Describes how the landscapes of North America, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa were transformed by the pursuit of resources. This book underscores the history of the indigenous people of these regions and shows how they came to lose 'possession' of their land to governments made up of Europeans with European interests at heart.

Today, while the traditional forms of colonization that marked the Great Land Rush are no longer practiced by the European powers and their progeny in the new world, the legacy of this period can be seen in the western powers' insatiable thirst for economic growth, including newer forms of economic colonization of underdeveloped countries, and a continuing evolution of the concepts of property rights, including the development and increasing growth in importance of intellectual property rights.