Book Details
- Paperback:Â 304 pages
- Publisher:Â Simon & Schuster; 1st Edition
- Language:Â English
- ISBN-10:Â 1451650027
- ISBN-13:Â 978-1451650020
- Dimensions:Â 9.1 x 6.2 x 1.2 inches
Book Description
From the lost empires of the Sahara to today’s frenzied global gold rush, a blazing exploration of the human love affair with gold by Matthew Hart, the award-winning author of Diamond
In the wake of the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold skyrocketed-in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike drove an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the Gold Rush of the 1800s. In Gold, acclaimed author Matthew Hart takes you on an unforgettable journey around the world and through history to tell the extraordinary story of how gold became the world’s most precious commodity.
Beginning with a page-turning dispatch from the crime-ridden inferno of the world’s deepest mine, Hart pulls back to survey gold’s tempestuous past. From the earliest civilizations, 6,000 years ago, when gold was an icon of sacred and kingly power, Hart tracks its evolution, through conquest, murder, and international mayhem, into the speculative casino-chip that the metal has become. Hart describes each boom and bust in gold’s long story, culminating in the swift and startling emergence of China as the world’s new gold titan. In writing that Publishers Weekly calls “polished and fiery,” Hart weaves together history and cutthroat economics to reveal the human dramas that have driven our lust for a precious yellow metal.
About the Authors
Matthew Hart
Matthew Norman Hart (born 16 May 1972, Hamilton, Waikato) is a New Zealand cricketer. Hart, a left-arm orthodox spinner, played in 14 Tests between 1994 and 1996, claiming 29 wickets including one five-wicket haul against South Africa. He also appeared in 13 ODIs, claiming 13 wickets, including a then-record haul by a New Zealander in One Day Internationals, claiming 5/22 against the West Indies in 1994. His international career lasted from 1994 to 2002, eventually losing his place in the team to Daniel Vettori. Hart retired from cricket in 2005 at the age of 33, citing a loss of enthusiasm for the game.
His brother, Robbie, also played cricket as a wicket-keeper for Northern Districts Knights and New Zealand.
