Gold Rush

by Jim Richards

'Would you own the GOLD or would the GOLD own YOU?'

When Jim Richards left home to make his fortune in a gold rush, he had no language skills, no money and no plan other than to turn up. But when he found diamond-filled pot holes in the remote rivers of Guyana, his problems really began.

Chasing gold and diamond rushes around the world, Richards worked with local miners in some of the maddest, baddest and most dangerous places on earth. His dramatic journey ranges from the piranha-infested rivers of South America to the blazing deserts of Australia, from the world's biggest mining scam in Indonesia to the war-torn jungles of Laos.

To find the gold, first Jim had to find himself. He learned to dig deep and discover the resilience and fortitude needed to overcome isolation, disease, equipment disasters and gun-toting criminals to come out on top.

Gold Rush is a blood-and-guts treasure hunt - the ultimate adventure story.

364 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2016

About the author

Jim Richards became obsessed with finding gold and diamonds in his teens. He went on to be closely involved in numerous mineral discoveries around the world. This includes the Omai gold deposit in Guyana, which became the largest gold mine in South America, and the Railway iron ore deposit in Western Australia, which was acquired by BHP Billiton in 2010 for A$204 million.

He has founded a string of successful mining businesses and is today one of the industry's leading executives. Currently, Jim is executive chairman of an Australian publicly listed minerals corporation.

Prior to his prospecting, geology and mining career, Jim served in the British Army Parachute Regiment, with operational experience in Northern Ireland. He was educated at Goldsmiths
College, University of London (geology) and the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst.

Jim lives in Perth, Western Australia.

Reviews

[Philip William · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you want an easy introduction to gold (and diamond) mining along with the autobiography of someone who has looked for gold in three continents this is a great book. It explores the history of gold rushes and the psychology of what instant riches will do to many people along with a simple introduction to the geological processes which cause gold and diamonds in some places and not in others.

[Josh Stanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

First geology related book i read in Australia and truly a mesmerizing story, anything is possible.

[Gary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not a quick reader and generally read only when on a plane cause it takes my mind off things. I noticed this book in the airport and thought I'd give it a go as I enjoy watching the gold rush programmes on discovery. This is a very enjoyable book, it is well written and easy to glide through at a decent pace. It covers various episodes in Jims life and gives a great insight to the hardships of gold and diamond prospecting and also the rewards for hard work. It also opens up the world of gold and diamond mining providing insight that many people would simply have no idea existed.
Like another reviewer the end of the book almost finished too quickly, or was that just a case of me wanting more......

I would thoroughly recommend.

[J W · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an interesting autobiographical account book of one man's search for riches.
It is interesting enough, dotted with enough historical and geographical nuggets (see what I did there) to be educational as well as entertaining.
The biggest let down is the ending which strangely is covered in far less detail than far smaller events and items of less importance. Overall though, a good read,

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as I was fascinated by the characters who prospect for gold in the most challenging of circumstances.
This book is simply brilliant and allows you to get a real flavour for the dedication/ desperation that gold miners face.
The authors telling of his life is fascinating and thoroughly absorbing a highly recommended.