The History of the British Coal Industry

'this is a splendid history, worthy of its subject, and now complete in the five volumes commissioned by an enlightened National Coal Board ... it seems appropriate that the final instalment should not be a study of the decline of a great industry, but a thorough account of its early and massive foundations ... Hatcher's exhaustive analysis of the accounts of thirty collieries provides invaluable data on the profitability of the industry and the nature of investment in it ... it is difficult to see how this book could be bettered.' Times Literary Supplement 'a masterly review of the regional evidence for the industry with excellent accounts of the north-eastern and north-western coalfields, and a thorough analysis of production and consumption' Northern History 'This massive work completes the new history of coal in Britain commissioned in 1975 by the National Coal Board ... this work commands respect ... it is well organised and I found it easy to read. Dr Hatcher and his researchers have gone back to the original sources and worked through them with care. They have discovered new evidence, and brought known matter together in a comprehensive, fresh and envigorating manner.' C.B. Phillips, University of Manchester, Business History, October 1994 This massive work completes the new history of coal in Britain...overall, this work commands respect. The book is over 600 pages long, but it is well organised and I found it easy to read. Dr Hatcher and his researchers have gone back to the original sources and worked through them with care. They have discovered new evidence, and brought known matter together in a comprehensive, fresh and invigourating manner. Business History John Hatcher has written an outstanding economic history, a great achievement for his period was in source and archive term the most difficult...This book will be a standard source for many years to come. Labour History Review it is an independent work of real substance, massively founded on fresh empirical research which not only reworks sources known to Nef but also greatly extends the evidential base for consideration of the nature and development of the industry ... this is not only a work of impressive scholarship but also one which is engaging and very well written ... And it is accessible, eschewing theoretical grandeur in favour of guiding the reader carefully along 'the unprepossessing route of empirical evidence'. It is a model of how economic history can and should be written. Keith Wrightson, Jesus College, Cambridge, EHR, June 1996