Bertien van Manen grew up in Heerlen, at the heart of the eastern part of the former coal mining region in the Netherlands, where her father worked as an engineer for the State Mines. Living in close proximity to this industry, the surrounding culture, and tangible consequences, she also became intimately familiar with the kinds of places and people associated with it. Spanning multiple decades, this publication brings together photographs Van Manen took in various mining towns scattered around the world: Wakefield and New Sharlston, Yorkshire (UK, 1970s), Most (CZ, 1980s), the Appalachian Mountains (US, 1980s and 1990s), and Apanas, Siberia (RU, 1990s). Gluckauf is the traditional miners' greeting wishing a safe return from underground, used across borders.