Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #156032 in Books
• Published on: 1993-01-01
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 928 pages

Review
James Schlesingerformer U.S. Secretary of Defense and U.S. Secretary of EnergyA masterly narrative..."The Prize" portrays the interweaving of national and corporate interests, the conflicts and stratagems, the miscalculations, the follies, and the ironies.

Synopsis
Follows the historic role of oil from the first oil well in Pennsylvania to the aftermath of the Persian Gulf War and comments on how the natural resource shaped the entire world economy and international politics in the last century.

Customer Reviews

Superb
This is a truly amazing book. Certainly, 800 pages of fine print about oil is a lot and this book is no bedtime read. Yet, at the end your only major complaint is likely to be that the story stops at the time of the first Iraq war. Whether your interest is oil, the workings of the business world, diplomacy, American, European or Middle Eastern history, you will find the most fascinating stories in this book. Mr. Yergin shows an amazing breadth and depth whether dealing with power politics, the economics of the oil price or cartel issues and throughout all these subjects the book is evenly paced. The ultimate reason to be fascinated by the book, however, is probably the nagging uneasiness about the future of hydrocarbon man: will the next energy crisis be a lasting one?

Fantastic
I normally read books that make me laugh or books that are easy going, however this book is neither of the two and is possibly the best book i have ever read! It is the first, and probably the last, history book ever to be written that is interesting! Sorry to all the history text booking loving people out there. Anyway i thouroughly reccommend this book to anyone and everyone!

Worth however long it takes to read
I brought this following a recommendation and am glad to say it was worth the effort. The book traces the history of the oil industry in the context of global political and economic changes with a focus on the last 100 years (to the 1st Gulf War). The classic in its field, it provides a readable and non-trivial account that goes far beyond oil- it is also an entertaining and well written read.