The Big Fella The Rise and Rise of BHP Billiton

BHP is part of Australia's DNA; but it remains an enigma. THE BIG FELLA: The rise and rise of BHP Billiton is the compelling story of how BHP and its partner Billiton rose from the humblest beginnings in the Australian Outback and on the Indonesian island of Belitung to starry heights on the great bourses of the world. Based on more than 60 exclusive interviews, it rips away the superficial gloss to expose the political and industrial forces that really drive Big Business in the 21st century. Takes the reader inside the boardrooms and battlegrounds of the mining industry to reveal the big, bold personalities, the friends one day who were locked in corporate combat the next, the buccaneers of the bourse, from the hard-drinking to the bizarrely eccentric, and the high-testosterone struggle at the apex of BHP Billiton that led to the dramatic sacking of a CEO after only six months. The result is a gripping story of foresight and blunder, of nation-building and rampant ego, of greed and of grace, written by two master storytellers with, for the first time, access to the key players themselves.

Peter Thompson turned to full time writing following a 20-year career as a Fleet Street journalist in which he rose to night editor and deputy editor of the Daily Mirror and editor of the Sunday Mirror. His most recent book is Pacific Fury. Robert Macklin wrote for the leading Australian newspapers and The Bulletin magazine. His most recent book is a biography of Kevin Rudd. They have written some 25 books between them total, including four titles as co-authors.