Gold, that precious metal highly valued due to its rarity in the earth’s crust, is of surprisingly little use to industry and society in general, especially in comparison with other noble metals such as silver and the platinoids. However, it has been arousing passions since the most remote times of humanity, and has been one of the metals that has most contributed, through alchemy and other practices, to the development of science and technology. This book presents a summary of the vast knowledge of gold the author has accumulated as a teacher and researcher, including insights into the role it has played in our history and the art of gold panning.