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Breaking Rockefeller: The Incredible Story of the Ambitious Rivals Who Toppled an Oil Empire
The incredible tale of how ambitious oil rivals Marcus Samuel, Jr., and Henri Deterding joined forces to topple the Standard Oil empire
Marcus Samuel, Jr., is an unorthodox Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889, John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the U.S. government is wary of challenging the great “anaconda” of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses—that is until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.
A riveting account of ambition, oil, and greed, Breaking Rockefeller traces Samuel’s rise from outsider to the heights of the British aristocracy, Deterding’s conquest of America, and the collapse of Rockefeller’s monopoly. The beginning of the twentieth century is a time when vast fortunes were made and lost. Taking readers through the rough and tumble of East London’s streets, the twilight turmoil of czarist Russia, to the halls of the British Parliament, and right down Broadway in New York City, Peter Doran offers a richly detailed, fresh perspective on how Samuel and Deterding beat the world’s richest man at his own game.
Marcus Samuel, Jr., is an unorthodox Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889, John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the U.S. government is wary of challenging the great “anaconda” of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses—that is until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.
A riveting account of ambition, oil, and greed, Breaking Rockefeller traces Samuel’s rise from outsider to the heights of the British aristocracy, Deterding’s conquest of America, and the collapse of Rockefeller’s monopoly. The beginning of the twentieth century is a time when vast fortunes were made and lost. Taking readers through the rough and tumble of East London’s streets, the twilight turmoil of czarist Russia, to the halls of the British Parliament, and right down Broadway in New York City, Peter Doran offers a richly detailed, fresh perspective on how Samuel and Deterding beat the world’s richest man at his own game.
344 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 24, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews
May 24, 2016
Breaking Rockefeller is the best kind of popular history -- with fascinating characters fully brought to life in Peter Doran's lively prose. If you always thought that Teddy Roosevelt and the trust busters brought about the break-up of the Standard Oil behemoth (as I did), you know only a part of the story. Doran introduces the reader to Marcus Samuel, Jr., and Henri Deterding, who formed their own "team of rivals" to attack Rockefeller from outside the U.S.
The story of the oil industry's early days could have been dryly factual, but Doran makes it into a page-turner without sacrificing authenticity.
I was entertained, and I learned something. You can't ask for more.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
The story of the oil industry's early days could have been dryly factual, but Doran makes it into a page-turner without sacrificing authenticity.
I was entertained, and I learned something. You can't ask for more.
Note: I received an advance copy of this book from the author in return for an honest review.
June 22, 2016
This book is an engaging account of the origins of the Royal Dutch Shell group in the oil industry. The author is a policy/energy wonk and not a professional historian. The story tends to focus on individuals rather than the complexities of corporate structures, antitrust law, or geological strata. This is not a huge problem, since the individuals in this story are literally of world historical scope - John D. Rockefeller, Henri Deterding, Marcus Samuel, Winston Churchill, Teddy Roosevelt, and others. The result is a book that tells an important and highly readable story and is similar in style to authors like Erik Larson.
I especially liked several aspects of how Mr. Doran told this story.
First, business strategies are not seen as developing by themselves as if they were garden plants. Instead, these strategies develop in opposition to those of other firms (and governments). Shell and Royal Dutch develop in opposition to Standard Oil and Rockefeller. That opposition is central to the development of these firms, their amalgamation and their entry into the US market. This is the difference between seeing strategy as a plan versus seeing it as a game, in which subsequent actions depend upon the moves of an opponent.
Second, government - in this case really big government - is an inherent part of the story. Shell could not have succeeded against Standard without the antitrust attacks on Standard by US Federal and state governments. Doran clearly wants to cast Samuel and Deterding and plowing free market field to free the oil business from the stranglehold imposed by Standard oil. However, this is not the free market mayhem of the open outcry markets in Chicago of days past but instead a battle among would be oligarchs who all want to dominate their business to the extent possible.
Third, technology, collusion, and competition are all interlinked in this story. Sure, one needs to have a sufficiently sophisticated technology or else one will not get the required scale and scope of production and will lose out to better endowed competitors. However, that technology needs to fit within the business context of the industry in order to provide its intended value. The best technologies do not always win out, especially in the short tun. For example, the development of the ultrasafe tanker by Shell was critical to its strategy of taking on Standard. For the technological superiority of the tanker to help Shell, however, the design of the ship had to be accepted as safe by the Suez Canal authorities, the opposition to the acceptance of that design had to be defeated, and the Canal had to be under the control of the British government. Once all of these stars fell in line, then Shell had a competitive advantage, at least for a while. Until they did, the enhanced tanker design could not help Shell enough to make a difference.
Finally, the book argues for the importance of history and the need to understand it to appreciate the present. While such claims can prove dubious, especially in books targeted to policy audiences, I think Mr. Doran has a case here and his concluding chapter is worthwhile. The linkage with contemporary Russia and Gazprom and the crisis in the Ukraine is reasonable and shows that Standard Oil has provided a playbook that is still relevant.
On top of all this, it is a very entertaining book.
I especially liked several aspects of how Mr. Doran told this story.
First, business strategies are not seen as developing by themselves as if they were garden plants. Instead, these strategies develop in opposition to those of other firms (and governments). Shell and Royal Dutch develop in opposition to Standard Oil and Rockefeller. That opposition is central to the development of these firms, their amalgamation and their entry into the US market. This is the difference between seeing strategy as a plan versus seeing it as a game, in which subsequent actions depend upon the moves of an opponent.
Second, government - in this case really big government - is an inherent part of the story. Shell could not have succeeded against Standard without the antitrust attacks on Standard by US Federal and state governments. Doran clearly wants to cast Samuel and Deterding and plowing free market field to free the oil business from the stranglehold imposed by Standard oil. However, this is not the free market mayhem of the open outcry markets in Chicago of days past but instead a battle among would be oligarchs who all want to dominate their business to the extent possible.
Third, technology, collusion, and competition are all interlinked in this story. Sure, one needs to have a sufficiently sophisticated technology or else one will not get the required scale and scope of production and will lose out to better endowed competitors. However, that technology needs to fit within the business context of the industry in order to provide its intended value. The best technologies do not always win out, especially in the short tun. For example, the development of the ultrasafe tanker by Shell was critical to its strategy of taking on Standard. For the technological superiority of the tanker to help Shell, however, the design of the ship had to be accepted as safe by the Suez Canal authorities, the opposition to the acceptance of that design had to be defeated, and the Canal had to be under the control of the British government. Once all of these stars fell in line, then Shell had a competitive advantage, at least for a while. Until they did, the enhanced tanker design could not help Shell enough to make a difference.
Finally, the book argues for the importance of history and the need to understand it to appreciate the present. While such claims can prove dubious, especially in books targeted to policy audiences, I think Mr. Doran has a case here and his concluding chapter is worthwhile. The linkage with contemporary Russia and Gazprom and the crisis in the Ukraine is reasonable and shows that Standard Oil has provided a playbook that is still relevant.
On top of all this, it is a very entertaining book.
February 8, 2016
What an awesome book written on history of petroleum business by Peter Doran. The author's story telling style makes this book very riveting. The book starts out by giving the readers a glimpse of the birth of Rockefeller's Standard Oil Company and how it came to rule the petroleum business all over the world. It's fascinating to learn about a Jewish merchant's son in England and a Dutch tobacco agent, who eventually created a company that could go head to head with Standard Oil of Rockefeller. Still if it weren't for US legal system, Standard would have been the most powerful company even now. Thanks to the creation of antitrust laws that eventually gave fair fighting chance to other player and made US land of opportunities in business. This book couldn't come at a better time when oil price are at an all time low and the geopolitical map for oil business is an changing.
I am sure this book will find it's audience among history buffs but even if you are not a history buff, you will still come out with good deal of knowledge about the history of petroleum business.
That being said, I highly recommend it.
I am sure this book will find it's audience among history buffs but even if you are not a history buff, you will still come out with good deal of knowledge about the history of petroleum business.
That being said, I highly recommend it.
October 20, 2016
As a student at the University of Texas, I recall one of my professors, who once had worked for a newspaper in Kahoka, Mo., talking about how the Standard Oil Co. practiced "cut to kill" in the town. That meant that any new gas station that tried to open up would soon be driven out of business. Standard would cut prices ridiculously low, then once the new competitor, who couldn't match the low prices, was gone, the Standard station would raise its price sky high. John D. Rockefeller's Standard Oil Co., using such predatory business practices, at first dominated the global oil industry. Who eventually helped break up Standard's monopoly? Investigative reporter Ida Tarbell was one. She was able, with connections such as Mark Twain, to gain access to the inner workings of the company and expose its shady practices. Also, trust busters such as Sen. John Sherman who originated the Sherman Anti-Trust Act and President Teddy Roosevelt who worked to enforce it. Then Royal Dutch Shell emerged as a powerful competitor. Lively characters, gushers, dry wells, political intrigue, oil tanker design and construction permeate this book. What's the difference between an illegal monopoly and a legal one? You'll find the answer here.
February 27, 2018
More about Shell and Royal Dutch than about Rockefeller or how he was toppled. Misleading title, but interesting nonetheless.
March 22, 2018
A long magazine article filled out with some ancillary wandering. The writing wasn’t strong enough to points he was trying to make into a cohesive piece.
January 7, 2022
Fascinating in every way. Doran details the evolution of the modern energy industry by profiling the founding, growth and ultimate supremacy of Royal Dutch Shell. Overall well written and surprisingly full of interesting anecdotes.
June 29, 2017
Who knew the world of oil from crude to refined could be interesting? Peter Dorian's book of oil tycoons is history in an easy to digest form. The fluctuating gas prices we experience in the 21st century have always been part and parcel of this industry. Well written, no pun intended.
January 14, 2020
A thought provoking book that provides insights into what drives industry defining leaders, while compelling you to wonder what future generations will think of our current use of natural resources.
August 20, 2016
A fascinating book. John D. Rockefeller had established the Standard Oil Company, which used its near monopoly power to dominate the oil market in the United States. This book is a study in how two entrepreneurs--competitiros at times and collaborators at other times--entered the American market and competed with Standard Oil. The success of the new group--Royal Dutch Shell--was a bit less than met the eye, but it was surely an important event in American oil business and policy and politics.
The progenitors of Royal Dutch Shell. . .Marcus Samuel began with developing a plan of action for oil from Baku and other sites in Russia. Thus became, over time, Shell Oil. Then, Henri Deterding, who used oil from Southeast Asia to create what became known as Royal Dutch. While they were working to develop their separate enterprises, Other figures were involved in the picture--such as the Rothschild family.
With the development of oil tankers that could traverse the Suez Canal, Samuels experienced a breakthrough. Over time, he and Deterding developed a prickly business relationship.
In the United States, Standard Oil was torn apart under the aegis of antitrust laws. At a point in time, Royal Dutrh Shell entered the American market and succeeded. Calling this a Rockefeller "breaking" is a bit off target, since Standard Oil had been weakened by government action. Nonetheless, a fascinating book about oil politics and business. . . .
The progenitors of Royal Dutch Shell. . .Marcus Samuel began with developing a plan of action for oil from Baku and other sites in Russia. Thus became, over time, Shell Oil. Then, Henri Deterding, who used oil from Southeast Asia to create what became known as Royal Dutch. While they were working to develop their separate enterprises, Other figures were involved in the picture--such as the Rothschild family.
With the development of oil tankers that could traverse the Suez Canal, Samuels experienced a breakthrough. Over time, he and Deterding developed a prickly business relationship.
In the United States, Standard Oil was torn apart under the aegis of antitrust laws. At a point in time, Royal Dutrh Shell entered the American market and succeeded. Calling this a Rockefeller "breaking" is a bit off target, since Standard Oil had been weakened by government action. Nonetheless, a fascinating book about oil politics and business. . . .
June 28, 2021
Although an interesting history I think it fell short in examining larger factors at play with the downfall of Rockefeller's oil monopoly. Considering that this was such a transnational history I feel that Doran could have examined the unique social, political, legal, and especially environmental factors within the countries that the people he examines worked and lived in. For example, more comparisons between Britain and Russia (sure, he mentions serfdom in Russia and not in Britain but again, this is a surface-level observation) could have proved interesting. We get hints of this with Marcus Samuel's quest for higher social status, but Doran stops short of providing any unique insights. However, I enjoyed the vivid descriptions Doran used throughout the book. For example, while describing the Orient Express train ride I could picture in such detail the experience and what would have made it so special back then.
January 19, 2016
***I won this book in a GoodReads Giveaway***
4.5 stars. Interesting and engaging. The author let the story meander through different stories and ideas as he told the tale of how Rockefeller's empire was brought down. There were strong personalities, scandals, intrigue, and it read more like a novel than a history book. It was very hard to put down as it kept touching on fresh ideas and situations.
My only complaint is the final chapter. In trying to make parallels with modern times, he ended up writing a political tirade against the Jones Act. While I don't disagree with his arguments, it was a very awkward way to end such a fine book.
4.5 stars. Interesting and engaging. The author let the story meander through different stories and ideas as he told the tale of how Rockefeller's empire was brought down. There were strong personalities, scandals, intrigue, and it read more like a novel than a history book. It was very hard to put down as it kept touching on fresh ideas and situations.
My only complaint is the final chapter. In trying to make parallels with modern times, he ended up writing a political tirade against the Jones Act. While I don't disagree with his arguments, it was a very awkward way to end such a fine book.
May 11, 2020
Interesting story on the creation of Royal Dutch Shell rather than a complete story about the downfall of Rockefeller. The woman who deserves credit for actually breaking up Rockefeller, Ida Tarbell, didn't get enough attention or credit in this book. The process in which Rockefeller was broken up and how the Sherman Antitrust Act was brought into being also felt skipped over. This book should be retitled to the "The Incredible Story of the Ambitious Rivals Who Competed With an Oil Empire". The "Breaking Rockefeller" is misleading. But otherwise, a fascinating read of beginnings of the oil business and its impact on modernity.
June 6, 2016
This book was awesome. I learned a lot about how the world has come to be today because of Rockefeller, Samuel, and Deterding. The way Doran ties it into current affairs closes out the book magnificently
June 23, 2016
Great read on the powerful men Marcus Samuels and Deterding with their companies Shell and Royal Dutch and how they came to surpass and invade the oil monopoly ran by Rockefeller. Beautiful work of world history lost in time.
November 28, 2017
Dana review- the title implies some master counter stroke but it is merely the tale of natural forces at work.
December 13, 2021
flotilla of ferryboats
Job Day was the beginning of his beginning. It was a personal dividing line that separated everything that had come before from everything that came after. “All my future seemed to hinge on that day,” Rockefeller recalled. “And I often tremble when I ask myself the question: ‘What if I had not got the job?
One of William’s bestsellers was a bottled cure for cancer. While his medicine did not work, his dubious sales pitch did.
A penny earned at the company required Rockefeller to debit a cent from “cash” and to record a simultaneous credit to “income.” Repeated endlessly, the rote calculations of double-entry bookkeeping represented the financial heartbeat of the firm.
Rockefeller remembered, “the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker
the allure of petroleum was a powerful one. Startup costs were low; the method for refining crude was remarkably similar to distilling whiskey; and the profit margins on oil-based kerosene were fat
“Too exact,” recalled his partner Clark. In his view, Rockefeller was “methodical to an extreme, careful as to details and exacting to a fraction. If there was a cent due us, he wanted it. If there was a cent due a customer, he wanted the customer to have it.”
surprisingly given his wealth, he was still taking public transportation to work. Boasting an estimated fortune of $150 million ($6 billion in today’s money)
Raw crude flowed from Drake’s well in such abundance, he scrambled to fill every container he could find, including the local supply of empty whiskey barrels. That moment of hectic improvisation forged the enduring link between petroleum and the barrel.
he asked so many questions of the oilmen that he acquired a local nickname: “Sponge.” 28 It was an appropriate moniker. Rockefeller was absorbing the collected knowledge of the entire petroleum business.
In Pennsylvania, practically anyone could be an oilman. The petroleum belowground was free for all. With little more than a drill, a steam pump, and the approval of a local landowner
Rockefeller perceived that if enough refiners banded together, they could establish a chokepoint in the industry. This artificial barrier could then act as a gateway for crude. All the oil from upstream wells would have to flow through Rockefeller’s refining gate. Whoever controlled that gate might even be able to establish themselves as the sovereign of crude—dictating rules, setting quotas, possibly even fixing the price of petroleum.
The cash-rich position would be both a sword and shield for him, allowing him to endure the anarchy of the oil trade as well as to profit from it. Whenever the price of oil collapsed, or a market panic spread fear among competing refiners, Rockefeller would deploy his cash reserve with a vengeance. If competitors were fearful, he purchased many at a steep discount. Often he manufactured his own opportunities, such as the time he engineered an artificial shortage of oil barrels to squeeze his competitors.
The price of rice began to skyrocket, signaling that a famine could be just around the corner.
The financial hit on domestic agriculture careened into the upper reaches of the gentry. As tenants made less money off their land, estate owners grudgingly accepted lower rents or offered outright abatements to struggling farmers. Rather than subsequently cut their own expenses, however, many aristocratic families opted to keep on spending. These doomed lineages made the fatal decision to borrow against the promise of future rent. At that point, the end became inevitable.
That unchecked growth was now half the problem for Branobel.
Bunge’s investment thesis: build it and they will come.
Job Day was the beginning of his beginning. It was a personal dividing line that separated everything that had come before from everything that came after. “All my future seemed to hinge on that day,” Rockefeller recalled. “And I often tremble when I ask myself the question: ‘What if I had not got the job?
One of William’s bestsellers was a bottled cure for cancer. While his medicine did not work, his dubious sales pitch did.
A penny earned at the company required Rockefeller to debit a cent from “cash” and to record a simultaneous credit to “income.” Repeated endlessly, the rote calculations of double-entry bookkeeping represented the financial heartbeat of the firm.
Rockefeller remembered, “the butcher, the baker, and the candlestick maker
the allure of petroleum was a powerful one. Startup costs were low; the method for refining crude was remarkably similar to distilling whiskey; and the profit margins on oil-based kerosene were fat
“Too exact,” recalled his partner Clark. In his view, Rockefeller was “methodical to an extreme, careful as to details and exacting to a fraction. If there was a cent due us, he wanted it. If there was a cent due a customer, he wanted the customer to have it.”
surprisingly given his wealth, he was still taking public transportation to work. Boasting an estimated fortune of $150 million ($6 billion in today’s money)
Raw crude flowed from Drake’s well in such abundance, he scrambled to fill every container he could find, including the local supply of empty whiskey barrels. That moment of hectic improvisation forged the enduring link between petroleum and the barrel.
he asked so many questions of the oilmen that he acquired a local nickname: “Sponge.” 28 It was an appropriate moniker. Rockefeller was absorbing the collected knowledge of the entire petroleum business.
In Pennsylvania, practically anyone could be an oilman. The petroleum belowground was free for all. With little more than a drill, a steam pump, and the approval of a local landowner
Rockefeller perceived that if enough refiners banded together, they could establish a chokepoint in the industry. This artificial barrier could then act as a gateway for crude. All the oil from upstream wells would have to flow through Rockefeller’s refining gate. Whoever controlled that gate might even be able to establish themselves as the sovereign of crude—dictating rules, setting quotas, possibly even fixing the price of petroleum.
The cash-rich position would be both a sword and shield for him, allowing him to endure the anarchy of the oil trade as well as to profit from it. Whenever the price of oil collapsed, or a market panic spread fear among competing refiners, Rockefeller would deploy his cash reserve with a vengeance. If competitors were fearful, he purchased many at a steep discount. Often he manufactured his own opportunities, such as the time he engineered an artificial shortage of oil barrels to squeeze his competitors.
The price of rice began to skyrocket, signaling that a famine could be just around the corner.
The financial hit on domestic agriculture careened into the upper reaches of the gentry. As tenants made less money off their land, estate owners grudgingly accepted lower rents or offered outright abatements to struggling farmers. Rather than subsequently cut their own expenses, however, many aristocratic families opted to keep on spending. These doomed lineages made the fatal decision to borrow against the promise of future rent. At that point, the end became inevitable.
That unchecked growth was now half the problem for Branobel.
Bunge’s investment thesis: build it and they will come.
May 8, 2017
History of Royal Dutch Shell against the backdrop of Standard Oil domination of petroleum industry. Marcus Samuel's entrepreneurial ability coupled with being at the right place at the right time where he was given an opportunity of a lifetime to capitalise on Russian oil boom in Baku where Rothschilds needed someone to move the oil to the Far East. With his earlier business connection as well as bold vision to win on logistics, probably gave rise to the invention of safe & efficient sea transportation for petroleum products. The design and success of Murex through Suez Canal gave Shell the advantage in capturing Far East market share.
Separately, Royal Dutch Company led by Kessler and eventually Henri Deterding struck oil in Dutch colonies in Indonesia. Rise of gasoline fuelled internal combustion automobile played to Royal Dutch's hands as the quality of their Indonesian crude oil possessed superior gasoline yield.
Both companies were competing against one another on top of price war from Standard Oil hence during early talks, Shell almost took over Royal Dutch playing into Deterding's fear of a Standard/Shell partnership that will crush him in his home ground, Far East. However Samuel missed his chance and the first attempt for merger failed.
After Standard Oil's dissolution due to Supreme Court order for anti-trust, Shell was threatened by the rise of socialism through Bolsheviks in Russia which wiped out significant Russian assets. This left Shell in a vulnerable state and Deterding, now having a stronger financial and strategic position, took this opportunity to merge the two companies.
Ultimately, Rockefeller was not broken by the rise of RDS but by the ruling from Supreme Court which ironically made him even richer than before.
Separately, Royal Dutch Company led by Kessler and eventually Henri Deterding struck oil in Dutch colonies in Indonesia. Rise of gasoline fuelled internal combustion automobile played to Royal Dutch's hands as the quality of their Indonesian crude oil possessed superior gasoline yield.
Both companies were competing against one another on top of price war from Standard Oil hence during early talks, Shell almost took over Royal Dutch playing into Deterding's fear of a Standard/Shell partnership that will crush him in his home ground, Far East. However Samuel missed his chance and the first attempt for merger failed.
After Standard Oil's dissolution due to Supreme Court order for anti-trust, Shell was threatened by the rise of socialism through Bolsheviks in Russia which wiped out significant Russian assets. This left Shell in a vulnerable state and Deterding, now having a stronger financial and strategic position, took this opportunity to merge the two companies.
Ultimately, Rockefeller was not broken by the rise of RDS but by the ruling from Supreme Court which ironically made him even richer than before.
April 5, 2021
A fascinating insight into oil industry of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.
The title ‘Breaking Rockefeller’ is a bit misleading, because if anything the story is centred more on the origins of Royal Dutch and Shell, which combined to form Royal Dutch Shell, and in particular on Marcus Samuel, the founder of Shell.
There is a good pace to the story and it is never dull. There are interesting historical asides that help to set the scene and highlight the technological switch-over that was taking place between coal and oil, and kerosene and gasoline.
So for anyone wanting to just read about Standard Oil’s fall, this is not for you. But to understand the context in which Standard Oil was operating and the origins of some of the world’s oil majors, as well as being a good historical story all by itself, I would highly recommend it.
The title ‘Breaking Rockefeller’ is a bit misleading, because if anything the story is centred more on the origins of Royal Dutch and Shell, which combined to form Royal Dutch Shell, and in particular on Marcus Samuel, the founder of Shell.
There is a good pace to the story and it is never dull. There are interesting historical asides that help to set the scene and highlight the technological switch-over that was taking place between coal and oil, and kerosene and gasoline.
So for anyone wanting to just read about Standard Oil’s fall, this is not for you. But to understand the context in which Standard Oil was operating and the origins of some of the world’s oil majors, as well as being a good historical story all by itself, I would highly recommend it.
May 19, 2022
For such a time as this
Breaking Rockefeller the incredible story of the ambitious rivals who toppled and it oil empire, is a well documented book developed into a story that is readable, interesting, and then lightning. And post anti-monopoly laws I believe we have forgotten how companies were developed that are the core of our products today. This book brings to light the grit and ingenuity of burgeoning industries and as we call for environmental change we can Pat ourselves on the back from where we have come from and where we are now and look forward to where we are going
Breaking Rockefeller the incredible story of the ambitious rivals who toppled and it oil empire, is a well documented book developed into a story that is readable, interesting, and then lightning. And post anti-monopoly laws I believe we have forgotten how companies were developed that are the core of our products today. This book brings to light the grit and ingenuity of burgeoning industries and as we call for environmental change we can Pat ourselves on the back from where we have come from and where we are now and look forward to where we are going
January 21, 2017
A history of the oil industry including all the major players like Standard Oil and Royal Dutch Shell. Peter Doran does an excellent job of not only accurately depicting the historical events that occurred in the time but also of storytelling. He really delves into the nuances of ambition and greed and different personality types that would prove to be so incredibly influential in the oil industry. I learned so much from this book, and am really disturbed by a lot of things, such as the the Jones Act.
September 30, 2025
had to read for a class, lowkey didn't even feel like a book I needed to read for a class; read like a story rather than a historical narrative. really highlights the other players in the downfall of rockefeller that dont often get talked about in general US history classes when talking about his monopoly over the world's oil. the book also really makes it clear how far reaching rockefeller's influence was, which is often implied when learning about him, but never explicitly stated like how it is here. overall really interesting for a required book for a class lolz
June 8, 2018
Misleading, overstated title. So-so writing that circles around a point until you want to scream for mercy. For example, we get that naval ships could sail faster and gain tactical advantage if powered by oil instead of coal. But the repetition never yields a deeper understanding of how oil powered ships were different or precisely why, besides tradition and laziness, the British Admiralty resisted the new ships for so long. We simply hear it over and over.
June 22, 2018
Insightful book on the history of commodity trading in the late 18th and early 19th century on the founding fathers of the largest Oil companies in the world today as well as the companies that use their product.
Doran did an exceptional job in his writing providing the reader with valuable insights on history, geography, technology, and perspective on the lives of the industrialist that shape the oil markets in the 21st Century.
Doran did an exceptional job in his writing providing the reader with valuable insights on history, geography, technology, and perspective on the lives of the industrialist that shape the oil markets in the 21st Century.
March 11, 2020
I enjoyed the book, it went through the history of the big players in the oil market and how the dominated the industry. It gives short stories about the founders, how they came about and built their fortunes. I liked how the author put down all the dots and then connected them to draw a giant web in the end I also liked that it wasn't too technical. Recommend it if you're interested in the oil industry.
December 12, 2016
Pretty good history of the early oil industry, including Rockefeller's Standard Oil monopoly, the founding of Royal Dutch Shell, and discovery/development of some of the early oilfields. This is interesting stuff, but the book isn't very well-written and keeps going off on tangents and side-trails. Still, I found it worthwhile.
April 15, 2019
What an excellent read that gives an insight into the world of first oil - on how it is never just money that propels revolution in any field. Especially in energy, it is insane motivation, political alliance, being in the right place at the right time and funnily, patriotism, that worked to change its landscape.
May 5, 2019
I’ve never been a huge history buff and knew of Rockefeller but I didn’t know that his empire was brought down by a number of circumstances and certain individuals. I also didn’t know about a lot of the innovation that happened because of oil and the need to move it across the world.
The author does a great job tying all of this to modern day issues with oil and its impact on global politics.
The author does a great job tying all of this to modern day issues with oil and its impact on global politics.
January 1, 2021
If you like a book that gives you lots of context and fully connects the dots, this book is for you. It may focus on a few key figures in the history of oil and its many types, but you will learn just as much about the world they lived in, the choices they made, and why our world looks the way it does today. A great read!
January 13, 2017
Almost everything about this book was solidly enjoyable, and I learned a lot about the global history of fossil fuels. But the last chapter turned into a rant about fracking and the Jones act that felt out of step with the rest of the book.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 73 reviews