Description

The story of the last generation of British miners: fathers and sons, brothers and comrades, big hitters and broken men, strikers and scabs.

‘A compelling, unflinching account…full of tales of tragedy, gallows humour and camaraderie’ The Times

What happened to Britain’s last generation of miners? Combining new personal interviews with extensive archival research, Emily P. Webber illuminates the extraordinary history of the industry once considered the backbone of Britain.

By situating the miners’ strike of 1984-85 in a longer history of the coalfields, we can understand why miners and their families fought so hard against pit closures, and what happened after the pit wheels stopped turning. Vivid, evocative and richly alive with minute detail, Mining Men explores what the mining industry once meant to its workers and their communities, and what Britain lost when it was gone.

‘Fascinating… An engaging history of post-war British mining’ Daily Telegraph

‘Absorbing and enjoyable…an illuminating peek into the lives of those who risked everything to warm our hearths’ The Herald

Publisher Review

[A] hugely impressive book… a compelling, unflinching account that rattles by as a great human saga, full of tales of tragedy, gallows humour and camaraderie * The Times * Fascinating … An engaging history of post-war British mining * Daily Telegraph * An absorbing and enjoyable read, Mining Men offers an interesting exploration of an important chapter of Britain’s industrial and social history, and an illuminating peek into the lives of those who risked everything to warm our hearths…thoughtful and nuanced * The Herald * ‘Mining Men is a rare thing – a book which comes from generous, sustained and informed listening. Emily Webber has collected and curated stories from the life and death of an industry which defined Britain. She pays tribute to the miners in her subtle, evocative prose. It is a skilful book, full of compassion. She has done the industry and the “kings of the coalface” proud.” * Helen Mort * ‘A powerful, enlightening study of the beauty and brutality of British coal mining, and a hymn to the men who were born into and lived through the mining way of life – told through their authentic voices, it is essential reading for those who care about the social and political effects of coal mining history, and the history of us working-class.’ * Natasha Carthew * I read this book at one sitting… Webber is a historian who can write with the creative style, flair and passion of a novelist… A thoroughly interesting and informative read that often moved me beyond words and which will be of interest to all * Morning Star * By telling the real-life stories – emotional, witty, surprising – of the works who went down to the coalface, Webber offers a panoramic history of an industry that used to power Britain all day and night * Daily Telegraph, *Books of the Year* *