Rating: 
Summary: propaganda for the oil industry
Review: I really wanted to learn about the history of oil extraction, and I admit that the book taught me something about that. But I found myself routinely cursing at the author's hypocrisy. When the United States, England, France, or any other empire invades some country to make certain that American or European oil transnationals have access to that nation's oil, the actions of these empires are seen as rational, normal, expected. These empires are seen as acting in their national interest. Yet if any country attempts to keep them out, they are seen as "greedy," "rapacious," and their leaders are seen as silly or foolish or dangerous (many of Yergin's characterizations of third world leaders are shockingly racist). When the US wants to use any and all means to gain access to oil from the Middle East, well, that's "defending" national interest. When the Soviet Union wanted to do the same, well, that was "Soviet aggression." (And I'm not suggesting that Soviet aggression would have been any better than US aggression, but merely pointing out the obvious double standard.) He consistently trivializes those of the third world who oppose the despoliation of their land and the theft of their resources. He also consistently trivializes or ignores the massive environmental destruction and social dislocation caused by the oil economy. In search of an informative history, I found a propaganda tract for the oil industry and for the nations that provide the muscle for them.
Rating: 
Summary: One of the best history books I have read
Review: Yes, the size of the book is a bit daunting- over 700 pages. Thankfullly Yergin is an excellent writer and those 700 pages quickly seem like no burden at all. "The Prize" is an engrossing tale of oil that shows how important the commodity has been for the last century and a half. Yergin adds short little stories to his history that add flavor and color to the book. My favorite was about the last British man to leave Iran following the 1979 revolution. He had just come down with a major sickness when the Ayatollah came to power and he went through one hell of a time to get back to Great Britian. Anyway, the book hardly ever drags and is not boring at all. The history of WW II is especially enlightening. "The Prize" also is a great explanation of why we have such a vested interest in the Middle East. If you are puzzled by our attachment to Saudi Arabia, you should read this book.
Rating:
Summary: 46th Reviewer!? If you get to me....
Review: ...then you really want to know about this book. OK, I'll give it to you straight. It is the most fascinating, interesting, and riveting non-fictional book I have ever read, and I read a lot. The Prize reads like a thriller, but is educating you like a semester in a Power, Politics, and Modern Money History class at Harvard. Go ahead and buy it. You'll reconsider your plan to read all that melodramatic fiction on your bookshelves. Believe me.
Rating: 
Summary: An Indispensable Book
Review: This book spells out how oil fuels our national affluence, how the very survivals of nations depend upon oil, how competition for oil contributed to WWI and caused WW2, and how the lack of oil defeated Rommell's North Africa campaign and left Japan defenseless. It contains information without which we, the electorate, would be voting largely in the dark. It reveals, for example, the true motivation for our war on Iraq. This book will help to restore our republic. Why only four stars for such a master-work? Because Yergin covered up at least these four major facts: 1. That soon after Middle Eastern oil was discovered Britain set up puppet regimes protected by British troops acting as enforcers in a lucrative (for Britain) protection racket.
2. The US/UK's pre-WW2 threat to Japan's access to oil.
3. That Reagan's successful pressure on Saudi-Arabia to sell more oil at lower prices was aimed at destroying the USSR by cutting off its crucial oil income.
4. That US Ambassador April Glasbie OK'd Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.
Rating:
Summary: Absolutely Fascinating
Review: This book is nothing short of extraordinary. It takes you through a step-by-step history of oil not only in the United States but the world, and does so without boring you like some history books do. It gives you an intimate portrait of the leaders of the petroleum revolution, such as John D. Rockefeller, actually letting you see their personalities and how they operated. The Prize is the perfect title for this book, as that is exactly what it is.
Rating:
Summary: HOW THE WORLD CHANGED AND STILL CHANGING
Review: To start with it's a GREAT BOOK, will written, will documented, informing, though full of dates, numbers, and names, that's some times confusing, I would say that if you are interested to know what makes the world moving, by whom and why. Its this book, it takes you from the early days of discovering oil until the gulf war, passing by how this commodity caused wars and how it became a strategic one.
Rating:
Summary: A fascinating history
Review: Yergin provides a highly readable acccount of how oil has driven so much of modern history. I especially found his chapters on World War II interesting; the degree to which a need for oil drove Hitler's war plans, as well as those of the Japanese and Americans. It's an aspect of the war that war historians don't pay much attention to but it's incredibly important. This approach provides insights into other areas of world affairs that make it worth struggling through the book's considerable length.
Rating:
Summary: The Biography of Oil
Review: 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.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent and very thorough
Review: It too me forever to plough through lengthy work, but it is an excellent book that tells the interesting story of the evolution of the global oil industry. From Colonel Drake and the early oil barons, to the series of nationalizations that put this resource back in the hands of its rightful owners, the book read very well.
Rating:
Summary: Best of its kind
Review: This is a fantastic book. Well written and a great history of petroleum industry. Normally industry history books tend to be dry --- this is the exception.
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