Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy

Key Features John Zubrzycki is the bestselling author of The Last Nizam First truly intimate account of Alexander Malcolm Jacob, the man whom the 'Jacob' diamond is named after, the fifth largest diamond in the world A real treat for fans of historical biographies About the Book: The Mysterious Mr Jacob: Diamond Merchant, Magician and Spy A tale of money, magic and mystique from the bestselling author of The Last Nizam The scandal that rocked the Raj In 1891, a notorious curio-dealer from Simla offered to sell theworld's largest brilliant-cut diamond to the Nizam of Hyderabad. Ifthe audacious deal came through, the merchant would have been setup for life. But the transaction went horribly wrong. The Nizamaccused him of fraud, triggering a sensational trial in theCalcutta High Court that made headlines around the world. The dealer was Alexander Malcolm Jacob, a man of mysteriousorigins and colourful infamy. He was India's most successfulpurveyor of precious stones and was rumoured to be 'rich almostbeyond the dreams of Aladdin'. Hailed as a celebrity in his ownlifetime, he was the inspiration for the shadowy Lurgan Sahib inRudyard Kipling's Kim. A confidant of viceroys and maharajahs, hedabbled in magic and was a player in the Great Game. Yet he died inobscurity, carrying many of his secrets to his grave. In this meticulously researched account of Jacob's life, JohnZubrzycki reconstructs events through long-lost letters, courtrecords and annotations on secret files, bringing us a rivetingstudy of a man whose obituary in a leading daily fittinglydescribed him as the most 'romantic and arresting figure in ourtime'. About the Author: John Zubrzycki John Zubrzycki is the author of The Last Nizam. He is also anaward-winning journalist whose long association with India hasincluded stints as a Hindi student, diplomat, consultant andforeign correspondent. He is the world commentary editor at theAustralian newspaper and lives in Sydney. Reviews 'A master storyteller'-