rjstellar's review against another edition
I am genuinely curious about things like this, but I'm not ready to listen to a guy explain all of it, even if it is abridged lmao. eventually I'll be good enough at reading non fiction that I can retain at least some of this, but it's mostly gibberish right now and is just a bit of a waste of time.
quisby's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastic book, but golly did it need an editor. Mindnumbingly overwritten.
bloodyfool0's review against another edition
challenging
informative
medium-paced
4.5
Great informative read. Be sure to read the first part of the Notes section at the end as it gives some background to oil, its terminology and grades.
meganmme's review against another edition
5.0
This is the book that made me study energy politics in grad school. Its an absolutely wonderful book that profiles the history of oil consumption from the first discoveries through recent times. I've read it several times and plan to again soon.
viveknshah's review against another edition
5.0
Hooter: If Oil was narcissistic and believed it was the centre of the world. Oh wait...
A very well researched 800 pages of the rise of commodity oil and how a lot of geo-political events across the past century and more can be traced to the single quest of oil. Rockefeller, Nobels, Rothschild and so many brand names had a play in this space and Daniel does a wonderful job of keeping the flow interesting in a potentially very dry topic and thesis this could have turned out to be.
The detailed overview of World War I and World War II strategies centred around oil make for interesting perspectives that I wasn't aware of. How the red line defined Middle East politics, the rise of ARAMCO and BAPCO - both household names from my childhood and how the Middle east was pissed that instead of water, this black liquid was popping up. The way commodity oil has changed the world and in current times when oil prices are something households keep track of, this book makes for interesting reading of how oil indeed become the centre of the current world and how petrodollars still speak high volumes of its power.
Heads up! You may need stamina to get through this big book with small print but if the economics of history interest you, this is a good informative read worth the hours poured in.
A very well researched 800 pages of the rise of commodity oil and how a lot of geo-political events across the past century and more can be traced to the single quest of oil. Rockefeller, Nobels, Rothschild and so many brand names had a play in this space and Daniel does a wonderful job of keeping the flow interesting in a potentially very dry topic and thesis this could have turned out to be.
The detailed overview of World War I and World War II strategies centred around oil make for interesting perspectives that I wasn't aware of. How the red line defined Middle East politics, the rise of ARAMCO and BAPCO - both household names from my childhood and how the Middle east was pissed that instead of water, this black liquid was popping up. The way commodity oil has changed the world and in current times when oil prices are something households keep track of, this book makes for interesting reading of how oil indeed become the centre of the current world and how petrodollars still speak high volumes of its power.
Heads up! You may need stamina to get through this big book with small print but if the economics of history interest you, this is a good informative read worth the hours poured in.
tbauman's review against another edition
5.0
This book was extremely long but very good. It's fascinating to see how the world of oil grew from tiny "startups" to a massive monopoly within a generation, and then became one of the most politically important industries. Yergin argues that oil drives everything, and I'm largely convinced.
Oil is also an amazing case study of political economy. What happens when a cartel tries to raise the price of a commodity? What happens when a government tries to protect local producers, but also help the consumer? What happens when all this regulation is suddenly stripped away? How do those who are hurt by deregulation respond? The cycle of energy politics and economics shows how governments and corporations interact when the stakes are high.
As others note, Yergin writes with a point of view that is decidedly pro-America and pro-capitalist - there are a few events in the book that can easily be interpreted less charitably than he does. Nonetheless, the book is factual and detailed.
The only things I wish this book had was more focus on science and on alternative energy sources. Both make appearances in "The Quest," the pseudo-sequel, and I recommend reading that too.
Oil is also an amazing case study of political economy. What happens when a cartel tries to raise the price of a commodity? What happens when a government tries to protect local producers, but also help the consumer? What happens when all this regulation is suddenly stripped away? How do those who are hurt by deregulation respond? The cycle of energy politics and economics shows how governments and corporations interact when the stakes are high.
As others note, Yergin writes with a point of view that is decidedly pro-America and pro-capitalist - there are a few events in the book that can easily be interpreted less charitably than he does. Nonetheless, the book is factual and detailed.
The only things I wish this book had was more focus on science and on alternative energy sources. Both make appearances in "The Quest," the pseudo-sequel, and I recommend reading that too.