Gold Fever : One Man's Adventures on the Trail of the Gold Rush

Acclaimed journalist Steve Boggan goes in search of the precious metal and what it means to us today. Gold. For centuries people have been entranced by the riches it promises; thousands have gone wild in their search for it and surely there will be many more. After the Financial Crisis, the price of gold reached peaks never seen in history. All over the world, particularly in the United States, people with no experience of prospecting began shopping for shovels, pickaxes, gold pans, tents, generators, and all manner of equipment they had no idea how to use. And off they went mining. In 2013, Steve Boggan decided he wanted a piece of the action, flying to San Francisco to join the 21st century's gold rush in a quest to understand the allure of the metal - and maybe find some for himself, too. Meeting a selection of colourful characters dreaming of striking it rich, he gets a crash course in small-scale prospecting while learning about the history and economics of gold. He also takes us back in time to the original gold rush, two centuries ago, tracing the path of the first intrepid 49ers who trekked thousands of miles, risking death for the chance of unimaginable wealth. Written with Boggan's characteristic charm, Gold Fever is a hugely entertaining travelogue and a moving insight into a key period in the creation of modern America One Thursday in 2008 the price of gold went above a thousand dollars an ounce for the first time in history. All over the world, at least in countries with gold-bearing soil, people with no experience of prospecting began shopping for shovels and pickaxes, gold pans, tents, generators and all manner of equipment they had no idea how to use. And off they went mining. Steve Boggan followed them, packing his bags and flying to San Francisco to join the 21st century's gold rush in a quest to understand the allure of the metal #x96; and maybe find a bit for himself, too. He also takes us back in time to the original San Fransiscan gold rush, two centuries ago, and gets a crash course in the science and economics of gold. Written with Boggan's characteristic wit and self-effacing charm, Gold Rush is a hugely entertaining travelogue and a unique insight into the history and future of the world's most seductive metal One Thursday in 2008 the price of gold went above a thousand dollars an ounce for the first time in history. All over the world, at least in countries with gold-bearing soil, people with no experience of prospecting began shopping for shovels and pickaxes, gold pans, tents, generators and all manner of equipment they had no idea how to use. And off they went mining. In 2013, Steve Boggan followed them, packing his bags and flying to San Francisco to join the 21st century's gold rush in a quest to understand the allure of the metal - and maybe find a bit for himself, too. Meeting a selection of colourful characters, he gets a crash course in small-scale prospecting while learning about the history and economics of gold.