Having played around with Google Books quite a bit, i've found some excellent freely downloadable books although it can be a bit of a black art to find them.

Mainly stuff from the 1800s thats long out of copyright, but often the quoted source material for even current books.
The sort of thing that generally costs an arm and a leg from rare book dealers.

Here are a few links to general stuff and things that were of interest to me, thought it might be good to start a thread where people can share things they find.

Memoirs of the Geological Survey of Great Britain Mineral Statistics
1853-1854 http://books.google.com/books?id=hrFIAAAAMAAJ 
1855 http://books.google.com/books?id=qLFIAAAAMAAJ 
1856 http://books.google.com/books?id=9LFIAAAAMAAJ 
1857 http://books.google.com/books?id=jrgMAAAAYAAJ 
1858 - Part 1 http://books.google.com/books?id=L7IEAAAAQAAJ 
1858 - Part 2 http://books.google.com/books?id=gsdIAAAAMAAJ 
1859 http://books.google.com/books?id=zMAMAAAAYAAJ 
1860 http://books.google.com/books?id=aqQEAAAAQAAJ 
1861 http://books.google.com/books?id=WLJIAAAAMAAJ 
1863 http://books.google.com/books?id=s8EMAAAAYAAJ 
1864 http://books.google.com/books?id=zrJIAAAAMAAJ 
1865 http://books.google.com/books?id=BLNIAAAAMAAJ 
1866 http://books.google.com/books?id=V7NIAAAAMAAJ 
1867 http://books.google.com/books?id=K7RIAAAAMAAJ 


A geological survey of the Yorkshire coast - Young 1828http://books.google.com/books?id=tDsAAAAAQAAJ 

An account of the mining districts of Alston Moor, Weardale and Teesdale - Thomas Sopwith 1833 http://books.google.com/books?id=dws6AAAAMAAJ 

The laws which regulate the deposition of lead ore in veins - William Wallace - 1861 http://books.google.com/books?id=IrlIAAAAMAAJ 

A DICTIONARY OF ART, MANUFACTURES, AND MINES - Andrew Ure 1808http://books.google.com/books?id=mLoIAAAAIAAJ  http://books.google.com/books?id=MAzLPjibkxkC 

A few more.

Mining and Smelting Magazine 1862 - 1864
Vol 1 http://books.google.com/books?id=kV4AAAAAMAAJ 
Vol 2 http://books.google.com/books?id=sqkKAAAAYAAJ 
Vol 3 http://books.google.com/books?id=vl4AAAAAMAAJ 
Vol 4 http://books.google.com/books?id=9F4AAAAAMAAJ 
Vol 5 http://books.google.com/books?id=Dl8AAAAAMAAJ 
Vol 6 http://books.google.com/books?id=XF4AAAAAMAAJ 

I have found Google Books can turn up some interesting surprises. When searching, especially for older volumes, remember that the scanning software used will usually have read the old style letter s as an f. So, for example, a search for Merftham is necessary to find very old references rather than Merstham. Also a good idea to mug up on older variations of placename spelling such as Reygate or Ryegate instead of the modern Reigate.

Yes, some good points made by Peter there.
Discovered something similar with Grosmont local to myself being refered to Gromond in older literature

The following have a good scattering of mine related articles too with an excellent series of plates towards the end of each.

Proceedings - Institution of Mechanical Engineers
1847 – 1849 http://books.google.com/books?id=KHDNAAAAMAAJ 
1851 http://books.google.com/books?id=bWcAAAAAMAAJ 
1852 http://books.google.com/books?id=Q2_NAAAAMAAJ 
1853 http://books.google.com/books?id=NGUAAAAAMAAJ 
1854 http://books.google.com/books?id=zXHNAAAAMAAJ 
1855 http://books.google.com/books?id=vWUAAAAAMAAJ 
1856 http://books.google.com/books?id=uW_NAAAAMAAJ 
1857 http://books.google.com/books?id=Us0KAAAAYAAJ 
1858 http://books.google.com/books?id=rWYAAAAAMAAJ 
1859 http://books.google.com/books?id=eCcJAQAAIAAJ 
1860 http://books.google.com/books?id=V3HNAAAAMAAJ 
1861 http://books.google.com/books?id=x80KAAAAYAAJ 
1862 http://books.google.com/books?id=4nrMAAAAMAAJ 
1863 http://books.google.com/books?id=qWIAAAAAMAAJ 
1864 http://books.google.com/books?id=gJ7MAAAAMAAJ 

An otherwise excellent resource with one flaw - like the Open Library - in that whoever they had scanning the books did not think fit to fold out folding plates when scanning - so all one gets is an edge of a plate! A shame really.

Grahami

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So here is a challenge. What is the oldest item in Google Books that you have found with good mine-related information?

Well Agricola is there in Latin just in case the English version is too light for you. No idea whether its an original edition but if it is its from 1530.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=PUo8AAAAcAAJ&printsec=frontcover&dq=agricola&lr=&as_brr=1&cd=19 

Might read it over tea...

Oh well - that's the end of that little competition then!

Not including books I was already aware of before Google Books was invented, this is the oldest I have found, I think.

http://books.google.co.uk/books?id=6EIPAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&source=gbs_v2_summary_r&cad=0#v=onepage&q=&f=false 

Stuff in here about Chaldon quarries, and other sites.

Go to the Internet Archieve and search the texts using single key words such as mining, geology or colliery. You should find enough to keep yourself amused for days. Download time can be painful once North America starts to wake up.

If ye olde pit fitter can get it to download then it should be easy peasy. I'm old enough to have seen steam winding in action. I originate from Iclock's neck of the woods and started my time at Moorgreen then moved to Ollerton. Joined the army and settled back in Ollerton in one of the Butterly Estate houses.

Regards Phil, clock number 1146

A text-book of ore and stone mining (1894)
Author: Foster, Clement Le Neve, Sir, 1841-1904

http://tinyurl.com/bwk887a 

Resurrecting another old thread with some additions

The geology of the South Wales coal-field

5 Merthyr Tydfil http://archive.org/details/geologysouthwal01britgoog 

6 Bridgend http://archive.org/details/geologyofsouthwa06geolrich 

7 Amanford http://archive.org/details/geologyofsouthwa07geolrich 

10 Carmarthen http://archive.org/details/geologyofsouthwa10geolrich 

The Iron Ores of Great Britain (All 4 volumes) http://archive.org/details/cu31924004694257 
Pt. 1. Iron ores of the North and North Midland Counties of England
Pt. 2. Iron ores of South Staffordshire
Pt. 3. Iron ores of South Wales
Pt. 4. Iron ores of the Shropshire coal field and of North Staffordshire