The Nitrate King A Biography Of Colonel John Thomas North

The First Book-length Biography Of John Thomas North (1842-1896), Known As 'colonel North' In Britain And Throughout The World As 'the Nitrate King,' This Book Utilizes Sources In Britain And Chile And Traces Norths Spectacular Life From A Mechanic In Leeds Through His Thirteen Years In Peru And Chile Culminating In His Status As One Of The Richest And Best-known Men Of His Generation. North Is Today Almost Completely Forgotten In Britain And Remembered In Chile Only To Be Vilified As The Archetypal Predatory Capitalist. This Book Calls For A Revaluation Of North And Examines Several Controversies-principally The Enduring Allegations That North Manipulated The War Of The Pacific And The Chilean Civil War Of 1891.