The recent increase in the search for coal has initiated a dramatic growth in sedimentological research on the origin, formation and environment of coal deposition. This publication is concerned with perhaps the most important field of coal research, that of coal environments. This subject involves many interrelated disciplines, including the sedimentology, petrology, geochemistry, palaeobotany and palaeogeography of coal deposits. In the past, workers in these fields have operated independently, and only recently have their research efforts been integrated to provide a more comprehensive understanding of coal depositional environments.