Mining in World History

Martin Lynch

Aug 2004 · Reaktion Books

About this ebook

This book deals with the history of mining and smelting from the Renaissance to the present. Martin Lynch opens with the invention, sometime before 1453, of a revolutionary technique for separating silver from copper. It was this invention which brought back to life the rich copper-silver mines of central Europe, in the process making brass cannon and silver coin available to the ambitious Habsburg emperors, thereby underpinning their quest for European domination. Lynch also discusses the Industrial Revolution and the far-reaching changes to mining and smelting brought about by the steam engine; the era of the gold rushes; the massive mineral developments and technological leaps forward which took place in the USA and South Africa at the end of the 19th century; and, finally, the spread of mass metal-production techniques amid the violent struggles of the 20th century. In an engaging, concise and fast-paced text, he presents the interplay of personalities, politics and technology that have shaped the metallurgical industries over the last 500 years.

Ratings and reviews

I thought Lynch summed up the World History of Mining quite well. He never stayed on a topic for longer than it needed to be talked about. At the end he kind of went off the tracks talking about the cold war stuff, but it does tie back into the history after a few pages. Great read in my opinion, I was excited to read about Alaska and if it had any impact on the world of mining, and also the modernization of equipment such as dredging and diving more into the different methods of mining, but he never did, not a deal breaker at all. Give it a read if youre into mining/prospecting. Im a avid prospector and a Mining Engineering student, I felt the need to learn some history, might help me out in the future!

About the author

Martin Lynch works for the Iron Ore Company of Canada in Labrador.