I recently found these titles and reviews (
Mining in World History Martyn Lynch. SB, 350pp
This work deals with the history of mining and smelting from the Renaissance to the present. Martin Lynch opens with the invention, sometime before 1453, of a revolutionary technique for separating silver from copper. It was this invention which brought back to life the rich copper-silver mines of central Europe, in the process making brass cannon and silver coin available to the ambitious Habsburg emperors, thereby underpinning their quest for European domination. Lynch also discusses the Industrial Revolution and the far-reaching changes to mining and smelting brought about by the steam engine; the era of the gold rushes; the massive mineral developments and technological leaps forward which took place in the USA and South Africa at the end of the 19th century; and, finally, the spread of mass metal-production techniques amid the violent struggles of the 20th century. In an engaging, concise and fast-paced text, he presents the interplay of personalities, politics and technology that have shaped the metallurgical industries over the last 500 years.
£12.95 + p&p
Coal A Human History; Barbara Freese, 337pp Pb
Coal has transformed societies and shaped the fate of nations. It launched empires and triggered wars. Above all, it fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain, propelling the rise of a small rural kingdom into the greatest commercial empire in the world. Taking us on a rich historical journey that begins on the banks of the river Tyne, Barbara Freese explores the profound role coal has played in human history and continues to play in today's world. The first half of the book is set in Britain and tells how coal transformed Britain and ushered in the industrial age. The rest of the book looks at America and China, at the birth of the unions and the closing of the mines, and at the energy industry today. With oil prices on the rise and no end in sight to our insatiable appetite for energy, the world is turning again to coal.
The Romans called it 'the best stone in Britain' and used it to make jewellery. Medieval monks thought you could grow it. London physicians swore it would ward off the bubonic plague. Coal has transformed societies and shaped the fate of nations. It made China into a 12th century super power and helped the North win the American Civil War. Above all, it fuelled the Industrial Revolution in Britain, propelling the rise of a small rural kingdom into the greatest commercial empire in the world. It was to pump water from the coal mines that the steam engine was invented, and to transport coal that the first railroad was built. 'Every basket,' wrote Ralph Waldo Emerson, echoing the confidence of his time, is power and civilization.
Not everyone was quite so enthusiastic about the coal-fuelled mass production of the industrial revolution. Friedrich Engels used the income from his father's Manchester mill to finance his crusade against he vices of a coal-powered word. Coal workers would inspire radical new labour laws and form some of the strongest unions in history. The noxious effects of coal smoke gave birth to the environmental movement and remain to this day a major cause of global concern.
Taking us on a rich historical journey that begins hundreds of years ago on the banks of the Tiver Tyne, Barbara Freese explores the profound role coal has played in human history and continues to play in today's world. With oil prices on the rise, coal consumption growing in China and the US, and catastrophic storms alerting us to the dangers of climate change, our future is once again bound up with the fate of coal
£7.99 +P&P
yes they are in stock!!)
Mike
For New and Used Mining, IA and Caving books www.moorebooks.co.uk
( please note there will be regular updates as I have many books in stock not yet listed)
BRITISH MINING DATABASE
http://britishmining.org.uk
SHROPSHIRE MINES TRUST
http://shropshiremines.org.uk
SNAILBEACH MINE
http://snailbeachmine.org.uk
TANKERVILLE MINE
http://shropshiremines.org.uk/tankerville/tankerville.htm
NAMHO CONFERENCE 2006
http://namhoconference.org.uk
MINES IN CYPRUS
http://shropshiremines.org.uk/cyprus/cyprus.htm
|