This is the first substantial collection of prose and poetry about coalminers and coalmining throughout the United Kingdom. The authors include famous names such as Robert Burns, D.H. Lawrence, J.B. Priestley, and Emile Zola, but many are the voices of miners themselves - beautifully composed, authentic, and passionate. The compilation was made by a safety-lamp manufacturer who devoted his life to higher safety standards in the industry. Much of the contents are drawn from his extensiv e library of fiction and non-fiction about mining, illuminated by images from his art collection. The anthology is a rich source of fine literature - and a moving record of the lives of miners and their families; A unique feature of the book is biographies and bibliographies of the authors, the product of a wide-ranging search.They are accompanied by biographies of the artists featured in the book.