{"product_id":"2026200015053-secondhand-the-steel-master-essington-lewis","title":"The Steel Master: Essington Lewis","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eCondition remarks:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBook: Good\u003cbr\u003eJacket: Worn\/faded, no tears\u003cbr\u003ePages: Good\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the annals of Australian industrial history, few figures cast as long a shadow as Essington Lewis — the iron-willed architect of BHP's dominance — and Geoffrey Blainey's The Steel Master presents a riveting portrait of the man who forged a nation's industrial backbone from raw ambition and unyielding determination. Blainey chronicles Lewis's extraordinary rise from a modest background to become one of the most powerful business leaders Australia has ever produced, steering the Broken Hill Proprietary Company through the turbulent decades of the early twentieth century, two world wars, and the relentless pressures of a rapidly industrialising economy. The biography details Lewis's obsessive dedication to efficiency and production, his controversial role as Director-General of Munitions during World War II, and the complex personal sacrifices that came with wielding such immense industrial power.\n\nBlainey, one of Australia's most celebrated historians, brings his signature clarity and narrative precision to bear on a subject that sits at the crossroads of business, politics, and national identity, illustrating how one man's vision helped transform Australia from a colonial outpost into a self-sufficient industrial power. His prose is authoritative yet accessible, grounding grand historical forces in the minutiae of one man's character and choices. The Steel Master stands as an essential text for anyone seeking to understand the private drive behind Australia's public industrial revolution — and leaves the reader wondering at what human cost true greatness is always built.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Secondhand Stock","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":49203184500955,"sku":"2026200015053-SECONDHAND","price":25.0,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0523\/7646\/9701\/files\/debab018-b672-43d5-b6f7-87d1efcd312f.png?v=1788145121","url":"https:\/\/bookgrocer.com\/products\/2026200015053-secondhand-the-steel-master-essington-lewis","provider":"Book Grocer","version":"1.0","type":"link"}