- Paperback: 928 pages
- Publisher: Simon & Schuster Ltd; 1st Free Press Trade Pbk. Ed edition (1 Jan 1993)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0671799320
- ISBN-13: 978-0671799328
- Product Dimensions: 16 x 4.1 x 23.4 cm
- Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (17 customer reviews)
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Amazon Bestsellers Rank:
254,258 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #19 in Books > Science & Nature > Engineering & Technology > Energy Technology > Fossil Fuels > Petroleum
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More About the Author
Product Description
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.
Product Description
"The Prize" recounts the panoramic history of oil - and the struggle for wealth and power that has always surrounded oil. This struggle has shaken the world economy, dictated the outcome of wars, and transformed the destiny of men and nations. "The Prize" is as much a history of the twentieth century as of the oil industry itself. The canvas of history is enormous - from the drilling of the first well in Pennsylvania through two great world wars to the Iraqui invastion of Kuwait and Operation Desert Storm.
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First Sentence
THERE WAS THE MATTER of the missing $526.08. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
THERE WAS THE MATTER of the missing $526.08. Read the first page
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Browse Sample PagesConcordance
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
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?
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
This book informed my thinking on foreign relations like no other. Time and again it makes the link between oil and the involvement of governments in those places where it is found. The book is beautifully written with the first two-thirds reading more like a novel than non-fiction. After reading this book, you will read the news in a different light.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I would recommend this book to anyone, its great, a real page turner. The three stars is in the context of the other ratings.
However, it does have a few flaws. The first is entirely faultless on the author, the book is 20-30 years old. Whilst it was completed in 1992 and hase a quite recent epilouge, the genesis of the book is clearly the early 80's. The book was clearly researched in the aftermath of the oil shocks of the 1970's and much of the books tone is informed by the impact of the shocks.
Secondly, whilst the book has excellent stuff about the development of oil in the Persian Gulf, its analysis of the relationship between the USA and Saudia Arabia from the 60/70's onwards is farcially thin. Maybe its my own prejudice but thier is no real attempt at an explaintion as to how this crucial relationship in world oil was maintained so well, esp given the obvious potential point of conflict over Israel. The farce is reached when the epilougue talks about 9/11 and omits even the fact that the terrorists were from saudia arabia! Now I dont know anymore than anyone else what the true nature of the relationship is/has been between these two coutries and the people at the top in both coutries, but a lot has been written about it by others and for this book to devote so little to this subject was deeply dissapointing.
Its a real shame as otherwise this book is a tour de force on business and geo-politics. its essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the subject matter. I'd go as far to say you can't have an informed opinion on the relationship between energy, politics and business without having read this book.
However, it does have a few flaws. The first is entirely faultless on the author, the book is 20-30 years old. Whilst it was completed in 1992 and hase a quite recent epilouge, the genesis of the book is clearly the early 80's. The book was clearly researched in the aftermath of the oil shocks of the 1970's and much of the books tone is informed by the impact of the shocks.
Secondly, whilst the book has excellent stuff about the development of oil in the Persian Gulf, its analysis of the relationship between the USA and Saudia Arabia from the 60/70's onwards is farcially thin. Maybe its my own prejudice but thier is no real attempt at an explaintion as to how this crucial relationship in world oil was maintained so well, esp given the obvious potential point of conflict over Israel. The farce is reached when the epilougue talks about 9/11 and omits even the fact that the terrorists were from saudia arabia! Now I dont know anymore than anyone else what the true nature of the relationship is/has been between these two coutries and the people at the top in both coutries, but a lot has been written about it by others and for this book to devote so little to this subject was deeply dissapointing.
Its a real shame as otherwise this book is a tour de force on business and geo-politics. its essential reading for anyone remotely interested in the subject matter. I'd go as far to say you can't have an informed opinion on the relationship between energy, politics and business without having read this book.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
Great read
Astonishingly readable history of oil, reads like a novel.
About the only flaw is the perfunctory conclusion, a later addition to give some sense of more recent... Read more
About the only flaw is the perfunctory conclusion, a later addition to give some sense of more recent... Read more
Published 3 days ago by Dead Celeb
Addictive reading
Whatever this book's flaws--and there are a few--it is compulsive reading. Yergin has wisely focused on the commanding figures of the oil industry from Rockefeller through Yamani... Read more
Published 2 months ago by T. Burkard
The Quest
Educative, straight, factual and written in simple yet beautiful language . It is a must read for every oil and gas student. Read more
Published 6 months ago by jasper
prize
Pretty enthraling story about how aspects of life are dictated by oil. Well worth a read. it is a pretty chunky monkey but the reading is fairly easy.
Published 7 months ago by s
The History of Oil & World Politics in 1 book.
Fantastic read for those who have even the slightest interest in oil.
I recently finished watching the TV series on this, but the book is sooooo much better. Read more
I recently finished watching the TV series on this, but the book is sooooo much better. Read more
Published 14 months ago by Paul Restall
Poor packing - again
Having kindly sent me a replacement book for one damaged by bad packing the replacement copy was also very badly packed - just loosely put in a box much bigger than the book[s]... Read more
Published 18 months ago by brian phillips
Still the definitive work on the history of the oil industry
Yergin wrote this book nearly thirty years ago. He's revisted it recently and brought some of it up to date, but the early stuff is fantastic. Read more
Published on 8 Oct 2009 by P. GRIMSDALE
An epic
Oil doesn't interest me much at all - nor the "quest for power" - but there's a reason this was awarded the Pulitzer. From the opening page this book is unputdownable. Read more
Published on 20 May 2009 by G. van Vuuren
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... Read more
Published on 5 Nov 2008 by Pearl
Definitive work on oil exploration and exploitation
This significant tome is Daniel Yergin's fascinating, 1992 Pulitzer prize-winning account of the personalities, politics, adventures and misadventures behind the evolution of the... Read more
Published on 3 Sep 2008 by Rolf Dobelli
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