Reviews
'[Boggan] has a wonderful time, respectful of men prepared to give up everything in return for very little, but roguish enough to drop the wink on their ornery, old-fashioned optimism', 'Gold Fever is a wonderful mix of history, journalism and good old-fashioned adventure. It is this last aspect that really lends the book a unique appeal; Boggan is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and he shares his experiences and findings with great depth, humour and charisma.', 'Entertaining and enjoyable.' -- Daily Mail 'Conveys the expectation of the prospecting, the excitement of the panning, the thrill of the find . . . conveys powerfully the extent to which gold transformed America . . . moving.' -- Daily Telegraph, 'A really fascinating, and funny, cautionary tale of the unexpected allure of lives spent in search of "the colour"'., 'Terrific. Pack your bag, grab your pick, and set out with master storyteller, Steve Boggan, for a trip in this highly original travelogue.', "This is a fun book.... Boggan is a hugely likeable companion." -- The Spectator "A freakishly charming travel memoir of a man just like you: intelligent, curious, motivated, fun, and intentionally positive. With those traits, zero gold-locating skills, and some huge balls, Boggan sets out on a humongous adventure: searching for gold in the American West. Boggan, a journalist, writes with that special panache that sparks readers to keep reading ... An excellent writer telling a fun and interesting story." --Library Journal, "Books for Dudes" "'[GOLD FEVER] is a beautiful book - funny, poignant, and well-written." -- Rudy Maxa, host of Rudy Maxa's World, America's #1 travel radio show "Boggan's narrative and persona are charming." -- Kirkus Reviews A BBC Radio 4 Book of the Week "A dandy travelogue full of colorful stories from the past and from [Boggan's] own adventures. It is a rollicking story, and he tells it with just the right outsider's humor.... what he appreciates and conveys to the reader with a smiling wisdom, is a version of the American Dream. Sure, these prospectors all want to get rich; as Boggan explains in his introduction, 'You see, looking for gold is no more complicated than playing the lottery. You know the odds are stacked against you, but you buy a ticket anyway.' But the dreamers here, and Boggan himself, have found a bit of gold, but also plenty of adventure, kindness, and a mother lode of contentment." -- Rob Hardy, Books Columnist, The Dispatch "An excellent book ... superb, entertaining reading." --San Francisco Book Review "Terrific. Pack your bag, grab your pick, and set out with master storyteller, Steve Boggan, for a trip in this highly original travelogue." --Daniel Klein, New York Times bestselling co-author of Plato and a Platypus Walk Into a Bar "Great. An exciting adventure, proving that prospecting is as much about digging for humor and hope as it is finding gold." -- Jennifer Pharr Davis, author of Becoming Odyssa: Adventures on the Appalachian Trail "GOLD FEVER is a wonderful mix of history, journalism and good old-fashioned adventure. Boggan is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and he shares his experiences and findings with great depth, humour and charisma." -- Leon McCarron, author of The Road Headed West: A Cycling Journey Through North America "A well-crafted story with heady fast-forward momentum. A dogged investigator's obsessive quest for Californian gold, and the backstory of the gold fields." -- Iain Sinclair, author of London Orbital "Steve Boggan is an amazing writer who always brings to vivid life everyday people doing interesting and extraordinary things. He is somehow able to make people forget that he is a journalist and relate to him as an ordinary guy. The result in GOLD FEVER is a series of adventures, his own and those of others, both present and throughout the past history of gold rushes. This book is no 'fool's gold', but the real thing." -- George Cockcroft (also known as Luke Rhinehart) author of The Dice Man "A perfect mixture of travelogue, history and down and dirty experience, leavened by rich veins of humor and pathos. A gem, or should I say a nugget." -- Mick Conefrey, author of The Ghosts of K2, 'The expectation of the prospecting, the excitement of the panning, the thrill of the find... conveys powerfully the extent to which gold transformed America... moving', 'A well-crafted story with heady fast-forward momentum. A dogged investigator's obsessive quest for Californian gold, and the backstory of the gold fields.', Steve Boggan takes the reader on an exciting adventure and proves that prospecting is as much about digging for humor and hope as it is finding gold., 'A perfect mixture of travelogue, history and down and dirty experience, leavened by rich veins of humour and pathos. A gem, or should I say a nugget.', ' Gold Fever is a wonderful mix of history, journalism and good old-fashioned adventure. It is this last aspect that really lends the book a unique appeal; Boggan is not afraid to get his hands dirty, and he shares his experiences and findings with great depth, humour and charisma.', 'Among his fellow miners [Boggan] found acceptance, comradeship and a wealth of personal stories, many tragic but most concealing a golden glimmer of hope beneath the sadness'.