Out of the Shadows

By Jonathan Kingsman,

Book cover of Out of the Shadows: The New Merchants of Grain

Book description

In 1979, Dan Morgan, a journalist with the Washington Post, wrote Merchants of Grain, a definitive history of the international grain trade. In the 40 years since Dan’s book was published the grain markets have changed almost beyond recognition. So too have the merchants of grain. Once shadowy figures, grain…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked Out of the Shadows as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This book reveals a substantial but obscure piece of the world economy. It's gonna blow your mind how much grains influence the world. Corn is in food and packaging and gasoline. Palm oil is in everything. Wheat, rice, soybeans…apparently billions of people eat this stuff. Commodities futures trading is about high finance but also farming, land use, biotech, politics, and climate change. Kingsman is a lively writer, considering he's a career commodities trader, and he interviews insiders at companies including the "ABCD" giants -- ADM, Bunge, Cargill, and Dreyfus (of the Julia Louis-Dreyfuses).

From Don's list on how the world really works.

Want books like Out of the Shadows?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 11 books like Out of the Shadows.

Browse books like Out of the Shadows

Book cover of How to Get Rich: One of the World's Greatest Entrepreneurs Shares His Secrets
Book cover of The Box: How the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the World Economy Bigger
Book cover of Salt Sugar Fat: How the Food Giants Hooked Us

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,224

readers submitted
so far, will you?

5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in climate change, global warming, and climate fiction?

Climate Change 221 books
Global Warming 69 books
Climate Fiction 51 books