I have these in stock if anyone would like a copy
Mike
www.moorebooks.co.uk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Peter Challis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Monday, March 31, 2003 5:08 PM
Subject: 'Victorian Slate Mining'
> Victorian Slate Mining; A social and economic study; I. W. Jones,
> Landmark Collector's Library, Landmark. 2003; 142pp. £15 95, HB.
>
> Another new title from Landmark's admirable, 'Collector's Library',
> there is obviously a market for Welsh slate mining books, the latest in
> this burgeoning genre takes as its theme the 1893-4 Parliamentary
> investigation into the conditions then prevailing in the Merionethshire
> slate mines and the Llechwedd Mines in particular.
>
> The eminent Cornish photographer J. C. Burrow was officially employed
> to illustrate the Committee's work and, unknown to this reviewer, the
> owner of the Llechwedd mines took the opportunity to employ him in a
> private capacity to produce a series of lantern slides illustrating
> underground and surface scenes of the mines, these, in addition to many
> other contemporary photographs are reproduced here. From memory
> Burrow's photograph(s) used in the final Committee's Report is/are so
> poorly reproduced as to be almost useless, caused, again from memory,
> by the poor quality of the paper used to print the report. However, as
> befits Landmark's attention to quality the photographs are superbly
> reproduced here.
>
> The author examines the evidence, conclusions and recommendations
> reached by the committee and he also provides a brief synopsis of the
> Llechwedd mines under the ownership of the Greaves family, one of whom
> was appointed as a member of the 1893 Departmental Committee.
>
> For anyone who has an interest in Welsh slate mining this book will
> surely find a place in their library, it also bears the distinction (?)
> of being the first mining history tome to include an underground
> photograph (not by Burrow's!) of a scantily-clad 'Page Three' model-
> further comment would appear to be superfluous!
>
> Pete Challis
>
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