I collect mining books so I thought I’d share selected image scans of some of my favorite obscure out-of-copyright titles covering mines, miners and their history. I recently acquired a rare first edition of The Black Hills Illustrated edited by George P. Baldwin. Originally published in 1904 by the Black Hills Mining Men’s Association, this large format book provides the most complete coverage of mining in the Black Hills at the turn of the century. Full of 206 pages of photos of mines, mining men, buildings, towns, and other area development, the book includes over 750 original photographs. All the area mining companies and their holdings are listed. An original first edition of the book in the Princeton University Library was scanned by google for the internet. Rather than scan several photos for my web site, I’ve included a link to that scan of the complete book for your enjoyment.