Mining Men: Britain’s Last Kings of the Coalface

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