The story of civilization from an entirely new vantage point-the six raw materials that have shaped and will continue to shape humanity's destiny. Sand, iron, salt, oil, copper and lithium: The struggle for these fundamental materials has created empires, razed civilizations, and fed our ingenuity and our greed for thousands of years. It is a story that is far from finished. Though we are told we now live in a weightless world of information, we dug...

Workers mine for gold in Lego City.

"For too many years, the Reverend Eden Bledsoe wondered if he'd ever find his daughter, who was taken from him by Indians when she was just a little girl. Lately, he's heard tell of a wild white woman who loosely matches her description. He is desperate to find her, but he lacks the knowledge, skill, or youth to track her down. Hearing the old man's story, Crawford Fain can't help but agree to search for the woman. The famous frontiersman has knowledge...

A desperate Kremlin takes advantage of a military crisis in Asia to simultaneously strike into Western Europe and invade east Africa in a bid to occupy three Rare Earth mineral mines that will give Russia unprecedented control for generations over the world's hi-tech sector. Pitted against the Russians are a Marine lieutenant colonel pulled out of a cushy job at the Pentagon and thrown into the fray in Africa, a French Special Forces captain and his...

"There's silver out there. Sabrina Eckhart is sure of it. And when she finds the hidden mine on that big piece of West Texas desert, all of her financial problems are solved. That is, if she can find it. The man with the skills she needs is private investigator Alex Justice-a former navy fighter pilot and a current pain in the neck. When mysterious "accidents" start to plague their search, it seems Rina's multi-acre inheritance might be more a curse...

Conducting an undercover investigation into Kenya's corruption-prone obscure-metals industry, Marc Royce, posing as a relief organization auditor, forges an unexpected bond with an Israeli medical administrator who is offering humanitarian aid to local refugees.

Hunt's first tunnel trips inspired a lifelong fascination with exploring underground worlds, from the derelict subway stations and sewers of New York City to the sacred caves, catacombs, and tombs, from bunkers to ancient underground cities in more than twenty countries around the world. In a narrative spanning continents and epochs, Hunt tracks the origins of life with a team of NASA microbiologists a mile beneath the Black Hills, descends with an...

When Steve discovers his wheat farm has been destroyed and his diamond sword stolen, he suspects it's the act of a griefer and must find the culprit before something even worse happens.

The ruthless four : After a lifetime of prospecting, Sam Cooper has struck gold. But he can't get it without partners, without trusting someone. The person he trusted to be his partner has betrayed him and now he must deal with a streak of bad luck as he fights off bandits, losing his horse and gun. In order to retrieve the gold, he must go back to the desert where it is hidden. Accompanied by his adopted son and some of his sinister friends, Cooper...