The Big Fella: The Rise and Rise of BHP Billiton [Hardcover]

Peter Thompson (Author), Robert Macklin (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 30, 2010

This is the compelling story of how BHP and its partner Billiton rose from the humblest beginnings in the Australian Outback and on the Indonesian island of Belitung to starry heights on the great stock exchanges of the world. Based on more than 60 exclusive interviews, it rips away the superficial gloss to expose the political and industrial forces that really drive big business in the 21st century. In an investigative tour de force, authors Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin reveal the visions, the schemes, the scandals, and the corporate life-and-death struggles that have characterized BHP's evolution from the first lucky strike by the mysterious Charles Rasp at Broken Hill in 1883 to its merger with Billiton in 2001 to its daring $150 billion bid for Rio Tinto six years later. The result is a gripping story of foresight and blunder, of nation-building and rampant ego, of greed and of grace, written by two master storytellers with, for the first time, access to the key players themselves

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About the Author

Peter Thompson and Robert Macklin are both former newspapermen and have written more than 25 books between them, including four titles as co-authors.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 518 pages
• Publisher: Random House Australia (March 30, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1741667100
• ISBN-13: 978-1741667103
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,732,796 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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