Oil: Anatomy of an Industry

by matthew yeomans

Matthew Yeomans begins his investigation into the role of oil in America by trying to spend a day without oil―only to stumble before exiting the bathroom (petroleum products play a role in shampoo, shaving cream, deodorant, and contact lenses). When Oil was published in cloth last year, it was quickly recognized as the wittiest and most accessible guide to the product that drives the U.S. economy and undergirds global conflict. The book sparked reviews and editorials across the country from the Wall Street Journal , the Christian Science Monitor , and The Nation to Newsday , the San Francisco Chronicle , Wired and others. Author Michael Klare ( Blood and Oil ) called it "a clear, comprehensive overview of the U.S. oil industry . . . in one compact and highly readable volume," and Boldtype praised Yeomans's "crisp journalistic voice. . . . Understanding the business of oil is essential in any modern dialog of power, politics, or the almighty buck, and Yeomans delivers a well-researched and gripping read." Illustrated with maps and graphics―and now with an all-new afterword― Oil contains a brief history of gasoline, an analysis of the American consumer's love affair with the automobile, and a political anatomy of the global oil industry, including its troubled relationship with oil-rich but democracy-poor countries.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Economics, Science, Environment

246 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

I'm the author of four books and a contributor to many more.

I've been a journalist and writer for the past 30 years and have been published both in the UK and the US - appearing in publications such as The Guardian, The New York Times, National Geographic, Travel & Leisure, Wired, The Village Voice and many more more...

Reviews

[Dana · Rating 2 out of 5]

I am watching a series of lectures from The Great Courses called the Science of Energy. In one of the lectures, the speaker mentions very briefly the role of Great Britain and the United States in developing the oil fields in the Middle East. While I was aware of this fact, I realized I did not know that much about it and decided that this topic fit in very well with my studies regarding World War I and II. These wars were the first to be so dependent upon oil and many of the strategic plans implemented revolved around securing oil fields
I found a book entitled The Prize by Daniel Yergin which is supposedly “the” book on the subject, but while I wait for my copy to come in from the library, I chose this book to wet my appetite. First, the book is very much out of date, being written in the early 2000’s, so many of the statistics being used are somewhat suspect. The writing style is very conversational, and it seemed that the book was written for a somewhat younger audience, providing little in the way of detail or depth. While I think it provided a good overview of the role that oil has played in the world’s politics, it didn’t come close to answering all the questions that I have. I am hoping that “The Prize” will answer these! I did find that the author definitely has a point of view, regarding how oil has caused worldwide environmental damage and untold pain and suffering to those who should have benefited from the resources. While I respect the opinion, I don’t have enough information to form my own yet.

[Erin Eckert · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book. It's a little older (2004), but the history is correct and easy to follow. Very informative.

[Ross · Rating 1 out of 5]

Was probably worthwhile when it came out in 2004, but much of Yeoman's analysis is laughable with the benefit of hindsight. Yeomans mostly waives of concern about near-term oil depletion, but allows that eventually it might return pricing power to OPEC and push crude prices above $50 a barrel. As it happens, crude prices surpassed that mark just a year later and have not looked back (except for a few months during the depth of the great recession).

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Learned a ton about the oil industry and its history, the Dumya administration's connections, how many of the past wars were highly connected to oil including both world wars and of course the past 2 gulf wars. It ended with an explanation about hydrogen fuel cells and the hope that this will be the fuel of the future.

[Stephen Cotten · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first half is a summary of Yergin's book that borders on plagiarism. The last half is shrill tree-hugger screed.

[Collins E · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't waste your time or money on this book. It's extremely inflammatory. Further, there was only one useful fact in it that I didn't already know.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

researches oil from the past to the present. interesting read. will be more interesting 50 years from now. from a liberal point of view.

[Marcus Laws · Rating 3 out of 5]

interesting background and history about oil and the US' dependency on it.

[Luke Reisdorf · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not bad, al little too eager to blame all our ills on oil, including both of our forays into Afganistan.