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THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
This book has it all. You often forget you are reading a non-fiction book. Follow the oil industry though time two world wars and plenty of conflicts. Along the way you will meet a plethora of intersting characters, discover a world of intrigue, espionage and corruption all in the first hundred pages. The best part is it's all true.
THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
This is one of the best books, in any genre, that I have ever read.It is truly an epic. It spans most of human history and the entire globe. It has history, economics, money, adventure, world politics, war, personalities, social commentary, geopolitical strategy, geology, geography and the lyrics to the Beverly Hillbillies theme song.Through almost 800 pages, Yergin manages to sustain a high level of interest. The writing is logical and concise without being dry. He manages to follow oil into all its nooks and crannies and yet to keep things organized so it is easy to follow. It's a page-turner!I cannot say enough good things about this book. If you want to understand the economic and social history of oil and its role in the modern world, this is the only book you'll need.
THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
"The Prize" deserved its Pulitzer Prize three times over. It gives insight into history, without which, you can not understand history since the discovery of oil. This book gives history substance and excitement. In between the lines you can see the many small changes in the history of oil, each typically the work of a single person, that totally changed the history of WWII and the world as we know it. For example,Yergin shows that the history of WWII was very much determined by the availability of oil over and over again. The destruction of the Japanese in the south Pacific because their ships could not use proper tactics or go full speed for lack of oil is one example. The story of the "Henderson", a little destroyer, that was able to cripple the Japanese fleet by making it go into a defensive action that caused it to use more oil than it could afford and at the same time wipe out a cruiser was awe inspiring. The story of how the Japanese air force was largely destroyed by poor quality and inadequate fuel for training and flying was shocking. The book was long but fantastically interesting. I could hardly put it down. This is a book to be read slowly and pondered to allow the awesome magnitude of what is being said to sink in.
THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
The best thing I can say about "Prize" (other than the fact that I found it a fascinating read) is how it gave me a thorough sense of the complexities of matters I thought were simple and straightforward in the past. I never knew of the serious macroeconomic, negative ramifications to having cheap gasoline at the pump. The relationship between government policymakers and oil companies is not as simple as I had always assumed. I was very surprised to learn of the historical discord that has existed among OPEC member nations. There are many other examples of how my perspective has been broadened by reading this book.My one serious gripe about this book echoes a view expressed by another reviewer, namely that Yergin seems to say little that is negative about the oil industry. I wanted to read more about how oil companies have related to the search for alternative fuels, specifically whether they have actively thwarted such efforts or not. Nothing at all is mentioned about this. The same can be similarly said about the wholly lacking coverage of how the industry relates to environmental concerns. More generally, in an industry so powerful and so awash in money and influence, it simply doesn't make sense that there aren't any patterns of abuse to recount. I've read elsewhere that Yergin is or has been a consultant to the oil industry, and it shows.Four stars for being a fascinating and educational book. Had it made even a token attempt to take a bit more of a balanced approach, it would have earned five.
THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
The edition I read (hardcover 1991) lacked recent events, but remains a valuable, readable history of an increasingly important sector. Highly recommended.
THE PRIZE; THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY, AND POWER.
Especially since the tragedies of September 11th, an honest understanding of the anger the Arabs of the Middle East have toward the West in general and the United States in particular is crucial for all Americans, regardless of political philosophy or affiliation. In "The Prize" Daniel Yergin helps to do just that. Despite being an extremely well researched,well written, and fascinating tome on the history of the oil industry in the U.S. and abroad (especially for me since I grew up in it), the book furthers ones understanding of the United States' place in this history which, in turn, helps us to understand why oil is a vital national interest to the most powerful nation on earth. With this in mind, the book helps one to understand not only the influence people like the Samuel brothers, the Rothschilds, and the Rockefellers had on the development and growth of the industry, but most importantly how and why this industry has such influence on the direction of U.S. foreign policy.