$35.21
- Paperback
368 pages
- Release Date
1 September 2026
Summary
SHORTLISTED for the Booktopia Award for Non-fiction 2026
Sanjeev Gupta is a fast-talking billionaire with all the trappings of success. He boasts world-class charm, a huge appetite for risk, and a remarkable ability to inspire belief. The media christens him the ‘Saviour of Steel’.
When he jets into Whyalla in South Australia to buy its bankrupt steelworks in 2017, Gupta is given a royal reception. He promises to invest billions of dollars in a mega green steel plant that will…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781761473517 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 1761473514 |
| Author: | Paul Barry |
| Publisher: | Allen & Unwin |
| Imprint: | Allen & Unwin |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 368 |
| Release Date: | 1 September 2026 |
| Weight: | 392g |
| Dimensions: | 28mm x 154mm x 235mm |
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Critics Review
‘Unputdownable. Barry remains a master storyteller.’ Joe Aston
‘A riveting account of a fast-talking, master manipulator who fooled the corporate world and an adoring media pack. This disturbing tale of steel-tycoon Sanjeev Gupta will leave you seething with rage.’ Kate McClymont
‘Remarkable - a true story of shameless greed and governmental incompetence, told at a cracking pace and ending (inevitably) with a crash landing.’ Geoffrey Watson SC
‘Paul has not only laid out in typically merciless detail the fantasy world of a sort of industrial Charles Ponzi but has also shown us how desperate are the politicians and media to believe in fantasies that suit them.’ Alan Kohler AM
‘The Big Steal is non-fiction, with all the trappings of fiction; livelihoods at stake, infectious promises, corporate villains, suckers, politics and ultimate betrayal - all wrapped up in a blanket of desperation, strain and intense emotion.’ Rex Patrick
‘The story of the flashy entrepreneur, surrounded by lackeys, promising the world while bleeding it dry is one for our time.’ Chris Masters
Paul Barry
Paul Barry is the celebrated author of bestselling books that charted the business careers of Australia’s wealthiest and most powerful men:
- Breaking News
- Who Wants to be a Billionaire
- The Rise and Rise of Kerry Packer
- The Rise and Fall of Alan Bond
A graduate of Oxford University who came to Australia at first to work for Four Corners and stayed. He was the long-running host of ABC TV’s Media Watch.
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