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Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese (Paperback, 2006)

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The Romans called it 'the best stone in Britain' and used it to make jewellery. Coal has transformed societies and launched empires. It fuelled the industrial revolution, inspired the Communist manifesto, and was a catalyst for some of the greatest inventions of all time - from the steam engine to the railroad. Taking us on a rich historical journey that begins hundreds of years ago on the banks of the River Tyne and spanned the globe, Barbara Freese shows us the profound and often surprising role coal has played in human history. A gifted and lively storyteller, Barbara Freese tells the riveting story of how a shiny black lump changed the modern world.

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A brilliant gem of a book on the small black stone that fuelled the industrial revolution and still powers the world. For fans of Cod and books like Guns, Germs and Steel. 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 todays 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.