Matthew Hart

"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 the award-winning author of Diamond. Since the 2008 financial crisis, the price of gold has skyrocketed--in three years more than doubling from $800 an ounce to $1900. This massive spike kicked off an unprecedented global gold-mining and exploration boom, much bigger than the Gold Rush of the 1800s. In Gold, acclaimed...

From the smugglers' paradise of the South African mines to the glittering store windows of Tiffany's, Hart follows the diamond trail, encountering characters as memorable as the stones they seek. 4 maps. 25 photos.