Lead economic correspondent for the Washington Post, Neil Irwin, offers rare insights into the shadowy and unknown world of the four most influential bankers on the planet: Ben Bernanke of the US Federal Reserve, Mervyn King of the Bank of England, Jean-Claude Trichet of the European Central Bank, and Zhou Xiaochuan of the People"s Bank of China. The decisions that these four men make determine the fates of nations - their successes allow for global hegemony; their failures lead to national decline. Decisions by these central bankers will determine whether the world can brush aside the effects of the Great Panic of 2008 to create a more stable and more prosperous world. The Alchemists will give readers an exclusive, behind-the-scenes view of their work, and a better understanding of their true significance in our lives and livelihood.