Many of the best books about gold that I have listed here are, sadly, out of print. Some can be found in libraries or secondhand bookstores, others will be harder to come by. I've acquired many of them by bidding on EBay. COM.

I have avoided three of the most popular types of gold books - prospecting, treasure hunting, and gold investing.

The Power of Gold, the History of An Obsession, Peter L. Bernstein, c. 2000, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York. Today’s must-read book about gold. Bernstein tells the whole ugly story of our species’ greed for gold from Biblical times to the status of gold today. This is the most up-to-date book on gold, and is currently available everywhere.

The New World of Gold, Timothy Green, c. 1981, John Wiley & Sons, Canada (numerous editions in hardback and paperback) An engagingly told history and story of gold in general, with good chapters on gold bullion trading 1960-1980. An excellent 'one book' to read about gold and its role in modern times.

The International Monetary System, 1945-1975, An Insiders View, Robert Solomon, c. 1977, Harper and Row, New York. Solomon was for years the top economist at the Federal Reserve Board, and in thorough and scholarly fashion he tells the tale of the post-WWII international monetary system, and the people involved, as the world monetary system struggled to find purchase without gold.

Eldorado, or Adventures in the Path of Empire, Comprising a voyage to California, Via Panama, Life in San Francisco and Monterrey, Pictures of the Gold Region, and experiences of Mexican Travel, Bayard Taylor, originally published 1850, Putnam & Company, New York, reprinted Knopf, New York 1949, and University of Nebraska Press, 1988. An erudite and readable story of California during the time of the Gold Rush. A great sociological, historical, and geographical treatise, actually having very little to do with gold.

The Book of Gold, Gunter Breitling, Jean-Paul Divo, et.al, c. 1975, Alpine Fine Arts Collection, Ltd, New York. A huge and beautiful book, a collaboration of eight authors, with nearly 1,000 illustrations, from period engravings to modern color photos. The history of man's relation to gold, with emphasis on Western Medieval and Renaissance arts, history and techniques of mining, alchemy, goldsmiths, coinage, and much more. Another great 'one book' to read about gold, if you can find it.

Ship of Gold in the Deep Blue Sea, Gary Kinder, c. 1998, Atlantic Monthly Press, New York. The fascinating tale of Tommy Thompson's successful recovery (8,000 feet underwater) of the tons of Gold Rush era gold from the S.S. Central America, which sank off Carolina in 1857. Covers not only the quest and recovery in the 1980's, and its technical and legal challenges, but also provides a sharp portrait of the times and circumstances of its passengers returning from the gold fields in 1857.

Gold, History and Genesis of Deposits, Robert W. Boyle, c. 1987, van Nostrand Reinhold Company, New York. A 600+ page compilation of various writings about the history and geology of gold, with a wealth of helpful bibliographies within each one. Focused on geochemistry, geology, technical aspects of gold mining and gold's occurrence on earth. Its history section also brings to light many ancient writings about gold. A serious study of gold should start with this volume.

America's Money, the Story of our Coins and Currency, J. Earl Massey, c. 1968, Thomas Y. Corwell Company, New York. This is a basic overview of money, with an emphasis on the coins and paper of the U.S.

Extraordinary Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, Charles Mackay, originally published 1841, reprinted with a forward by Andrew Tobias, 1981, Bonanza Books, New York. This book is a favorite of ours (and of most modern financial writers) because of its chapters on Tulipomania and the South Sea stock bubble, but its non-financial chapters contain their own rewards - check out Witchcraft, The Crusades, and Popular Follies of Great Cities. There is not much here about gold - but, oh, the humanity!

Gold, Its Beauty, Power and Allure, C.H.V. Sutherland, c.1959, London, McGraw, Hill & Co. A well-written and scholarly history of gold. For details on gold’s role in history, this is perhaps the best of the 20th Century books on gold.

Gold, An Illustrated History, Vincent Buranelli, , c. 1979, Hammond Inc, New Jersey. An overview of gold and its history, with good illustrations and photos. An easy "one book" education on gold.

The Book of Gold, Kenneth Blakemore, c. 1979, Stein and Day, New York. An excellent history of gold and its artistic and jewelry uses through the ages. Striking photos of gold items from the past, both color and B&W.

The Downfall of the Gold Standard, Gustav Cassel, c. 1936, Clarendon Press, Oxford. A dry, but enlightening book, written 3 years after the demise of the gold standard.

The Gold of Ancient America, Allen Wardwell, c.1968, New York Graphic Society. Excellent photos, mostly black-and-white, of pre-Colombian goldwork.

Greek Gold, Jewelry of the Classic World, Dyfri William and Jack Ogden, c. 1994 Harry M. Abrams, Inc, and the Metropolitan Museum of Art. This book, if you can find it, has some incredible color photos of the finest ancient Greek jewelry; with a well-written text and maps explaining the origins of the material.

The Gold of Troy, The Story of Heinrich Schliemann and the Buried Cities of Ancient Greece, Robert Payne, c. 1959, Funk and Wagnalls Company, New York. The fascinating life story of an incredible man who thought he had excavated Helen of Troy's gold jewelry, but in fact had uncovered much more. A great read.

The Gold of Troy, Searching for Homer’s Fabled City, Vladimir Tolstikov and Mikhail Treister, c. 1996, Harry M. Abrams and The Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation, A.S. Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts. Great photos, mostly color, of the Heinrich Schliemann-discovered gold treasures, purportedly found with the lost city of Troy. Schliemann’s story is a fascinating one.

The Industry Catalogue of Gold Bullion Coins, Nigel Desebrock, c. 1999 The World Gold Council and Grendon International Research Publication, Western Australia. Technical specifications, B&W pictures, history, and mintage figures for the various modern gold bullion coins. Plus a history of gold marketing in the past 35 years, with over 100 examples of print ads for gold bullion from around the world.

The Coronation Ceremony of the Kings and Queens of England and The Crown Jewels, Tessa Rose, c. 1992, HMSO Publications Centre, London. A history of the Crown, Orb and Scepter, well told, with color pictures, and everything you would want to know about the English Coronation.

Gold and Other Precious Metals, Charles Coombs, c. 1981, William Morrow and Company, New York. A basic, 126-page junior high level book about gold mining, history, and uses.

Celtic Gold, A Treasury of Celtic Art, Catriona Luke, c. 1996, Barnes & Noble Books, New York. A stylish little book, with color illustrations, of gold artifacts from this rich and little-known ancient civilization.

Ancient Gold, The Wealth of the Thracians, Treasures from the Republic of Bulgaria, Ivan Marazov, ed., c. 1997, Harry M. Abrams, in cooperation with the Ministry of Culture, Bulgaria. Another well-written and beautifully photographed Harry Abrams book of ancient gold treasures: the legendary gold jewelry and housewares made by the nomadic Thracian artisans of the 4th and 5th Centuries BC.

The Life of William Jennings Bryan, Genevieve Forbes Herrick and John Origen Herrick, c. 1925 Buxton Publishing House, Chicago. Biography of the last Presidential candidate for whom gold and silver were a genuine platform item.

The Gold Ring, Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and Black Friday, 1869. Kenneth D. Ackerman, c. 1988, Dodd, Mead & Company, New York. The definitive and compelling story of the gold conspiracy which almost brought down President Grant and the U.S. Treasury. If this were a novel, it would be judged too far-fetched to be credible.

Gold Panic Investigation, Report of the Majority of the Committee on Banking and Currency, March 1870, Washington, Government Printing Office, 1870. The fascinating transcripts of testimony before the Senate by Jim Fisk, Jay Gould, and various other scoundrels and witnesses involved in the Gold Panic of 1869.

Coin’s Financial School, W. H. Harvey, entered in the office of the Librarian of Congress, 1894, Coin Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois. A book of parables, fables, and stories about finance, banking, and gold and silver money, written during the depression following the Panic of 1893.

The Gold Book, a Guide to Commonly Traded Gold Bullion Coins and Bars, M.A. Olsen and Alison Matthews, c.1992, Westminster Publishing Company, Colorado. A useful book of technical specifications such as weight, size, and fineness of the popular forms of gold bullion, plus appendices of further gold spec information.

The U.S. Mint and Coinage, Don Taxay, c. 1966, Arco Publishing Company, New York. Far and away the most enjoyable of books about the U.S. Mint’s history from the beginning in 1792. Taxay tells it all, including the struggles, scandals, questionable characters, political influences and favoritism that make up the exciting story of how the gold and silver U.S. dollar came to be..

The World’s Great Treasures, ed. Gianni Guadalupi, c. 1998, U.S. Media Holdings, Inc., New York. A beautiful, coffee-table size book of color photos of many of the finest historical gold treasures, jewelry, and artworks in existence today. If you want to see how amazing gold can be as an artistic medium, this book will show you. It presents hundreds of enormous color photos of jewelry and gold items from ancient times up to the present, items of exceptional elegance of execution and historical importance.