Another way to see History
Simply put, this book explains in what the world has become by stressing the importance of coal to our society. The book is a geography lecture where the author takes us on a travel through time and space where coal is the linkage to a fascinating history about humankind.
easy, informative read
I really loved this book and finished it in record time. I often have trouble keeping interest in nonfiction books, especially ones about technology, but when I put it down I kept wanting to come back for more. Lots of interesting information presented in a straightforward way without jargon or convoluted explanations. I recommend it for everyone.
Coal in the Stocking of Humanity
If you approach this book hoping to get an in depth and historic view of coal as a substance that formed and shaped much of human history and culture, you will find little satisfaction here. I was expecting a book something akin to Mark Kurlansky's excellent books "Salt" and "Cod" but instead found a rushed and basic overview of the history of coal and the coal industry so the author could get to her soapbox and start talking about how evil coal is for the environment. The last hundred pages are a pretty in depth sermon (more in depth than the history in the book) about why coal is bad and why we must forsake it for more environmentally friendly forms of energy. All right, I get it and I don't disagree with the premise, but my very negative rating of this book is due to the fact that it is disinginuous in its reperesentation. If the book had been called "Coal: Ho-Ha, Good God, What Is It Gooood For" I might not hold this view. But the book was called "Coal: A Human History" and there is very little history (especially in the "other uses for coal other than burning" department) and more eco-rant by an author who holds her subject in very little regard. Disappointing.
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