This biography goes to the heart of the indomitable mining magnate whose fortune continues to be at the centre of a bitter family feud.

Gina Rinehart is the richest woman in the world - but at what cost? From an early age Gina Rinehart knew she was heir to one of Australia's largest fortunes. Her father, Lang Hancock, loved her dearly and groomed her to take over the company. Then along came Rose, the Filipina housekeeper Lang married in 1985, and the obsessively private House of Hancock was changed forever. Hancock's death in 1992 opened floodgates of litigation, with Rose and Gina fixtures in the courts fighting it out for their share of Lang's mining assets. The Pilbara Princess has now become the Queen of Litigation, taking on her children and anyone else who dares to challenge her through countless court battles. Hancock's extraordinary iron ore discovery and his subsequent royalty agreement with Rio Tinto ensured the wealth of the family for generations to come. But when Gina Rinehart inherited the company in 1992 it was mired in debt. Since then, the resources boom and a demonic approach to growing the business has magnified the wealth of the Rinehart and Hancock estates many times over and given Rinehart - thought to be much tougher than her father - a very loud voice in Australian domestic and foreign policy. Always distrustful of the media, Rinehart is now extending her power and acquiring broadcast and print media interests. Informed by sources close to the Hancock family and other business associates and including exclusive materials never before seen, Debi Marshall asks what next for the woman who has more wealth than the Queen, but appears to have few sustainable relationships in her life?

If you missed the first eight titles in MUP's acclaimed Little Books on Big Themes series, this is your chance to collect the whole set. Released in time for Christmas, the ON-nibus brings together eight 10,000-word essays on the big themes in life by leading Australian thinkers. Featured authors are Germaine Greer ('On Rage'), David Malouf ('On Experience'), Blanche d'Alpuget ('On Longing'), Barrie Kosky ('On Ecstasy'), Don Watson ('On Indignation'), Gay Bilson ('On Digestion'), Malcolm Knox ('On Obsession') and Anne Summers ('On Luck').

Gina Rinehart is set to become the richest woman in the world--but at what cost? From an early age Gina Rinehart knew she was heir to one of Australia's largest fortunes. Her father, Lang Hancock, loved her dearly and groomed her to take over the company. Then along came Rose, the Filipina housekeeper Lang married in 1985, and the obsessively private House of Hancock was changed forever. Hancock's death in 1992 opened floodgates of litigation, with Rose and Gina fixtures in the courts fighting it out for their share of Lang's mining assets. The Pilbara Princess has now become the Queen of Litigation, taking on her children and anyone else who dares to challenge her through countless court battles. Hancock's extraordinary iron ore discovery and his subsequent royalty agreement with Rio Tinto ensured the wealth of the family for generations to come. But when Gina Rinehart inherited the company in 1992 it was mired in debt. Since then, the resources boom and a demonic approach to growing the business has magnified the wealth of the Rinehart and Hancock estates many times over and given Rinehart--thought to be much tougher than her father--a very loud voice in Australian domestic and foreign policy. Always distrustful of the media, Rinehart is now extending her power and acquiring broadcast and print media interests. Informed by sources close to the Hancock family and other business associates and including exclusive materials never before seen, Debi Marshall asks what next for the woman who has more wealth than the Queen, but appears to have few sustainable relationships in her life?

This is a cautionary tale. About greed, irresponsibility and failing to learn from the past. Australia's mining boom is still talked about with a sense of awe. This once-in-a-lifetime event capped off 25 straight years of economic growth. Thanks to mining we sidestepped the worst of the Global Financial Crisis. To the rest of the world Australia was an economic miracle. And then the boom ended. Now Australia is grappling with what that means at a time of rising economic inequality and political upheaval. The end of the boom isn't about money - it's about people. Boom and Bust looks at what happens to those who came into vast wealth only to watch it dry up. To those who thought they had a good job for life, but didn't. The bust didn't just happen on stock-market screens - it was lived, and is still being lived right now, in dusty towns and cities all around the country. As he did in his bestselling book The Death of Holden, Royce Kurmelovs reveals the reality behind the headlines. Boom and Bust is a dirt-under-the-nails look at the winners, the losers and the impact of the boom that wasn't meant to end. This is a book all Australians should read. 'Brilliant and powerful' Nick Xenophon on Royce Kurmelovs' THE DEATH OF HOLDEN