Alum, More Precious than Gold: The Amazing Influence and Trade of Alum Across the Ages

Alum was essential for fixing dyes and colours to cloth, making it valuable in international trade and contributing to the wealth of empires. However, it also had negative uses, such as allowing crooks to make debased coins and adulterate bread. Sydney Thorne's book explores the fascinating history of alum and its impact on various aspects of society.

Format: Hardback
Length: 240 pages
Publication date: 02 July 2024
Publisher: Pen & Sword Books Ltd

Alum was a crucial ingredient in the production of colored cloth for centuries, as it was used to fix dyes and colors to the fabric. Without alum, the colors would run and fade, but with alum, they shone and were fast. As a result, alum was as essential to dyers as bread was to man, and those who controlled the market could make a fortune. Alum was manufactured from a rock called alunite, which was mined in China, Egypt, and Turkey. It contributed to the fabulous wealth of the Chinese emperors, the Pharaohs, the Byzantines, and the Ottomans, and was a prized commodity in international trade. Henry VII exploited alum, but it nearly ruined Elizabeth I. However, alum also allowed crooks to make debased coins and adulterate bread, and was at the heart of one of the most spectacular bankruptcy scandals of the 18th century. The Black Death also used the shipping routes of the alum trade to spread through Europe. In this fascinating and eminently readable book, Sydney Thorne has picked out quirky and exciting stories of alum that range across the centuries and across the world, shedding new light on topics ranging from the slave trade to female entrepreneurs while re-discovering a fully-fledged industrial complex on the Yorkshire that was thriving two hundred years before the industrial revolution.

Weight: 488g
Dimension: 163 x 242 x 28 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781036101084