description of the use of a rain gauge system for landslide early warning.

The index runs to 11 pages, and references are listed Chapter by Chapter. A small number of the references are, as might be expected, in Portuguese.

I found this to be a fascinating, practical and useful book, which I recommend to other geotechnical specialists dealing with slope instability, even if they do not practice in the tropics or Brazil. Students in general may well find the geographical and environmental limits to be somewhat restrictive, but students of the geotechnical sciences studying in, or contemplating working in, the tropics will want this book as one of their course texts.

• © 2005 The Geological Society of London