Coal

A Human History

By: Barbara Freese

Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

Length: 7 hrs and 29 mins

Publisher's summary

The fascinating, often surprising story of how a simple black rock altered the course of history. Prized as "the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, powered navies, fueled economies, and expanded frontiers. It made China a twelfth-century superpower, inspired the writing of the Communist Manifesto, and helped the northern states win the American Civil War.

Yet the mundane mineral that built our global economy, and even today powers our electrical plants, has also caused death, disease, and environmental destruction. As early as 1306, King Edward I tried to ban coal (unsuccessfully) because its smoke became so obnoxious. Its recent identification as a primary cause of global warming has made it a cause celebre of a new kind.

In this remarkable book, Barbara Freese takes us on a rich historical journey that begins three hundred million years ago and spans the globe. From the "Great Stinking Fogs" of London to the rat-infested coal mines of Pennsylvania, from the impoverished slums of Manchester to the toxic city streets of Beijing, Coal is a captivating narrative about an ordinary substance that has done extraordinary things a simple black rock that could well determine our fate as a species.

©2003 Barbara Freese (P)2003 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Engrossing and sometimes stunning...[a] strongly argued and thoroughly researched book... Coal, to borrow a phrase, is king." (New York Times Book Review)
"Freese's writing is a bit like coal: smooth and glinting, burning with a steady warmth...An intriguing, cautionary tale." (Kirkus Reviews)

Politically Correct Coal

If you're an Al Gore fan you will love this book. It has little to do with the actual history of coal but elaborates on all the nasty side effects that have occurred during it's evolution as a source of energy. The history of coal? No. Politically correct? Yes.

This was a Sleeper.

I had a very hard time getting through this book. I honestly don't know what I expected to learn about coal, but the performance made it difficult to stay engaged with this book. Not a very interesting story and a very monotone reading of the book. I know we're just talking about coal here, but I feel like this could have been done much better. Sorry, I cannot recommend this.

a history with an agenda

Somehow, I expected this book to do for coal what Mark Kurlansky's excellent book did for salt. However, it fell far short.

To her credit, the author is very up-front about her bias and her political agenda. Her interest in the subject grew out of her involvement in litigation concerning coal, environmental problems and global warming and the book is not disguised in its point of view. If you expect a vivid and detailed history without an agenda, this is not your book. If you don't mind picking through the point of view, it has some nuggets of interest.

Unfortunately, the reviews did not give much of a clue.

half interesting, half global warming sermon

I wanted to learn about historical coal mining through the ages, instead i got a preachy global warming propoganda pamphlet with a few interesting stories in between

Falls short of professional scholarship

Aside from scattered tidbits of historical fact related to coal, this book is terrible. There are many historical inaccuracies, a clear class bias & ignorance regarding labor history & Chinese history, & few voices of historical subjects. This is less a human history of coal than a contemporary political commentary on a resource.

Author shows unnecessary bias against fossil fuel

Was hoping for more history of the Coal, Not a platform for this eco nuts bias .