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Black Gold

The Dark History of Coffee

Antony Wild
From the Ethiopian mountains to supermarket shelves and kitchen cupboards worldwide, the production cycle of coffee is full of hidden processes. Antony Wild’s account of the ‘black and tongue-loosening drink’ discusses its influence on world history, particularly its associations with slavery, exploitation and environmental devastation from the 16th century to the present, with organizations like Fairtrade combating exploitation in the coffee industry.
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RRP £9.99

£5.99

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Product information:
  • Publisher: 4th Estate
  • Year: 2019
  • Format: Paperback
  • Pages: 408pp
  • Illustrated: No
  • Dimensions: 197x128mm
  • ISBN: 9780008353438
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.3kg
Product code:
516399
Category tags:
Product information
Full publisher description
Your morning flat-white helped shape the modern world

'Elegantly written, witty and so wide in scope, so rich in detail and so thought provoking' Joanna Blythman



It may seem like just a drink, but coffee's dark journey from the highlands of Ethiopia to the highstreets of every town in the country links alchemy and anthropology, poetry and politics, science and slavery. Plots have been hatched, blood spilled and governments toppled to keep your mug filled with fresh espresso.

In this thought-provoking expose, Antony Wild, coffee trader and historian, explores coffee's dismal colonial past, its perilous corporate present, and the environmental destruction which could limit its future, revealing the shocking exploitation at the heart of the industry.
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