A quartz gold specimen, a few tattered, fragmented letters and an old death notice. These seemingly unrelated clues were the vital links in the solution which has put an end to the long-standing myth that Edward Hammond Hargraves was the discoverer of gold in Australia.

In 1847, mineralogist William Tipple Smith ventured into the rugged hill country near Bathurst, New South Wales and discovered payable gold. After additional successful exploration, he informed the government of his discovery. The apathy, lies and cover-up which followed form the basis of an intriguing tale of mismanagement, buck-passing and official ineptitude.

Smith's discovery resulted for him, not in fame and fortune, but in defamation, ruin and untimely death. The government and Edward Hammond Hargraves, were so effective in the systematic destruction of Smith that the true story has remained untold for almost one hundred and forty years. Persistent detective work by the author, whose belief that an innocent man was the tragic victim of political expediency, enabled her too succeed where others have failed, resulting in a totally new interpretation of a fascinating aspect of Australian history.

The story of William Tipple Smith is the story of one man's fight for justice and recognition long overdue. The large number of illustrations and a comprehensive document appendix make A Fool's Gold? a valuable reference work on the history of early gold discoveries in New South Wales.