“John Curr: The Man who Revolutionised Mining, tells an extraordinary series of stories about working lives two hundred and more years ago. It is, in all senses, a well-made and well-illustrated book that will add greatly to our understanding of the industries that made the country wealthy.” – Professor Henry Woodhuysen, former Rector of Lincoln College, University of Oxford “The technical innovations introduced by John Curr for improving the efficiency of coal mines during the late eighteenth century were repeatedly acknowledged by mining engineers in the nineteenth century. Charles Dixon has completed a thorough investigation into the life and achievements of his illustrious ancestor. This book will become the standard biographical reference work on John Curr, as well as being a valuable addition to the written record of Sheffield’s industrial and mining history.” – John Hunter, mining historian