Barren Lands: An Epic Search for Diamonds in the North American Arctic

The true story of the men who sought - and found - a great diamond mine on the last frontier of the far north. From a bloody 18th-century trek across the Canadian tundra to the global intrigues and daunting natural forces facing protagonists Charles Fipke and Stewart Blusson as they race against the mighty DeBeers cartel in the 1990s, this is the definitive account of one of the world's great mineral discoveries. It is also a tale of supreme adventure, taking the reader into a magical-and now fast-vanishing-wild landscape. "Masterful . . . at once a scientific thriller, excursion into industrial espionage, and page-turning paean to obsession". - Smithsonian "Krajick, a talented storyteller, strikes it rich". - The Economist