Lake of Coal explores the social and economic factors that have shaped Rotowaro, the site of the North Island's largest coal-mining operation. Working with documentary photography and oral history practices, the author investigated this site over a twenty year period beginning in 1984.

The research project investigated two phases in the history of the location:

1. 1984-1995: Describes aspects of a 400-strong mining village, and follows its eventual evacuation in preparation for an expanding opencast mining operation.
2. 1995-2004: Describes the opencast mining operation that exploits the coal underlying the former village site.

The book itself was written and designed over a two year period. The author and graphic designer Jonty Valentine worked collaboratively in producing a manuscript that draws together image and text, creating a multi-vocal, layered representation of history. The central research question during this collaborative design process was: “How can a current understanding of the nature of text extend the conventional codes operating within the practice of book design?