West Virginia

The Buffalo Creek Disaster: How the survivors of one of the worst disasters in coal-mining history brought suit against the coal company--and won

One Saturday morning in February 1972, an impoundment dam owned by the Pittston Coal Company burst, sending a 130 million gallon, 25 foot tidal wave of water, sludge, and debris crashing into southern West Virginia's Buffalo Creek hollow. It was one of the deadliest floods in U.S. history. 125 people were killed instantly, more than 1,000 were injured, and over 4,000 were suddenly homeless. Instead of accepting the small settlements offered by the coal company's insurance offices, a few hundred of the survivors banded together to sue. This is the story of their triumph over incredible odds and corporate irresponsibility, as told by Gerald M. Stern, who as a young lawyer and took on the case and won.


From the Trade Paperback edition.

Coal River

Everything in Its Path: Destruction of Community in the Buffalo Creek Flood

Blenko: Cool 50s & 60s Glass (Schiffer Book for Collectors)

Named after its founder, Englishman William Blenko, Blenko Glass Company, Inc. began producing stained glass in America in the late nineteenth century. It remains one of the few glass factories in the United States still making modern hand blown production glass. Recently, collectors have been scooping up Blenko designs from the company's middle years of production, the 1950s and 1960s. Three outstanding designers were responsible for the entire design repertoire of that era--Winslow Anderson, Wayne Husted, and Joel Myers. Over 675 color photographs of Blenko glass (courtesy of Blenko Visitors' Center Museum, the Huntington Museum of Art, and private collections), detailed captions, information about the designers, the never-before-published 1960 catalog, bibliography, and index make this book a valuable reference.

Fenton Art Glass Patterns 1939-1980: Identification & Value Guide (Fenton Art Glass)

This revised edition showcases thousands of pieces in color with many original catalog reprints. It picks up where the authors' first Fention volume left off, this time concentrating on the years 1939 to 1980. Popular shapes such as Hobnail, Crest, Spiral Optic, and over 30 additional featured patterns are showcased using full-page, detailed photographs in conjunction with catalogs. There are 60 new and revised photographs, including lamps and pieces decorated by other companies. 2004 values. AUTHORBIO: Margaret Whitmyer and her husband, Kenn, have written many popular books - Collector's Encyclopedia of Hall China, Fenton Art Glass, 1907 - 1939, Fenton Art Glass Patterns, 1939 - 1980, Bedroom Bathroom Glassware, and Children's Dishes. Their books are well-known in their fields. REVIEW: This book is a revised edition with current collector values and new photographs and catalog reprints. It contains valuable facts and insight from Frank Fenton himself. This book looks in-depth at the regular line production of Fenton's major patterns over four decades. It is divided alphabetically into four major chapters covering the specific patterns - Coin Dot, Crests, Hobnail, and Spiral Optic. Each chapter is also divided into the various colors in which the pattern was produced.

Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster, the Worst Industrial Accident in US History (West Virginia and Appalachia)

To commemorate the hundreds of victims of the December 6, 1907 Monongah mine disaster in Monongah, West Virginia, the West Virginia University Press is honored to release on the centennial anniversary of this disaster, Monongah: The Tragic Story of the 1907 Monongah Mine Disaster, the Worst Industrial Accident in US History, by West Virginia native Davitt McAteer. McAteer has long been a champion of mine safety and served as Assistant Secretary for Mine Safety and Health in the US Department of Labor during the Clinton administration. His exhaustive research tracking down Monongah victims' survivors and descendants proves that contrary to the official report of 362 dead, close to 500 men and boys, many of them immigrants, lost their lives that day, leaving hundreds of women widowed and over 1,000 children orphaned.

Fenton Art Glass Colors and Hand-Decorated Patterns 1939-1980: Identification & Value Guide (Fenton Art Glass)

Margaret and Kenn Whitmyer's books on Fenton art glass have become standards in the field. Now they have compiled a third volume for their series, Fenton Art Glass Colors and Hand-Decorated Patterns, 1939 - 1980. While the book covers the same time period as their second volume, Fenton Art Glass Patterns, this volume features items not covered in their previous volumes, with chapters on carnival glass, milk glass, hand-decorated items, over-lay colors, opalescent glassware, opaque items, transparent glassware, and miscellaneous pieces. Presented in the same easy-to-use format as their other volumes, Fenton Art Glass Colors and Hand-Decorated Patterns is sure to please collectors. The detailed table of contents makes it easy to locate categories and specific items. A brief history on the Fenton company is provided, followed by more than 150 large, sharp color photographs and catalog pages with item numbers, colors, and current market values. Enjoy this latest volume by Fenton experts Margaret and Kenn Whitmyer. AUTHORBIO: Margaret Whitmyer and her husband, Kenn, have written many popular books - Collector's Encyclopedia of Hall China, Fenton Art Glass, 1907 - 1939, Fenton Art Glass Patterns, 1939 - 1980, Bedroom Bathroom Glassware, and Children's Dishes. Their books are well-known in their fields.

Notes on the State of Virginia (Penguin Classics)

The Hawk's Nest Incident: America`s Worst Industrial Disaster

Bringing Down the Mountains: The Impact of Mountaintop Removal on Southern West Virginia Communities

"Bringing Down the Mountains" provides insight into how mountaintop removal (MTR) surface coal mining has affected the people and the land of southern West Virginia. It examines the mechanization of the mining industry and the power relationships between coal interests, politicians, and the average citizen. "Bringing Down the Mountains" reveals how a political system married to natural-resource extraction turns a blind eye to the irrevocable disfigurement of the earth while thousands of West Virginians suffer the consequences. MTR has ruined homes, increased the risk of flooding, endangered the lives of school children, forced friends and family members out of town, and turned West Virginia's hardwood forests into moonscapes.