{"title":"Douglas Brunt","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eDouglas Brunt\u003c\/strong\u003e crafts compelling narratives that delve into the enigmatic lives of historical figures, blending meticulous research with engaging storytelling. His works explore intriguing episodes and personalities, offering fresh perspectives on stories often shrouded in mystery.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect richly detailed biographies that illuminate complex characters and forgotten moments in history. Brunt’s books invite reflection on ambition, innovation, and the hidden forces that shape our world.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"the-mysterious-case-of-rudolf-diesel-by-douglas-brunt-9781982169909","title":"The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThe hidden history of one of the world’s greatest inventors, a man who disrupted the status quo and then disappeared into thin air on the eve of World War I—this book answers the hundred-year-old mystery of what really became of Rudolf Diesel.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeptember 29, 1913: the steamship \u003cem\u003eDresden\u003c\/em\u003e is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionising global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of mankind and refused to keep the technology out of the hands of the British or any other nation. For John D. Rockefeller, the engine was nothing less than an existential threat to his vast and lucrative oil empire. As electric lighting began to replace kerosene lamps, Rockefeller’s bottom line depended on the world’s growing thirst for gasoline to power its automobiles and industries.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAt the outset of this new age of electricity and oil, Europe stood on the precipice of war. Rudolf Diesel grew increasingly concerned about Germany’s rising nationalism and military spending. The inventor was on his way to London to establish a new company that would help Britain improve its failing submarine program when he disappeared.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author Douglas Brunt reopens the case and provides an astonishing new conclusion about Diesel’s fate. “Equal parts Walter Isaacson and Sherlock Holmes, \u003cem\u003eThe Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel\u003c\/em\u003e yanks back the curtain on the greatest caper of the 20th century in this riveting history” (Jay Winik, \u003cem\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/em\u003e bestselling author).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":45907314737388,"sku":"9781982169909","price":68.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781982169909.jpg?v=1731710317"},{"product_id":"the-mysterious-case-of-rudolf-diesel-by-douglas-brunt-9781668034606","title":"The Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eThis instant \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling “dynamic detective story” (\u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e) reveals the hidden history of Rudolf Diesel, one of the world’s greatest inventors, and his mysterious disappearance on the eve of World War I.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSeptember 29, 1913: the steamship \u003ci\u003eDresden\u003c\/i\u003e is halfway between Belgium and England. On board is one of the most famous men in the world, Rudolf Diesel, whose new internal combustion engine is on the verge of revolutionising global industry forever. But Diesel never arrives at his destination. He vanishes during the night, and headlines around the world wonder if it was an accident, suicide, or murder.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eAfter rising from an impoverished European childhood, Diesel had become a multi-millionaire with his powerful engine that does not require expensive petroleum-based fuel. In doing so, he became not only an international celebrity but also the enemy of two extremely powerful men: Kaiser Wilhelm II of Germany and John D. Rockefeller, the founder of Standard Oil and the richest man in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe Kaiser wanted the engine to power a fleet of submarines that would finally allow him to challenge Great Britain’s Royal Navy. But Diesel had intended for his engine to be used for the betterment of the world.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eNow, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author Douglas Brunt reopens the case and provides an “absolutely riveting” (Chris Bohjalian, #1 \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author) new conclusion about Diesel’s fate. Brunt’s book is “equal parts Walter Isaacson and Sherlock Holmes, [and] yanks back the curtain on the greatest caper of the 20th century in this riveting history” (Jay Winik, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author).\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"HarperCollins New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46511160590572,"sku":"9781668034606","price":39.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/24564073482781.jpg?v=1748814315"},{"product_id":"the-lost-empire-of-emanuel-nobel-by-douglas-brunt-9781668074749","title":"The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eInstant \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e Bestseller!\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eWhy did one of the world’s most successful business titans, an oil magnate who rivalled the Rockefellers and the Rothschilds, disappear from history? The author of the acclaimed bestseller \u003ci\u003eThe Mysterious Case of Rudolf Diesel\u003c\/i\u003e has the enthralling answer.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWith the exception of the tsar, Emanuel Nobel was likely the wealthiest man in early 20th-century Russia, and one of the wealthiest in the world. Over three generations, he and his family grew the Russian petroleum industry into a behemoth that surpassed even John D. Rockefeller’s Standard Oil. The Nobels imported the best practices from America and improved on them, transforming every aspect of the industry.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThough Emanuel’s uncle Alfred would become world-famous thanks to his creation of the Nobel Prize, the even more successful Nobels in Russia have been largely forgotten. The reason why is one of history’s most gripping untold stories.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWorking in the oil fields of southern Russia at the same time as Emanuel was a troubled young man from a peasant family in Georgia. Though educated to be a priest, he took a different path when he discovered the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. In and out of prison in Siberia, charismatic and committed, always at the centre of a fight, this young man would become known to the world as Joseph Stalin, a leader of the Bolshevik Revolution and eventually one of the most brutal dictators in history.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDirectly in Stalin’s crosshairs was Emanuel Nobel, who represented everything Stalin despised about capitalism. As the world turned upside down, Emanuel began to plan a life-or-death escape from Russia. But would he make it out in time? And what would be the fate of the immense empire he and his family had built?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSweeping across more than a hundred years of history, from the dawn of the Victorian Age to World War I to the Russian Revolution and beyond, this captivating book chronicles one of the most influential men in history, a man whose name has been stricken from memory, and returns him thrillingly to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47745320681708,"sku":"9781668074749","price":77.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781668074749-the-lost-empire-of-emanuel-nobel.jpg?v=1781500376"},{"product_id":"the-lost-empire-of-emanuel-nobel-by-douglas-brunt-9781668270820","title":"The Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther than the Tsar, Emanuel Nobel was likely the wealthiest man in early 20th-century Russia. He and his father, Ludwig, rose from bankruptcy to become the owners of an oil company that rivalled John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil. They imported the best practices from America, and then used their own innovative ideas to improve on them, transforming everything from refining technology to transportation methods. They even invented the oil tanker. In an industry famous for exploitation of its workers, they built homes, parks, and schools for their employees, earning their enduring affection.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWhen young Emanuel Nobel took the reins of the company in 1888, he was only 29 years old. Among his first duties was to host Tsar Alexander III and the imperial family, who wanted to see the famous Nobel oil operations firsthand. Emanuel acquitted himself with grace and aplomb, and, as a result, the Tsar offered him Russian citizenship on the spot. With the Tsar's seal of approval, the Nobel fortunes grew exponentially.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eWorking in a nearby oil field around the same time was a troubled young man from a peasant family in Georgia. Educated to be a priest, his life took a different path when he was exposed to the revolutionary ideas of Karl Marx. In and out of prison in Siberia, charismatic and committed, always at the centre of a fight, this young man would become known to the world in just a few years as Joseph Stalin, one of the leaders of the Russian Revolution. After the Tsar, the man Stalin most wanted to destroy was Emanuel Nobel, who represented everything he loathed about capitalism and its imbalance of power. As the world turned upside down, Emanuel found himself in the Bolsheviks' crosshairs and began to plan a life-or-death escape from Russia. But would he make it out in time? And what would happen to the empire his family had built over three generations?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSweeping across more than a hundred years of history, from the Crimean War to World War I and the Russian Revolution, this utterly compelling book chronicles one of the most influential men in history, whose name has been stricken from memory, and returns him thrillingly to life.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eThe Lost Empire of Emanuel Nobel\u003c\/em\u003e by Douglas Brunt offers an enthralling exploration of an era marked by innovation, power, and upheaval, capturing the story of a man whose legacy was nearly lost to time.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Simon \u0026 Schuster NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48147890274540,"sku":"9781668270820","price":41.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781668270820-the-lost-empire-of-emanuel-nobel.jpg?v=1786452992"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.live\/collections\/douglas-brunt.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}