North East England suffered many accidents, particularly mining accidents, in the late 19th century when a unique fashion for commemorating such tragic events - and others - by engraving cheap glassware grew up in the region. This book explores the fascinating yet forgotten stories that surviving 'Disaster Glasses' have to tell and is the fruit of many years of research by the authors. What started out as curiosity led to a re-discovery of the hard lives of working-class communities in Northumberland and Durham in late Victorian times.