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Rubber, Power and the Obsessions of Henry Wickham Free Download THE THIEF AT THE END OF THE WORLD: RUBBER, POWER AND THE OBSESSIONS OF HENRY WICKHAM FREE DOWNLOAD Joe Jackson | 432 pages | 21 Aug 2009 | Gerald Duckworth & Co Ltd | 9780715637944 | English | London, United Kingdom The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber, Power, and the Seeds of Empire Be the Power and the Obsessions of Henry Wickham one to write a review. Other editions. It focuses on a character named Henry Whickam who was responsible for smuggling 70, or so hevea high quality rubber tree seeds from the Amazon, and putting them into Britain's con I gave this book two stars because it had some interesting information in it, but overall, it wasn't very good. This book is also a biography of Henry Wickham, who, although having a vast impact on international economy, led a migratory life full of failed dreams and poverty in outposts around the world. I am giving this 4 stars as opposed to 5 because I believe another pages of material could have been added based on scientific and production numbers; slight more detail in this regard would have suited this book better. There was something in the jungle that drove a man beyond all wisdom: He chased his El Dorado until the fever killed him, until he was broken and humiliated, until The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber obsession destroyed those who believed in his dreams. Download as PDF Printable version. Once Britain transplanted the seeds to the Far East, rubber shifted from a rare, limited resource commanding a high price to a cheap, affordable product. He treats his wife horribly, is responsible for the deaths of his mother an This book details the story of how Henry Wickham smuggled 70, rubber tree seeds out of the Amazon jungles to take back to England so the British Empire could establish a rubber plantation in Southeast Asia. The time period it dealt with was about up to about Henry made multiple trips to the Amazon and eventually convinced his wife, mother, sister and her husband, and brother and his wife to all move to the Amazon and establish a rubber plantation. Rubber trees grew naturally in the Amazon Rainforest of Brazil. Thanks for the tip Bear! Rubber was many things for many people. Rubber brought him honors and fame, but his celebrated seed snatch rained economic apocalypse upon the Amazon. Rubber plantations in Asia were more efficient and outproduced Brazil and Peru. Fernandez-Armesto's Pathfinders is everything this book wasn't. This book chronicles,in excruciating detail,the first act of biopiracy in the world. Feb 28, ISBN The book also covers the internal conflicts in England that made Wickham's success harder, from the class system to the developing government bureaucracy. So despite being a bit of a dry read at times, there's a lot of really fascinating things to be found here. Joe Jackson. The Wasp That Brainwashed the Caterpillar. I didn't know that people from the confederacy U. Power and the Obsessions of Henry Wickham if other :. Simon Schama. Uploaded by station Apr 22, Jane Wynne rated it really liked it. Sort order. However, the harsh reality of the tropical setting impeded their success. I felt so bad for Violet; Henry might have loved her Jackson certainly seems to think he did but her life was pretty awful because of him. About Joe Jackson Joe Jackson is the author of four works of nonfiction and a novel. Someone should. I ge I ended up a little less interested in the central story here and more in what was happening on the Power and the Obsessions of Henry Wickham. He sailed for Nicaragua on August 5,at age twenty and puttered The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber in the jungle, seeing much and accomplishing little. Joe Jackson draws from their letters and journals and the innumerable records left behind to paint a vivid, fascinating portrait of the man known in Great Britain as "the father of the rubber trade" and in Brazil as the "Executioner of Amazonas. The main character did know his rubber trees, but since he wasn't high born, he wasn't seen as being knowledgeable. In spite of decades of research in selecting highly productive and disease resistant rubber trees, many commercial rubber trees throughout the world are descended from the seeds Wickham took to Joseph Dalton Hooker in London. Looking for More Great Reads? But it is central character that I didn't have much interest in. The book had enough positives to merit another attempt. More filters. Ten Tea Parties. Anyone know any good books about the Industrial Revolution? A man is never greater than the jungle, The Thief at the End of the World: Rubber matter what his worth at home. It was also eye-opening to read more about the rubber industry, particularly the cruel treatment of natives who were used as disposable labor during this period. The title is so good that you think your getting yourself into a great story, but it just doesn't deliver. Except that he married Violet Case Carter, who followed him to the dark ends of the Earth in sickness, dirt, disease, poverty, pestilence and constant danger. The topic is the history of rubber. Download Hi Res. I was more interested in what was going on in Brazil. I knew nothing about this topic and so that's usually a great read for me. Also this book continues the trend of providing notes at the end referencing only a page number and not a note at the end of a sentence. But Wickham, failing to earn the respect and patronage of the scientific elite back home, headed back out to the edges of empire, accompanied by Violet. Pop Art and Vernacular Cultures. I found the history of rubber and its impact to the British empire fascinating. Despite advocating to assist with growth and production of his rubber trees, Henry was brushed aside and compensated with a mere pounds for his efforts to bring the seeds, which weighed nearly one and a half tons to England. Today's world seems obsessed by and held in thrall by oil, but a similar scenario played out from the 's up through WWI with a different commodity: rubber. Likewise, his legacy is a mixed one. In this utterly engaging account of obsession, greed, bravery, and betrayal, author and journalist Joe Jackson brings to life a classic Victorian fortune hunter and the empire that fueled, then abandoned, him. There are some great underlying themes that the author barely touched on. It was like I was there in the florest too. No trivia or quizzes yet..
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