This book tells the story of precious gold, created when stars explode, mined in Ancient Egypt, made into a mummy mask, and buried with a king. But the tomb is robbed and the mask is stolen--and so the gold changes hands and changes shape as centuries pass. It's a prize at the Colosseum in Rome, a gift for Queen Elizabeth I at Nonesuch Palace, counterfeit coins in a sea captain's chest, a toothpick holder at Versailles, gold buttons on a waistcoat bound for Australia, and a necklace in modern New York. Stephen Biesty's richly detailed illustrations and Meredith Hooper's resonant text together tell the awe-inspiring story of the gold and its owners, of hopes and dreams, courage and deceit, romance and adventure.