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

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

by SteveBoggan (Author), SteveBoggan (Author)

  • Used

    Illustrated 2015

    $3.31
Synopsis

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.

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More Information

Format: Illustrated
 Pages: 336
 Edition: Illustrated
 Publisher: Oneworld Publications
Published: 16 Apr 2015
ISBN 10: 1780746962
ISBN 13: 9781780746968

Media Reviews
'Charming, self-effacing...very funny'. * Daily Mail *
'entertaining and enjoyable' * Daily Mail *
`Conveys the expectation of the prospecting, the excitement of the panning, the thrill of the find... conveys powerfully the extent to which gold transformed America...moving' * Daily Telegraph *
`A lively narrative history... Boggan is a hugely likeable companion... this book is a romp' * Spectator *
`Steve Boggan is an amazing writer who always brings to vivid life everyday people doing interesting and extraordinary things. He is somehow able to make people forget that he is a journalist and relate to him as an ordinary guy. The result in Gold Fever is a series of adventures, his own and those of others, both present and throughout the past history of gold rushes. This book is no 'fool's gold', but the real thing.' -- Luke Rhinehart, author of The Dice Man
`A freakishly charming travel memoir... Boggan's dry, understated humor lends the just-right touch to his undertaking... An excellent writer telling a fun and interesting story' * Library Journal *
'A perfect mixture of travelogue, history and down and dirty experience, leavened by rich veins of humour and pathos. A gem, or should I say a nugget.' -- Mick Conefrey - author of Everest 1953
`[Boggan] has a wonderful time, respectful of men prepared to give up everything in return for very little, but roguish enough to drop the wink on their ornery, old-fashioned optimism' * Saga *
'Terrific. Pack your bag, grab your pick, and set out with master storyteller, Steve Boggan, for a trip in this highly original travelogue.' -- Daniel Klein - Sunday Times bestselling author of Travels with Epicurus
`Gold Fever is a wonderful mix of history, journalism and good old-fashioned adventure. It is this last aspect that really lends the book a unique appeal; Boggan is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and he shares his experiences and findings with great depth, humour and charisma.' -- Leon McCarron, author of The Road Headed West: A Cycling Journey Through North America
This is an excellent book. Steve Boggan's writing... is superb, entertaining reading. * SanFranciscoBookReview.com *
Humorous and detailed ... This is not only a rollicking adventure for Boggan, as he discovers friends and facts about himself, but a wonderful description of the characters he met along the way... Entertaining and educational. * Escapees Magazine *
`A well-crafted story with heady fast-forward momentum. A dogged investigator's obsessive quest for Californian gold, and the backstory of the gold fields.' -- Iain Sinclair, author of London Orbital
`Boggan does a good job relating this story' * Independent *
Steve Boggan takes the reader on an exciting adventure and proves that prospecting is as much about digging for humor and hope as it is finding gold. * Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail *
Author Bio
Steve Boggan has been a news, features and investigative journalist for more than thirty years. A former Chief Reporter with The Independent, he has also written extensively for The Times, The Guardian, The London Evening Standard and the Daily Mail. His first book, Follow the Money: A Month in the Life of a Ten-Dollar Bill, was published in 2012. He lives in London.