As a boy, growing up in the 1960s, I enjoyed finding silver dimes, quarters, and half-dollars when receiving change at local stores; and I kept them knowing they were valuable. Shortly after college, when a job transfer moved me to Boise, ID, in 1985, I found myself purchasing 100-ounce silver bars directly from Sunshine Mining Company. To me, it felt right to exchange fiat currency for silver; and, to this day, I view this as saving. Through the years, nonetheless, something was gnawing at me regarding the silver market. Silver's price action seemed utterly strange; as if there was an invisible, yet officially-sanctioned, hand manipulating it to keep it suppressed. To be sure, there have been highly credible voices claiming manipulation; and they weren't just voices in my head imploring me to wear a tinfoil hat appropriate for inmates in a loony bin. Many of these voices, recently, have been brought together in Chris Marcus' terrific new book The Big Silver Short.