An informal, informative introduction to lead mining in the Northern Pennines. Uniquely, the theme and structure are both guided by the "Pennine Poems" of the late W.H.Auden. Chapters on geology, technology, the environmental legacy of mining, social history, industrial history and heritage tourism are all introduced by lines from poetry as the authors respond to Auden's claim (made in the poem, The Watershed) that the land he saw before him refused to communicate. Well researched, colourfully illustrated and thoughtfully formatted, the book describes the ways the land does speak. The book contains two complete Auden poems and extracts from five others. Worldwide copyright permission has been granted.