Caving journals

YSA Journal

During the 1990s, as well as indexing the first 133 issues of Descent in minute detail (these are available as bound indexes), Chris Howes indexed a number of small, generally sometimes obscure (but potentially very useful) non-Descent caving journals. These were published as A5, card-covered indexes following a standard format.

One of these was for the Yorkshire Speleological Association Journal, which consisted of only two editions (Vol. 1, issues 1 and 2) issued in 1907 and 1909. Original copies are incredibly scarce and even when found are likely to be incomplete or illegible, given that the pages were typed in a stack of multiple sheets (about a dozen at a time) with carbon paper between. The first two journals ran to 24pp and 19pp respectively, with a further three pages produced in about 1910. The index covers all known publications by the YSA, which were assembled and copied to produce the best set possible.

Given their scarcity, scans of the journals (and additional pages) as well as the index are being made available by Chris and Wild Places Publishing. Please read the notes at the start of the index concerning the journal copies. Use the following links to open pdf files in a new window. If a printed copy is required, note that the index is formatted for A5 paper. The two journals were originally printed on quarto paper stock, but are copied on A4.

YSA Journal Vol 1 (1), 1907

YSA Journal Vol 1 (2), 1909, plus additional pages

YSA Journal Index

For those who prefer to print the index, you may download an imposed version which will print on four sides of A4 (back the pages if you are able), and fold to produce an A5 booklet (staple down the spine)

The original 1995 published index, perhaps redundant given the free download above, is still available for collectors (while stocks last)

Details of Descent indexes and other club journal indexes published as part of the series are here