
Coal
A Human History
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Narrated by:
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Shelly Frasier
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By:
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Barbara Freese
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.Listeners also enjoyed...




















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)
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Did get a little preach-y near the end. But would recommend to another history lover!
A Review
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Coal: A Human History
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My major concern with the book is that almost every statement in it is supported by sources such as "one observer", "one letter to the newspaper", "one poet once said", "one factory in Pennsylvania was said to"...
If you dig through 500 years of history, I am sure you can find accounts of individuals to tell ANY story. Perhaps I was influenced by having just read "Collapse" (a must read), or by the fact that I am an academic, but the research here was really superficial and doesn't give you the impression the author is letting the facts speak for themselves. My guess, however, is that there isn't a better audiobook outthere about coal, so if the topic interests you, this is it.
I feel, however, that if you spend 8 hours listening about coal, you should feel like you really know what you should know about coal, this book was written by a lawyer, so afer 8 hours you can say "oh, that's intersting", and wish a coal expert wrote a book on the topic...
Written by a non-expert, and it shows
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The sordid history of modernity
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Unfortunately, her bias is clear - coal is and was a force of evil. The book dwells on the negatives from coal. While clearly the fuel has major environmental implications in the present world, even the historical discussion focuses almost solely on pollution, mining danger, etc. References to the historical positives are turned negative (i.e., coal permitted the rise of cities, but the book focuses on slums. Coal permitted improved production, the book talks about it's use in making weapons of war...)
When the author turns to modern times, that bias makes it a little hard to fully trust her claims. Discouraging, because there's a lot of intriguing information here on global warming and particulates.
It's still worth a listen, but I'd have preferred the work of a balanced scientist instead of a lawyer that reached a conclusion before starting her research.
The narration is excellent - clear and well paced.
Good, but more than a hint of bias
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Excellent look at the history of coal
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Narrator hard to take
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I was a little bored with the description of the formation of coal in human prehistory, but the rest of the book really cooked, at least in my opinion. Some of the hightlights include: a discussion of the UMW (a once mighty union that has lost most of its members) and its history including the Molly McGuires, a discussion of why coal in this country is now increasingly mined in the West rather than in Appalachia, a description of the role of coal in helping the British Empire become supreme, descriptions of the giant Chinese coal industry, the revelation that the United States continues to be one of the heaviest coal using countries on the planet -- far more than other industrialized countries, a description of how British homes were changed as they moved from wood-burning stoves to coal-burning furnaces.
While most would, at first sight, consider petroleum to be a more important fossil fuel, Freese shows that coal has been and continues to be a significant sourese of fuel as we become increasingly dependent on cheap electricity in the United States.
worth reading
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This book was fast paced, moved through history, showed child cruelities, and put Coal in Historical perspective against Wood and Oil.
Very well done, soothing voice..I would highly reccomend this book.
Amazing, Fast Paced..Well Done..
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Fuller Picture
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