Diamonds in the Desert. The story of August Stauch and his time

Title: Diamonds in the Desert
Subtitle: The story of August Stauch and his time
Author: Olga Levinson
Publisher: Kuiseb-Verlag
2nd edition. Windhoek, Namibia 2009
ISBN 9789991640853 / ISBN 978-99916-40-85-3
Original softcover, 16 x 24 cm, 216 pages, numerous bw-photos

About: Diamonds in the Desert. The story of August Stauch and his time

There is no other commodity with such an irresistible fascination as diamonds. People will risk all for them. They will betray, cheat, lie, deceive and murder. They will forfeit honour, friendship and loyalty. They will suffer privations and danger. For diamonds make dreams a reality. They bring prestige and power. They open doors to presidents and kings. They magically transfer poor men into millionaires. That is what happened to August Stauch. Diamonds in the Desert is the true story of a lonely railway employee at one of the most desolate and godforsaken outposts on earth, who stumbled across diamonds in the desert which became the richest source of these gems in the world. It is a human and poignant story that has never been fully told.

Content: Diamonds in the Desert. The story of August Stauch and his time

Olga Levinson
Introduction
The Stauch family
Arrival in German South West Africa
Lüderitzbucht
The desert
The great diamond discoveries
Diamond fever
Fears for the future
The momentous visit of His Excellency
Control and monopoly
Slander
Diamonds by the handful
Stolen fortune
Stauch's contemporaries
Joy and misfortune
The good old days
"Diamonds are a girl's best friend"
Ida's first visit
The Hottentot Paradise
Happy days at Zehlendorf
Farms and politics
The Oppenheimer report
Hidden diamonds
The great takeover
The peak period
Land and settlement
The flood of diamonds
Problems and confrontations
Ruin
Dordabis and a new life
The lonely end
Epilogue
And still the desert yields its diamonds
Postscript: Diamonds for ever?
Acknowledgements
Bibliography
Index of personal and company names