Best Book on Pennsylvania History
September 2006
A book co-authored by history professor Walter Licht was awarded the Philip S. Klein Book Prize by the Pennsylvania Historical Association. The prize is given in even-numbered years for the best book on Pennsylvania history.
The book, The Face of Decline: The Pennsylvania Anthracite Region in the Twentieth Century, traces the trajectory of coal mining from boom to bust in northeastern Pennsylvania's coal fields during the last century. Licht and co-author Thomas Dublin, a professor of history at SUNY Binghamton, combed through newspapers, company records, census data, surveys and personal interviews to gather data for their story. The Face of Decline also won the 2006 Merle Curti Award, which is given by the Organization of American Historians for the best book on U.S. social, intellectual or cultural history.
Professor Licht is chair of the history department. He specializes in the history of work and labor markets and teaches courses in American economic and labor history.