GOLD

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.

Given the fragility of the world financial system, goldthe precious metal that has shaped human historyoffers a wonderful prism through which to examine the unprecedented gold-mining and pros- pecting that is going on around the world. Matthew Hart, reporting from far away regions including Nevada, Africa and China, will de- scribe the enormous bullion flows set off by the financial chaos of the banking and currency crises of the last two years. He will establish the Chinese entry into the market, their position at the heart of the price explosion, and the nature of the cliff along whose edge they must now walk so carefully. In this history of gold and its turbulent and bloody past, Hart will begin with the present gold rush, go back to El Dorado, and examine the significance of gold in our lives. Matthew Hart is a veteran writer and journalist, and long-time follower of the gold trade. His 1985 book Golden Giant: Hemlo and the Rush For Canada's Gold chronicled what was then the largest gold strike in the western hemisphere. In Diamond: A Journey to the Heart of an Obsession Hart recounted the Arctic diamond discovery, in the context of the world diamond cartel and the infamous diamond wars. Hart has written two IMAX films and numerous TV documentaries and specials. His well-reviewed 2004 book The Irish Game: A True Story of Crime and Art won Canada's Arthur Ellis award for crime writing. He lives in London.