The last 150 years has been the most tumultuous in the industrial history of South Yorkshire, and at the heart of this has always been mining and its allied industries. South Yorkshire Pits takes us from the beginnings of the industry, where land ownership brought wealth from what lay beneath it. Here, we have a concise record of the sinking, operating and eventual closure of the pits which, in January 1947, were taken over by the National Coal Board. There is also a clear record of the social and employment conditions under which the mines were operated, including child and female labour and the legislation abolishing them. This is an indispensable reference work for all interested in South Yorkshire's mining industry.