Useful eBooks and PDFs

There are many old books in the public domain which have been scanned and are available as free ebooks online. Here is a list of the ones that I have found of interest so far:

Ebook links from
Open Library
Project Gutenberg
The Internet Archive
Google Books
Many Books

Mines & Mining:

De re metallica by Georgius Agricola (1530), translated by Herbert Hoover (1874)
Seminal work on the art of mining.

The Treasures of The Earth, or, Mines, Metals and Minerals by William Jones (1860) Excellent book with general information on all kinds of mining activity, including interesting accounts and anecdotes of miners.

The condition and treatment of the children employed in the mines and collieries of the United Kingdom (1842)
Horrific reports from the commissioners for inquiry into the employment and condition of children in mines and their manufactories.

Picturesque Cheshire by T.A. Coward (1904)
Good snippets of information about Alderley Edge, the mines, and illustration of the old quarry entrance to West Mine.

The Geology of the Country Around Stockport, Macclesfield, Congleton, and Leek (1866)
Observations on the geology of Alderley Edge, and the surrounding Cheshire landscape.

Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain and the Museum of Economic Geology in London (1866)
Observations on the geology of Alderley Edge, and the surrounding Cheshire landscape.

The Reliquary and Illustrated Archaeologist (1869)

An account of the mining districts of Alston Moor, Weardale and Teesdale in Cumberland and Durham Comprising descriptive sketches of the scenery, antiquities, geology and mining operations in the upper dales of the rivers Tyne, Wear and Tees by Thomas Sopwith (1833)

The laws which regulate the deposition of lead ore in veins by William Wallace (1861)
Illustrated by an examination of the geological structure of the mining districts of Alston Moor


Caving:

Alpine Caving Techniques by Georges Marbach & Bernard Tourte



Manchester history & architecture:

Manchester: its political, social and commercial history by James Wheeler (1836)

Bell's Cathedrals: The Cathedral Church of Manchester A Short History and Description of the Church and of the Collegiate Buildings now known as Chetham's Hospital by Thomas Perkins (1901)