Providing a comprehensive survey of the origin, the fundamental properties, and the technology of utilization of the lignites of North America, this book will be of particular interest to professional scientists and engineers working in coal research or coal technology. Coals display a continuum of properties, often with no sharp, steep change between ranks and thus the book restricts the discussion strictly to lignites (with the occasional comparisons with other coals). There is a very extensive index, making the contents of the book easily accessible to the reader.