This comprehensive look at the history of natural gas in Appalachia covers early topics like the first discovery of gas in the area and the first gas lamps, and then moves into information on the Marcellus Shale , a formation reaching horizontally across the state of New York and the northern Appalachians through Pennsylvania, Ohio, Kentucky, West Virginia, and a small part of northwestern Virginia. The author, David Waples, is a communications manager for a natural gas utility, and certainly downplays the environmental impacts of burning natural gas and of hydraulic fracturing, though the breadth of his history here is quite impressive. Recommended for those reading for knowledge on the history of the industry in a general sense, rather than knowledge about the environmental issues associated with natural gas. ( )

I'm grateful to have received a copy of this through LibraryThing's early reviewer program.

This book contains a lot of facts. Indeed, it is hard to imagine anyone writing a more comprehensive history of natural gas in Appalachia. It's not obvious to me who would read this for pleasure, but it does seem a book that college libraries in Appalachia, and libraries with strong holdings on energy, should own. The apparatus of footnotes and bibliography are excellent. One striking omission from most of the book is any discussion of environmental sustainability or environmental impacts of producing, transporting, and consuming gas. I say 'most', because the last chapter, on shale gas, written for the second edition, discusses environmental issues at length. But for the rest of the book, I could only find environmental concerns mentioned in passing, as external forces that constrained the profitability of gas companies. That suggests a worldview that sees environmental concerns as an add-on to, rather than an integrated part of, the history of an industry.

As an environmentalist working to limit the harmful impacts of fracking in North Carolina, I approached the last chapter of the book - on the ongoing shale gas boom -- with a distinct perspective. The author is generally sympathetic to fracking, and introduces all concepts related to fracking using industry frames (for example, describing the toxic chemicals used in the fracking process as a tiny percentage of the volume of fluid, rather than describing the large absolute volumes used). That said, the tone is relatively neutral and free of contempt, and he works hard to present both sides of every controversial aspect of fracking (usually the environmental critique first, followed by the industry rebuttal, rather than the other way around). Thus, the last chapter is a solid resource for anyone wanting to read a pro-industry take on the shale-gas revolution. The author acknowledges a number of accidents and spills associated with fracking in the Marcellus, but views these as isolated problems, not a basis for a systematic rejection of the technology. I think the author pays insufficient attention to the consistent, programmatic failures of state regulatory schemes - and the lack of safe, non-externalized disposal options for wastes -- but it is frankly difficult to imagine any author who could write the rest of this book who would come out in a different place on these points. One of the only really glaring omissions in the final chapter is its failure to address the future of shale gas in the context of real, ongoing climate change. In a few years, that omission is likely to make the book feel quaint; but it may still be the definitive regional history of the industry for the foreseeable future. ( )

Given the importance of natural gas in the burgeoning economic recovery in the US, this book provides an interesting overview of how the industry developed. While it would not provide the technical or financial information that a professional investor would require to make an investing decision, it is a fun read. ( )

An extremely comprehensive book that is perfectly subtitled: "A History from the First Discovery to the Maturity of the Industry." Not only does the reader get a full understanding of the natural gas industry, they get a sense of the lifestyle and characters who pioneered this industry. Filled with specific dates, names, places, and examples, this book is further complemented by several photographs of the historic events described. Interestingly, the reader will come away with a slightly better understanding of how oil played in the game. Additionally, it teaches how major characters, and not-so-major characters, in history were involved with oil and gas and the effect it had on the nation's growth.

Highly recommended for anyone interested in today's energy consumption. While the title may lend the reader to believe this to be a dry history read, it ends up holding one's attention very well. ( )

Natural gas in Ohio, WV, and PA is of personal interest due to generations living in the area and family involved in the industry as workers and investors. That prompted my request for the book. As a geographic presence we also should be knowledgeable about fracking activity so that we can understand the process and economic impact on our areas. An unscientific appraisal of the book gives knowledge of the process and a basic understanding of the environmental and economic impact it may have; a good understanding of the industry and current activity is needed to respond intelligently. The book supplies good readable info.

Genealogically speaking, I am excited to find an ancestor mentioned and readable information about his history as a pioneer in the early history of oil in the US. ( )

In history the author always has to defend why they need a second edition to be published. While historical facts, and knowledge, can change over time it is much slower than math or science. The only major additions to this work is the final two chapters, beyond some minor editing throughout the book. The final two chapters are the real focus, and makes it slightly worth it to get this book.

If you are looking for technical details this is not the book for you; but if you want a history of how this developed, and affected the region, then this will serve you well. Though the first edition works just as well. ( )

I was not enamored with this book but the right reader may be. The early history of salt mining leading to the discovery of natural gas supplies was interesting, if a bit redundant. After that I found it to be a real slog to get through the repetitions of the same or similar stories and anecdotes. I was hoping for a more thorough exploration of the fracking debate that has so many communities up in arms without a good knowledge base to support their claims. They won't find that base in this book. ( )

Occasionally you are beyond surprised by a book. David Waples not only surprises, but astonished me with a fantastic American story. This book dominated my evenings and had me waiting for the next development in the incredible story of The Natural Gas Industry in Appalachia. It all begins with salt. Waples skillfully threads a tale that begins in the 1600’s with burning springs, experiments with natural gas in Colonial Philadelphia and threads the fabric of a tapestry of innovation, failures, luck, bureaucracy and brings us to Marcellus and other oil shales. It’s a fantastic read, well researched, well written, and non-judgemental. In the end the take home is simple, “America is awash with gas”! The specter of the dangers of fracking emerge but are tempered by this paraphrase, “natural gas is the worst energy source - except for all the others that have been tried!”. Waples book is for today - for study, understanding, and to give a background to those that will hear the story. Read this story yourself- you will be amazed! ( )

I'm really not the target reader for this book, since I am not a student, a researcher/historian, nor a writer. I think it would be an interesting and potentially valuable resource for all of these, especially the earlier chapters on the history of natural gas and how it started out as a dangerous nuisance and was then "tamed" and turned into a valuable resource. There's enough technical detail on the various historical methods for working with it to help an author who was setting a novel in the area, for example.

I have to say, though, that it was a slow and difficult read for me. The writing is very dry indeed, and consists mainly of a recitation of facts. Excellent for research! but not a delight to a more casual reader. I did find the historical chapters interesting despite this, especially since I'm interested in historical domestic science (or, more accurately, "how people did stuff back then"!).

I was not as pleased with the "modern" chapters. Waples is a gas industry executive, and it shows. The information on "fracking", for example, can hardly be considered objective or unbiased; I know there are many issues and concerns about it, and these were given very short shrift indeed. I was hoping to learn more about such matters, and could have done with rather less of the technical details about how exactly it's done.

On a positive note again- for the researcher, there is an excellent glossary, a good historical timeline, thorough endnotes for each chapter, and extensive bibliography, and what seems to be a comprehensive index. These and the chapters on the history of natural gas, are why I'm giving it 4 stars. ( )

This is a study of the natural gas industry in the United States from the beginnings of its use to the present Marcellus Shale boom being experienced throughout the United States. The author is a proponent of this type of energy extraction. Many people in the area I live have jumped on the fraking bandwagon due to the money involved in leasing their land to the gas extraction companies. What is not mentioned in this book is some of the very real issues that go hand in hand with this type of drilling. For example, I live in the Youngstown Ohio area, which had not experienced an earthquake in many, many years. Then suddenly, after a fraking well was opened in the city,we had 11 earthquakes in a year. The company gave the people every excuse in the book. Here is the earthquake data for this area for the year 2011. http://www.dnr.state.oh.us/tabid/8144/Default.aspx. Although this book is supposed to be a history of the natural gas industry, the Youngstown earthquakes were not mentioned. One has to wonder what else has not been reported, such as waste trucks overturning and spilling on highways adjacent to waterways. The long term effects of this type of energy extraction will be felt long after the wells go bust. ( )