Noble Obsession

The incredible story of a scientific breakthrough that changed the course of history and contributed significantly to the Industrial Revolution. It is also the story of two very different men - one, an American, Charles Goodyear, a single-minded genius who became obsessed with the potential for rubber but struggled to realise his dream; the other, Thomas Hancock, a scholarly English inventor who raced against Goodyear and ultimately tried to rob him of the fame, fortune and recognition that was his. "Noble Obsession" interweaves the stories of Goodyear and Hancock to tell a tale of humour, intrigue, privation, greed and redemption. It is filled with villains, con men, entrepreneurs and fascinating facts about the science and business of rubber. And it takes the reader on a sweeping journey from the jungles of Brazil to the laboratories of Europe, and the courtrooms of America.