Black Gold: The Dark History of Coffee

(Paperback)

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'an aromatic blend of colonial history and globalisation criticism' Ecologist Arguably the most valuable legally traded commodity in the world after oil, coffee's dark five-hundred year history links alchemy and anthropology, poetry and politics, and science and slavery. Revolutions have been hatched in coffee houses, secret socities and commercial alliances formed, and politics and art endlessly debated. With over a hundred million people looking to it for their livelihood, the coffee industry is now the world's largest employer and the financial lifeblood of many third-world countries. But with world prices at a historic low, the future looks uncertain. In this thought-provoking expose, Tony Wild, coffee trader and historian, explores coffee's dismal colonial past and its perilous corporate present, revealing the shocking exploitation at the heart of the industry.

Reviews

'an aromatic blend of colonial history and globalisation criticism' Ecologist

'an impressive mix of historical overview and contemporary analysis' Time Out

'Perfect ammo for destroying your Starbucks-guzzling workmates' Arena

an elegantly written, witty book, so wide in scope, so rich in detail, so thought-provoking in the subtle way that it develops its central thesis, that it is a challenge to do justice to it Joanna Blythman

This adrenalised swipe through the story of the mightiest of elixirs is written by a genius with all the economic facts and figures at his fingertips Good Book Guide

full of fascinating anecdotal detail about our favourite stimulant Geographical

Author Bio

Antony Wild, although a native of Yorkshire, has spent much time in the Indian sub-continent, where he acquired a particular passion for Moghul cookery. He is the figure behind the revival of the East India Company and author of 'The East India Tea Company Book of Tea' and 'The East India Company Book of Spices'