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Title: One of the best in its field
Review: Of the books I've recently read on the subject of diamonds, "The Last Empire" is without peer. It's more a history of the diamond fields during the early years than a study of the diamond industry as a whole, but it offers many captivating stories of those times and Kanfer's writing brings them alive. I won't use the usual "I couldn't put it down" cliche (it's a bit big to read at one sitting) but I couldn't wait to start reading it again.It explains in great detail the convoluted shenanigans of those early "pioneers", how greed made South Africa into a land of woe and strife, and how one man managed to gain a diamond monopoly and turn it into a huge industry. I learned quite a bit from reading it, and I only wish an updated edition were available.
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