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A review by dani7silver
Coal: A Human History by Barbara Freese
3.0
I picked up this book because I have always been a bit fascinated with the coal mining history around Durham and Newcastle in the north of England. I used to walk around the pit village and coal pit ruins, picking up late 19th century ceramics and glass bottles from the individuals who had resided there. Anyways, I got this book from the free library hoping to gain some more insight into the history of coal. The first half of the book was wonderful. It did tend to focus on the United Kingdom, which aids in the book's somewhat central thesis in illustrating the detrimental effects of the preferential use of coal as a power source throughout history and how it continues to impact public and environmental health today. There are a few issues I had with this approach: 1. there a distinct bias from the author's background as an environmental attorney, which to be fair she outlines from the start; 2. the book was published in 2004 and feels a bit outdated; 3. the title notes that this is a "human history," but seems to be more focused on presenting a history as evidence for current epidemiological and environmental concerns.
Freese writes towards the end of the book that, "people will probably always find some use for coal. Any substance versatile enough to pierce ears in Neolithic China, accessorize togas in ancient Rome, smoke out snakes in Dark Ages Britain, darken paint in prehistoric Pennsylvania, and transform itself chemically into goods ranging from pesticides to perfume, from laughing gas to TNT, probably has still undreamed-of future uses" (p. 236-237). By commencing her coal-oriented narrative in pre-Industrial Britain and discussing the subsequent political and legal histories of coal use in the modern era I feel as though we miss out on a lot of this "human history," as advertised in the title. I would rather say this is more a history of the role of coal as an energy source and the detrimental implications that this has led to in our current society.
An interesting read, but perhaps promises more than what is actually provided. The first half of the book was certainly the best. Perhaps if Freese started somewhat earlier along the timeline of coal's use in human history I would have enjoyed it plenty more.
Freese writes towards the end of the book that, "people will probably always find some use for coal. Any substance versatile enough to pierce ears in Neolithic China, accessorize togas in ancient Rome, smoke out snakes in Dark Ages Britain, darken paint in prehistoric Pennsylvania, and transform itself chemically into goods ranging from pesticides to perfume, from laughing gas to TNT, probably has still undreamed-of future uses" (p. 236-237). By commencing her coal-oriented narrative in pre-Industrial Britain and discussing the subsequent political and legal histories of coal use in the modern era I feel as though we miss out on a lot of this "human history," as advertised in the title. I would rather say this is more a history of the role of coal as an energy source and the detrimental implications that this has led to in our current society.
An interesting read, but perhaps promises more than what is actually provided. The first half of the book was certainly the best. Perhaps if Freese started somewhat earlier along the timeline of coal's use in human history I would have enjoyed it plenty more.