Australian Mining History Bibliography
Australian Mining History Bibliography Compiled on behalf of the AMHA by Mel Davies University of Western Australia, 1998
Acknowledgments The Australian Mining History Association is deeply indebted to the Australian Heritage Commission for granting permission to extract the framework of the accompanying mining history bibliography from the work of Peter Donovan & Associates, A Mining History of Australia, Part 1 (1995) which work was carried out with the assistance of funds made available by the Commonwealth of Australia under the 1990-91 National Estate Grants Program. Acknowledgment is also made with respect to the valuable contributions of AMHA members, especially Peter Bell, Patrick Bertola, Gordon Boyce, Greg Dickens, Greg Drew, Richard Hartley, Ruth Kerr, Ross Mainwaring, Lyndon Megarrity, Diane Menghetti, Bernie O'Neil, Michael Pearson, John Shoebridge, Ed. Tonks and Jan Wegner. Preface To help the mining history researcher, the bibliography is divided into a General Australian Mining history list for those works which examine subjects on an Australia-wide basis, and into lists that concentrate on detail from specific States/Territories. Hence: New South Wales & Australian Capital Territory; Northern Territory; Queensland; South Australia; Tasmania; and Western Australia. Each of the above categories is then sub-divided into a General category; various Minerals; Energy Sources (coal, petroleum products, uranium); Precious Stones; Associated Social and Economic History; Equipment, Structures & Transport; Processes; People and Organisations; Heritage Surveys & Archaeology. But a word of warning, while an attempt has been made to place each entry into a specific department, this has been a matter of individual interpretation and there is no guarantee entries will be placed where the reader would expect to find them. Some entries cross boundaries and while an attempt has been made to accommodate readers by placing entries in more than one section if thought appropriate, readers should look broadly if seeking texts or articles on specific areas. It should also be pointed out that the bibliography has focused primarily upon published books and journal articles. An important source for the researcher will be reports by government agencies; “Blue-Book” entries; reports in Parliamentary Papers, etc. These have in the main, been omitted from the lists, as have documentary sources held in various archives. Readers will be reminded that valuable research information might be garnered from organisations such as the Australasian Institute of Mining and Metallurgy in Melbourne, the Australian Mineral Foundation in Adelaide, the Australian Petroleum Exploration Association in Canberra or from various State Government agencies or business agencies such as Chambers of Mines which exist in all States. The current list might be criticised for being light on unpublished theses and dissertations, but that is a weakness that it is hoped will be rectified over time. The difficulty in compiling a bibliography is much related to the interpretation of `what is history?' It would be easy to extend the lists by entering the field of geology and mineralogy, but only rarely will you find reference in the lists herein, unless there is some reference to wider mining detail or to some mining processes that help identify the development of mining practice or process that would be of interest to the mining historian. The same argument applies to economics which is a field that is also dealt with lightly, though attempts have been made to include items associated with economic history. It should be kept in mind that economic statistics and interpretation might help mining historians to make more meaningful analysis but it was felt that other bibliographical sources could be used to obtain such material. The compiler realises that there will be omissions from the lists, though it is believed that this will only be true for some minor works which have slipped through the net. However, should the reader come across any item which could be usefully inserted, or if there are any updates for newly published materials, then please contact the AMHA Secretary at the following address with the details.
tel. (08) 9380 2939, Fax: (08) 9380 1016 e. mail: mdavies@biz.uwa.edu.au
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