Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Blood from a Stone: The Quest for the Life Diamonds
 
 
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Blood from a Stone: The Quest for the Life Diamonds [Paperback]

Richard Hammer (Author), Yaron Svoray (Author)
3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Textbook Student FREE Two-Day Shipping for Students. Learn more

Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover --  
Paperback --  

Book Description

0765307960 978-0765307965 May 1, 2004 1st
The search for the Life Diamonds--the subject of the compelling documentary produced by the History Channel.

They were known as Life Diamonds--rough uncut diamonds of high quality bought by Jews in Eastern Europe to use as passports to safety. After 1939 and the Nazi blitzkrieg, after the extermination camps began belching black smoke into the skies and the railroad station at Auschwitz II-Birkenau became the busiest train station in the world, they became Death Diamonds.

Blood from a Stone is the amazing story of forty of those diamonds, of their journey across continents and oceans, from the mines of South Africa to the diamond centers in Antwerp and Amsterdam, to the Jews of Eastern Europe, to the Death Camps . . . and to the two American soldiers who liberated them from the SS, finally, and buried them in a forest in Alsace on the border between France and Germany.

It is the story of the curse believed to lie over the fabulous wealth of these stones, bringing death and disaster to all who touched them. It is the story of Yaron Svoray, who spent more than a decade in search of one small foxhole somewhere in a thousand square miles of forest . . . and of his unbelievable success.

Blood from a Stone is a unique story, a story unlike any to come out of World War II. Blood from a Stone will more than over a dozen exclusive photos from the two-hour History Channel documentary.

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought


Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Yaron Svoray is an investigative journalist and the author of In Hitler's Shadow and Gods of Death.

Richard Hammer is a two-time winner of the Edgar Award and is the author of more than a dozen books.

Product Details

  • Paperback: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Forge Books; 1st edition (May 1, 2004)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0765307960
  • ISBN-13: 978-0765307965
  • Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,307,606 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

 

Customer Reviews

5 Reviews
5 star:
 (1)
4 star:
 (3)
3 star:    (0)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:
 (1)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
3.6 out of 5 stars (5 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars blood from a stone, June 19, 2003
Blood from a stone is an amazing story that, gives the reader great insight to the mindset of our American fighting soldier during World War II as well as the inner workings of the children and secret workers of the holocaust. There is no doubt that this part of the novel leaves a lingering effect on the reader. The novel provides a large amount of history behind the diamond trade spanning from India to Africa and a fairly good account of the death camps throughout the Third Reich's empire. Bar none the most well written part of the book is Sam Nyer's recollections of his experiences throughout the war, to include, finding the diamonds with his partner Tommy Delion and hiding them. After this, the book becomes a billboard.

A critical reader will notice that the two major diversions from the story read more like an advertisement for Svoray's two other books, than an absolute nessisity(?)to the featured story I found myself under the intense urge to skip ahead--but i didn't, for fear of missing something. The novel reads more like an autobiography of Yaron Svoray than an all-out, hollywoodesque treasure hunt at times, and it borders on killing the readers interest, but the story does prevail.

I bought this book immediatley after watching the special on the History Channel and am very pleased that i did. It is truly the treasure hunt of the 20th century.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars blood from a stone, June 19, 2003
Blood from a stone is an amazing story that, gives the reader great insight to the mindset of our American fighting soldier during World War II as well as the inner workings of the children and secret workers of the holocaust. There is no doubt that this part of the novel leaves a lingering effect on the reader. The novel provides a large amount of history behind the diamond trade spanning from India to Africa and a fairly good account of the death camps throughout the Third Reich's empire. Bar none the most well written part of the book is Sam Nyer's recollections of his experiences throughout the war, to include, finding the diamonds with his partner Tommy Delion and hiding them. After this, the book becomes a billboard.

A critical reader will notice that the two major diversions from the story read more like an advertisement for Svoray's two other books, than an absolute nessisity(?)to the featured story I found myself under the intense urge to skip ahead--but i didn't, for fear of missing something. The novel reads more like an autobiography of Yaron Svoray than an all-out, hollywoodesque treasure hunt at times, and it borders on killing the readers interest, but the story does prevail.

I bought this book immediatley after watching the special on the History Channel and am very pleased that i did. It is truly the treasure hunt of the 20th century.

Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No


4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars really good, June 14, 2003
By 
This book is really good and interesting.The first time i read the back i was hooked.I had to know what happened.I also loved the documentary of it on the History channel.Get this book it is worth your time!!
Help other customers find the most helpful reviews 
Was this review helpful to you? Yes No

Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews



Only search this product's reviews



Inside This Book (learn more)
First Sentence:
"I want to tell you a story," the old man said. Read the first page
Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
purple leather pouch, forty diamonds, missing dozen, cursed diamonds, right hill, uncut diamonds, missing soldiers, diamond centers, diamond trade
Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Sam Nyer, New York, Yaron Svoray, South Africa, Life Diamonds, World War, United States, Seventh Army, Lieb Zuckerman, Ako Hintzen, Scott Duncan, Solomon Smolianov, Barbel Schaefer, French First Army, Marcel Pierron, Third Reich, Blies River, Blies Schmeyen, European Jews, Jacques Furth, Alex Muskovitch, Mel Berger, Heinrich Himmler, Jonathan Bucksbaum, South America
New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats
Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Search Inside This Book:

Citations (learn more)


Books on Related Topics (learn more)

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Suggested Tags from Similar Products

 (What's this?)
Be the first one to add a relevant tag (keyword that's strongly related to this product).
 

Your tags: Add your first tag
 

Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
Search all Amazon discussions
   
Related forums



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category


Look for Similar Items by Subject

Search Books by subject:









i.e., each book must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...