[pdf] Texas Gold

On January 24th in 1848, James Marshall triggered the California Gold Rush when he uncovered a handful of shiny pebbles while building a lumber mill in Coloma, California. Subsequently, hundreds of thousands of people, from all over the globe, suffered great hardship to make their way by land and sea to seek their own fortunes.

The book made huge theoretical advances. He was the first to prove that the government, and only the government, can destroy money on a mass scale, and he showed exactly how they go about this dirty deed. But just as importantly, it is beautifully written. He tells a thrilling story because he loves the subject so much.