Benjamin Wallace bringt eine Fülle vielfältiger Erfahrungen in sein Schreiben ein. Seine frühe Karriere umfasste den Englischunterricht und die Arbeit in diplomatischen Kreisen in Europa, was ihm eine einzigartige Perspektive auf internationale Angelegenheiten verlieh. Er verfeinerte sein Handwerk auch als Journalist für verschiedene amerikanische Publikationen, von Lifestyle-Magazinen bis hin zu Fachzeitschriften. Dieser abwechslungsreiche Hintergrund fließt in seine Fähigkeit ein, sich mit unterschiedlichen Themen auseinanderzusetzen und diese mit einer frischen Perspektive zu präsentieren.
Sie war die teuerste Weinflasche aller Zeiten: Ausgegraben in einem zugemauerten Pariser Keller soll die Flasche Château Lafite Bordeaux 1787 einst im Besitz des amerikanischen US-Präsidenten und Weinliebhabers Thomas Jefferson gewesen sein. Entdeckt wurde sie von Hardy Rodenstock, der sich vom Musikmanager zum Sammler besonderer alter Weine entwickelt hatte. 1985 wurde der spektakuläre Fund im renommierten Christie's, London, von Auktionator Michael Broadbent versteigert. Für die gewaltige Summe von $ 156.000 ging diese einzigartige Flasche an die Familie Forbes. Gerüchte über den Fundort, die dubiosen Hintergründe und die Echtheit der Weinflasche folgten. Es brauchte mehr als zwei Jahrzehnte um Licht in das Dunkel zu bringen. Benjamin Wallace recherchierte, was damals passierte. Viele schillernde Figuren der Weinwelt tauchen in seiner Geschichte auf.
A Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto
A thrilling investigation into the mysterious identity of Bitcoin’s creator and a deep dive into crypto’s utopian origin story—from The New York Times bestselling author of The Billionaire’s VinegarIn October 2008, someone going by the name Satoshi Nakamoto posted a white paper outlining “a peer-to-peer electronic cash system” called Bitcoin to an arcane listserv populated by Cypherpunks. No one in the community had heard of Nakamoto, and just as people were starting to wonder who he was, he vanished. As the years passed, and the scope of Nakamoto’s achievement became clear, the truth of his identity grew into the greatest unsolved mystery of our time.The Mysterious Mr. Nakamoto traces Benjamin Wallace’s attempt to unmask the figure behind the currency and the world it wrought. Nakamoto’s Bitcoin at first seemed destined to fulfill the dreams of fringe 1990s utopians for a currency set free from governments and big banks. Yet after he disappeared, his creation took on a strange new life in the financial markets, where rampant speculation fueled a vision of crypto as a potential windfall, inviting charlatans and scammers and opening a vast gulf between Bitcoin’s idealistic origins and its troubled reputation.But who was Nakamoto? Whoever he was could rightly claim to have invented one of the most important technologies of the new century. And Nakamoto was a billionaire—his Bitcoin wallet held an untouched eleven-figure fortune waiting to be claimed.With the same propulsive-narrative flair that made his New York Times bestseller The Billionaire’s Vinegar an instant success, Benjamin Wallace presents a page-turning work of investigative journalism. Tracking leads from London to Oslo to Los Angeles, from coastal Australia to the Arizona desert, he takes readers through a rogues’ gallery tour of Nakamoto suspects—from benevolent geniuses like cryptographer Hal Finney to difficult ones like a reclusive polymath known to his followers only as Jim; from the mercurial Australian Craig Wright, who claims to be Nakamoto, to a secret team at the National Security Agency. With the forensic skill of Sherlock Holmes and the storytelling verve of Arthur Conan Doyle, Wallace follows the trail of computer code and personal writings to the heart of the Nakamoto mystery while interrogating the very nature of mystery itself.
The Fifteen-Year Quest to Unmask the Secret Genius Behind Crypto
352 Seiten
13 Lesestunden
Exploring the enigmatic identity of Bitcoin's creator, this book delves into the origins of cryptocurrency and its idealistic beginnings. The author, known for their bestselling work, offers a captivating narrative that combines investigative journalism with insights into the revolutionary impact of digital currency on society. Through a blend of history and intrigue, readers are taken on a journey that uncovers the secrets behind one of the most significant financial innovations of our time.
Best-seller New York Times Em 1985, num disputado leilão promovido pela Christie’s de Londres, uma garrafa de bordeaux Château Lafite de 1787 foi arrematada num lance de 156 mil dólares por um membro da família Forbes. Foi a garrafa de vinho mais cara da história. Ela provinha de um esconderijo descoberto numa adega murada em Paris, e supostamente pertencera a Thomas Jefferson, terceiro presidente dos Estados Unidos. O responsável pelo fantástico achado era Hardy Rodenstock, um empresário de bandas de música pop convertido em colecionador de vinhos, que parecia ter um talento especial para encontrar exemplares raros e requintados. Logo, porém, começaram os rumores. Por que Rodenstock se recusava a revelar onde a garrafa fora encontrada? Seria ela parte de um estoque nazista contrabandeado? Uma história cheia de suspense e mistérios. Para prender o leitor da primeira à última página. "Esplêndido... Uma deliciosa história policial que serpenteia através de adegas europeias bolorentas, a França do tempo de Thomas Jefferson e Monticello, oficinas de gravação, um laboratório de física nuclear, casas de leilão rivais e legendárias degustações com vários dias de duração promovidas pelo misterioso alemão que descobrira a coleção de Jefferson.... Pronto para Hollywood." USA Today
