Picador USA
The Heartless Stone: A Journey Through the World of Diamonds, Deceit, and Desire
Key Metrics
- Tom Zoellner
- Picador USA
- Paperback
- 9780312339708
- 8.26 X 5.53 X 0.93 inches
- 0.87 pounds
- Travel > Africa - General
- English
Secure TransactionBook Description
An adventure story in the tradition of Susan Orlean's The Orchid Thief, The Heartless Stone is a voyage into the cold heart of the world's most unyielding gem.
When he proposed to his girlfriend, Tom Zoellner gave what is expected of every American man--a diamond engagement ring. But when the relationship broke apart, he was left with a used diamond that began to haunt him. His obsession carried him around the globe, from the blood diamond rings of Africa; to the sweltering polishing factories of India; to mines above the Arctic Circle; to illegal diggings in Brazil; to the London headquarters of De Beers, the secretive global colossus that has dominated the industry for more than a century and permanently carved the phrase A diamond is forever on the psyche.
The Heartless Stone goes beyond investigative reporting into the regions of the human heart that make the diamond empire possible. It has been called a dazzling display of intrepid reporting (Entertainment Weekly) and an illuminating expose of a mineral and an industry (The Wall Street Journal).
An American Library Association Notable Book
Author Bio
Tom Zoellner is the author of eight nonfiction books, including Island on Fire: The Revolt that Ended Slavery in the British Empire, and works as a professor at Chapman University and Dartmouth College. His writing has appeared in The Atlantic, Harper’s, The American Scholar, The Oxford American, Time, Foreign Policy, Men’s Health, Slate, Scientific American, Audubon, Sierra, The Los Angeles Times, The New York Times, The Texas Observer, Departures, The American Scholar, The Wall Street Journal and many other publications.
Tom is a fifth-generation Arizonan and a former staff writer for The Arizona Republic and the San Francisco Chronicle. He is the recipient of fellowships and residencies from The Lannan Foundation, the Corporation of Yaddo, the Economic Hardship Reporting Project and the Mid-Atlantic Arts Foundation.
Source: Chapman University
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