Black Gold

The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal

Bob Wyss

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Hardback

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English

University of California Press
23 September 2025

History of the Americas; Conservation of the environment; Fossil fuel technologies; Mining technology & engineering

Coal's central role in America's history and its ongoing threats in the climate crisis.

For decades coal has been crucial to America's culture, society, and environment, an essential ingredient in driving out winter's cold, cooking meals, and lighting the dark. In the coalfields and beyond, Bob Wyss describes how this magical elixir sparked the Industrial Revolution, powered railroads, and built urban skylines, while providing home comforts for families.

Coal's history and heritage are fundamental to understanding its legacy of threats to America's well-being. As industry developed so did clashes between powerful tycoons, coal miners, and innocent families. Exploitation and avarice led to victimization, deadly violence, and ultimately the American labor movement. More recently coal has endangered American lives and safety, brought on by two centuries of carbon combustion, and here the threat remains unresolved. This is coal's most enduring legacy, and Black Gold is pivotal in helping us understand how we got to this point.

By: Bob Wyss
Imprint: University of California Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 229mm, Width: 152mm,
ISBN: 9780520391789
ISBN 10: 0520391780
Pages: 312
Publication Date: 23 September 2025
Audience: College/higher education , Further / Higher Education
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Contents List of Illustrations Synopsis and Cast Prelude 1. Kingpin 2. Centralia 3. Giants Part One. Rise 4. Energy Crisis 5. The Race West 6. Steelmakers 7. Molly Maguires Part Two. Reign 8. Centennial 9. Empire 10. Penn Station 11. Smoke 12. Rebellion 13. The Coal Miner Part Three. Fall 14. Coal Town 15. St. Louis 16. Demise 17. Power 18. Coal River 19. Black Lung 20. Longview 21. Memorial Acknowledgments Notes Bibliography Index

Bob Wyss was a reporter and editor at the Providence Journal for thirty years, a journalism professor at the University of Connecticut for fifteen years, and is currently Professor Emeritus.

Reviews for Black Gold: The Rise, Reign, and Fall of American Coal

""Describes coal’s central role in America’s culture, society and environment in sparking the Industrial Revolution and now contributing to the climate crisis."" * The Seattle Times *