Few areas of labour history have received as much attention as the coal industry, with miners often finding themselves at the centre of studies on working-class political and industrial history. Yet whilst much has been written about the struggles of miners and their unions in particular countries, their national confrontations and political organization, much less work has been done on the regional communities and how they related both to the national and international picture. The central theme of this volume is to transcend such over-arching national models and to focus instead on local coal mining societies which can then be compared and contrasted to similar communities elsewhere. In so doing the book is able to tackle a number of familiar labour history themes in a more nuanced way, exploring issues of political activism and class relationships from the perspectives of gender, ethnicity, race and specific localized cultural traditions. As the chapters in this volume illustrate, such an approach can offer rich and often surprising conclusions, in many cases challenging the accepted notion of miners as the vanguard of militant working-class political activism. Adopting a regional approach that compares coalfield communities from five continents, this volume reflects coalfield experiences on a truly global scale. By looking at what made communities unique as well as what they shared in common, a much fuller understanding of the workplace, neighbourhood, family, identity and political organization is possible. Underlining the strong connections between politics, community and identity, this work emphasizes the challenges and opportunities available to labour historians, pushing forward the boundaries of the discipline in new and exciting ways.

It was a time of poverty and enterprise, when poor men slaved in the mines, rich men became barons and America grew from a backward agricultural colony to the industrial force of the modern world. The driving power behind this transformation was coal, the black gold that even today illuminates our cities and runs our personal computers.
In The Kingdom of Coal tells the extraordinary story of coal through the eyes of two families - one the magnates, one the miners - over three generations while locked together, for better or worse, in a common quest.

Originally published in 1951, this book is a straightforward account of the British nationalized coal industry in the first half of the twentieth century. An introductory chapter gives the history of the industry during the inter-war years and subsequent chapters discuss the complex organization by which coal is marketed at home and overseas. The types and grades of coal and the price structure of the industry are considered. There is a section on finance which explains the capital structure of the industry and statistical charts focus on significant trends in output, man-power, absenteeism, accidents and similar vital features of the coal industry.

Originally published in 1977, this book concentrates on the period since nationalisation in the history of the coal industry. It provides not only a compact summary for those within the industry but also provides understanding of its problems and achievements for those outside it. The fluctuating world fuel situation threw the fortunes of the coal industry up and down and this book examines these changing fortunes within the context of the new challenges from North Sea oil and other newer sources of fuel.

Focussing on a period of rapid and significant change in the coal industry, this volume, originally published in 1936, sets out the economic facts of the industry and discusses the extent to which politics and industry became interwoven during the years 1910-1936. As well as covering key events such as the General Strike of 1926 and the effects this had on both the UK mining industry and the general population, this volume also examines industrial relations, the growth of the unions and modernization of the industry.

Reissuing works originally published between 1961 and 1990, this set of 12 books offers a selection of scholarship on the history of natural resources. Many of the titles discuss the nuclear power debate from various angles while others look at coal, or resources and energy in the third world.

Dr. J. S. Laskowski has written several papers on frother-collector interactions and the effect of such interactions on flotation kinetics, and on frothers chemistry and frothing. He is founder and Editor-in-Chief of the journal, Coal Preparation. Dr. E. T. Woodburn has published numerous papers on flotation froth and flotation kinetics.
Frothing in Flotation, published in honor of Jan Leja, appeared in 1989. Many important contributions on various aspects of flotation froth properties and behavior and the relationship between froth appearance and flotation performance have appeared since, and this volume intends to summarize these achievements. Flotation kinetics involves a number of mass transfer processes with some of them being critically determined by the behavior of froth. Since froth is complex, and controlled experimentation is difficult, the froth phase was, until recently, either ignored or treated entirely empirically. With wide applications of flotation columns, the behavior of the froth is now often recognized as being dominant in determining flotation performance, and the research in this area is one of the most actively pursued.

Trace Elements in Coal and Coal Combustion Residues focuses on trace metal chemistry of coal and coal combustion residues. Special emphasis is placed on management of coal combustion residues in electric power plants and the influence of coal and associated residues on soils, plants, water, and animals. Topics covered include a brief summary of research sponsored by Electric Power Research Institute, environmental pollution from coal combustion plants in low-rainfall regions, accumulation of trace elements in freshwater mussels near a power plant, testing to evaluate fossil fuel wastes by chemicals and isotopes, transport of metals from coal piles and ash impoundments, leachability and toxicity of metals in fly ash, and plant absorption of chemicals from ash. The book will be a useful reference for environmental and reclamation consultants, environmental engineers, toxicologists, environmental regulatory personnel, officials with electric power utilities and water treatment plants, and soil scientists.

Focussing on a period of rapid and significant change in the coal industry, this volume, originally published in 1936, sets out the economic facts of the industry and discusses the extent to which politics and industry became interwoven during the years 1910-1936. As well as covering key events such as the General Strike of 1926 and the effects this had on both the UK mining industry and the general population, this volume also examines industrial relations, the growth of the unions and modernization of the industry.

This title was first published in 2000: This book describes and accounts for the patterns of industrial relations which have emerged in the UK coal industry since privatization in 1994. In so doing, it also addresses wider issues relating to industrial relations and ownership. Labour relations practices currently evident within the industry are compared with those which prevailed during the final years of nationalization, and a series of case studies demonstrates that both continuity and change are visible. Whilst continuity with the patterns of labour relations established during the final decade of public ownership is shown to have had negative implications for organized labour within the industry however, the changes associated with privatization are demonstrated to have been a more ambivalent force. This book concludes that privatization has had a significant influence upon industrial relations within the industry, and that organized labour has in general been detrimentally affected by these developments.

Originally published in 1951, this book is a straightforward account of the British nationalized coal industry in the first half of the twentieth century. An introductory chapter gives the history of the industry during the inter-war years and subsequent chapters discuss the complex organization by which coal is marketed at home and overseas. The types and grades of coal and the price structure of the industry are considered. There is a section on finance which explains the capital structure of the industry and statistical charts focus on significant trends in output, man-power, absenteeism, accidents and similar vital features of the coal industry.

Originally published in 1977, this book concentrates on the period since nationalisation in the history of the coal industry. It provides not only a compact summary for those within the industry but also provides understanding of its problems and achievements for those outside it. The fluctuating world fuel situation threw the fortunes of the coal industry up and down and this book examines these changing fortunes within the context of the new challenges from North Sea oil and other newer sources of fuel.

First published in 1986, this book challenges the notion that the miners' strike of 1984-5 was 'Scargill's Strike'. It shows some of the ways in which the strike, though nominally directed from above, was determined from below by multitudinous and often contradictory pressures - the lodge, the village and the home. The focus is essentially logical and gives particular attention to family economy, kin networks and intergenerational solidarity. At the same time it is concerned with the mentality of the strike - its ruling fears and passions. The first-hand testimonies that comprise the book attest to the attachment to 'traditional ways' as well as the potency of the influences corroding them.

The emergence of coal-based fuel economy over the course of the nineteenth century was one of the most significant features of America's Industrial Revolution, but the transition from wood to mineral energy sources was a gradual one that transpired over a number of decades. The documents in these volumes recreate the institutional history of the American coal industry in the nineteenth century - providing a first-hand perspective on the developments in regard to political economy, business structure and competition, the rise of formal trade unions, and the creation of a national coal trade. Although the collection strives to be wide-ranging in region and theme, the Pennsylvania anthracite coal trade forms the thematic backbone as it became the most important American mineral resource to see successful development throughout the nineteenth century. Consequently it saw unprecedented levels of intervention by the federal government. The texts for this collection were selected for their accessibility to modern readers as well as their relationship to a series of common themes across the nineteenth century American coal industry - with headnotes and annotations provided to explain their context and the reasons for their inclusion.

Once the beehive coke oven was perfected in Fayette County, Pennsylvania, the coal and coke industry began to flourish and supply other fledgling industries with the fuel they needed to succeed. The thrust of this growth came from Henry Clay Frick, who opened his first coal mines in the Morgan Valley of Fayette County in 1871. There, he helped lead the industry, making it the major developmental force in industrial America. This book traces the birth and growth of the early coal and coke industry from 1870 to 1920, primarily in Fayette and Westmoreland Counties. Beyond Frick's importance to the industry, other major topics covered in this history include the lives and struggles of the miners and immigrants who worked in the industry, the growth of unions and the many strikes in the region, and the attempts to clean the surrounding waterways from the horrific pollution that resulted from industrial development. Perhaps the most significant fact is that this book uses primary sources contemporary with the golden age of the coal and coke industry. That effort offers an alternative view and helps repair the common portrayal of Frick as corrupt by showing his work as that of an industrial genius.

Lignites are a fuel resource upon which there has been heavy reliance for a long time in several parts of the world. Indeed, lignite (also known as low-rank coal, brown coal or braunkohle), has been used for electricity generation in some regions for a century or more. These coals can, after a mild drying process, be used directly as a fuel and this remains the dominant form of usage. The coals can however be beneficiated in a number of ways including moulding into briquettes for export. Other new technologies applied to brown coals include slurrying and solar drying to make a hard product also suitable for export. Very importantly, over a period of 70+ years there has been hydrogenation of such coals to make liquid fuels. This volume covers all aspects of the subject from the nature of lignites in situ to detailed coverage of fuel usage including figures for electricity generation and carbon dioxide release. Processing technologies including briquetting and carbonisation are described as are gasification, to make a fuel gas or a synthesis gas, and their conversion to liquid fuels.The book provides an international review, setting in context the use of lignite in various regions of the world. Where appropriate the book includes information about industrial plant and processes and uses information from key research and development. It also considers the important issue of carbon dioxide emissions which in the past has sometimes worked against lignite utilisation. This issue is covered with some emphasis and also deals with carbon capture and sequestration from power plants. Co-firing of lignites with biomass is also considered. This is the only recent comprehensive volume on the subject, bringing together for the first time a full account of this important fuel.

An electronic version of this book is also available under a Creative Commons (CC-BY-NC-ND) license, thanks to the support of the Wellcome Trust. The Industrial Revolution produced injury, illness and disablement on a large scale and nowhere was this more visible than in coalmining. Disability in the Industrial Revolution sheds new light on the human cost of industrialisation by examining the lives and experiences of those disabled in an industry that was vital to Britain's economic growth. Although it is commonly assumed that industrialisation led to increasing marginalisation of people with impairments from the workforce, disabled mineworkers were expected to return to work wherever possible, and new medical services developed to assist in this endeavour. This book explores the working lives of disabled miners and analyses the medical, welfare and community responses to disablement in the coalfields. It shows how disability affected industrial relations and shaped the class identity of mineworkers. The book will appeal to students and academics interested in disability, occupational health and social history. -- .

This book is the second of two volumes examining the place of the National Union of Mineworkers in post-war British politics. Covering the years 1969 to 1995, it charts reactions to the pit closures programme of the late 1950s and 1960s and the development of the NUM's reputation as the union that could topple governments. This reputation influenced profoundly the relationship between the NUM and successive Labour and Conservative administrations, underpinning changes in the state's approach to industrial disputes, so vividly manifested in the strike of 1984-85. Following the same intellectual path as volume one, this book concentrates on 'high' politics and the relationship between the NUM, the government and the National Coal Board. It highlights many of the same the key themes of the first volume, particularly the internal political process whereby the mineworkers' tendency to fragmentation was managed, and which was to eventually lead to the breakdown of this internal political process and the fragmentation of the NUM. formation of the 'Broad Left', the election of Joe Gormley as NUM President in 1971 and the strikes of 1972 and 1974 and relations with the Wilson and Heath governments. It then examines the election of Arthur Scargill in 1981 and the subsequent shifting of the union's political centre of gravity, together with the Conservative government's determination to use the power of the state to destroy the power of the NUM. The myths and legends surrounding the NUM and its power to bring down governments is still strong today, yet this book challenges many of the notions surrounding its strength, militancy and cohesiveness. Instead what emerges is a more complex picture as the union struggled to translate local loyalties into national solidarity. Whilst nationalisation initially helped this process, growing frustration exploded at the end of the 1960s, ushering in a period of a typical unity that allowed the miners to successfully strike in the 1970s. was in many ways much more typical of the NUM's experience throughout the twentieth century.

The coal industry has been and continues to be of critical importance for China's economic modernization. With its huge labour force, country-wide infrastructure, and vital strategic importance for the economy, the industry presents special problems for reformers, and epitomises the problems of reform in the state industrial sector as a whole. This book examines the changes in the structure and operation of the Chinese coal industry from the mid-19th century to the present, concentrating on the years of reform. Although the focus is on the economics of the industry, the book also provides many insights into China's socio-political development.

eBook available with sample pages: 0203221656

The near destruction of the coal industry and the NUM offers a timely vantage point from which to appraise their history. This book presents a collection of specially commissioned essays by leading authorities on miners' history, which challenge the stereotypical imagery of miners' solidarity and loyalty to the Labour Party. This book examines the politics of the Miners' Federation of Great Britain, the unique influences of syndicalism and communism within some of its constituent areas, and the uneven pace of the Labour Party's 'forward march' within the coalfields. Such national developments are then studied within their diverse regional contexts through a series of case studies which permits comparison between the major British coalfields. Finally, the book considers the attempts to overcome these regional diversities with the formation of the National Union of Mineworkers and the nationalisation of the mining industry.

This book examines five rhetorical strategies used by the US coal industry to advance its interests in the face of growing economic and environmental pressures: industrial apocalyptic, corporate ventriloquism, technological shell game, hypocrite's trap, and energy utopia. The authors argue that these strategies appeal to and reinforce neoliberalism, a discourse and set of practices that privilege market rationality and individual freedom and responsibility above all else. As the coal industry has become the leading target and leverage point for those seeking more aggressive action to mitigate climate change, their corporate advocacy may foreshadow rhetorical strategies available to other fossil fuel industries as they manage similar economic and cultural shifts. The authors' analysis of coal's corporate advocacy also identifies contradictions and points of vulnerability in the organized resistance to climate action as well as the larger ideological formation of neoliberalism.

From 1868-1872, German geologist Ferdinand von Richthofen went on an expedition to China. His reports on what he found there would transform Western interest in China from the land of porcelain and tea to a repository of immense coal reserves. By the 1890s, European and American powers and the Qing state and local elites battled for control over the rights to these valuable mineral deposits. As coal went from a useful commodity to the essential fuel of industrialization, this vast natural resource would prove integral to the struggle for political control of China. Geology served both as the handmaiden to European imperialism and the rallying point of Chinese resistance to Western encroachment. In the late nineteenth century both foreign powers and the Chinese viewed control over mineral resources as the key to modernization and industrialization. When the first China Geological Survey began work in the 1910s, conceptions of natural resources had already shifted, and the Qing state expanded its control over mining rights, setting the precedent for the subsequent Republican and People's Republic of China regimes. In Empires of Coal, Shellen Xiao Wu argues that the changes specific to the late Qing were part of global trends in the nineteenth century, when the rise of science and industrialization destabilized global systems and caused widespread unrest and the toppling of ruling regimes around the world.

World coal production will increase up to 2040 and world energy consumption will be very much dependent on coal. For a better planning of coal mining operations, it is essential to know the strength, cuttability and workability of coal, which are interrelated. The main objective of the book is to combine the research studies and compile the book oriented to the coal industry, research students, practicing engineers, and coal mine panning teams. Key Features Covers all the subjects related to coal properties, mining and excavation in one book Presents a summary of physical and mechanical properties of coal belonging to a wide range of countries Includes typical examples of using physical and mechanical of coal in mine planning and in its industrial applications Explains use of cuttability characteristics of coal Describes planning of coal production using ploughs, shearers and surface miners

In 1921, some 10,000 West Virginia coal miners- outraged over years of brutality and exploitation- picked up their Winchesters and marched against their tormentors, the powerful mine owners who ruled their corrupt state. For ten days the miners fought a pitched battle against an opposing legion of deputies, state police, and makeshift militia. Only the intervention of a Federal expeditionary force ended this undeclared war. In The Battle of Blair Mountain , Robert Shogan shows this long-neglected slice of American history to be a saga of the conflicting political, economic, and cultural forces that shaped the power structure of twentieth-century America.

This book is a direct outgrowth of classes that the authors gave over a period of three decades to a university audience taking a Mineral Beneficiation course as a major that included coal processing and utilization. It is designed to be used as a student's (or layman's) first introduction to coal processing and utilization, motivating the concepts before illustrating them by means of concrete situations. As such, this book gives an integrated overview of coal processing and utilization along with clean coal technology, presenting all the basic principles, theory and practice in a systematic way. Every topic covered is dealt with in a self-explanatory manner so that any new reader may find this book interesting and easy to understand. The book makes available the hard core of fundamentals of coal processing and utilization in a form which is general enough to meet the needs of many and yet is unburdened by excess baggage best discussed in research journals. The salient feature is that all the technical terminology used in this book has been sufficiently explained in order to allow the reader to understand the concepts effectively without needing to consult additional literature. Problems are introduced not so much to be solved as to be tackled. Some of them are included to lay the ground work for the subsequent theory and will help the readers in teaching, research and operating plants. Overall, this book will be of interest to professionals and engineers in the fields of energy, mining, mineral, metallurgical and geological engineering, as well as to engineering geologists and earth sciences professionals.