"Prized as "the best stone in Britain" by Roman invaders who carved jewelry out of it, coal has transformed societies, launched empires, and expanded frontiers. It made China a 12th-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. Taking us on a rich historical journey that begins hundred of millions of years ago and spans the globe.

Barbara Freese illustrates the profound and often surprising role coal has played in our lives - pulling nations together while tearing families apart, inspiring great technological leaps even as it inflicts poverty and illness. Part social, environmental, and political history, the saga of coal is ultimately a deeply revealing and under-appreciated piece of human history. And with the looming threat of climate change, as America burns more coal than ever before, understanding coal's power has never been more critical. Barbara Freese tells the story of how a shiny black lump shaped the modern world.

From the "Great Stinking Fogs" of London to the toxic city streets of Beijing, from the women's clubs of Chicago to the courageous miners of Pennsylvania, Coal is a captivating narrative about an ordinary substance that has done extraordinary things - one that could well determine our fate as a species."--BOOK JACKET.