PRIZE : THE EPIC QUEST FOR OIL, MONEY & POWER

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Summary: The proof that Oil was the theme for 20th Century history
Review: This book talks about the history of Oil and how it has affected the world; past and present. It all makes sense! Did you know that Germany lost WW2 partially due to the lack of Oil? Did you know that Rommel's Failure in Libya was due to the lack of fuel to operate the tanks, and ironically the last battles with the British took place over one of the worlds biggest Oil reservoirs? Did you know that drive-in theaters, restaurants etc. were initially started by Oil companies to encourage people to drive and buy more Gas? There are many interesting and valuable facts in this book.

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Summary: Oil: The energy of the world politics
Review: "The Prize : The Epic Quest for Oil, Money, and Power," Daniel Yergin dives deeply into the Middle East region. He offers an explanation of the true reason that the communists toppled the royalty of Russia was to curtail the largest oil and gas reserves in the world. Those in the old USSR. Read it, the story will open you eyes as to where the power lies, it is where the money is.

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Summary: Will add to your understanding of the politics of oil
Review: A rather long work but told in a gripping manner that compels the reader to keep forging ahead, the lateness of the hour be damned. Yergin takes us from the earliest days of oil exploration to Churchill's decision to convert British navy ships to oil from coal, the automobile and gasoline, the Arabs demanding more control over what was being extracted out of their territory, an especially intriguing account of the CIA overthrow of the Mossadegh regime in Iran to the development of OPEC and the energy crises suffered by Americans and others. Yergin has complete mastery of his subject and relays it concisely with a very cohesive thematic focus. This is a dead essential piece of work that should even probably be used as a textbook for those lecturing on 19th-20th century history because the oil question still looms so large in each of our lives and Yergin has created a conduit to understanding how and why it became thus.

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Summary: The best non-fiction book I've read
Review: The Prize is the best non-fiction book I've read, and it is definitely among the besk book I've read in any genre! It's both extremely informative and entertaining. It's not light reading, though, so you may have better luck with something else if you're not interested in some serious reading.

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Summary: Excellent ;-)
Review: I bought this book at an airport for my father but during the flight after going over over the inflight mag for the 10th time I decided to give the the prize a shot (that was over Saudi Arabia.. how apt?) and 5 hours later though I had a terrible pain in my neck, I refused to stop reading!(I was reading even when standing in the immigration queue) It is, arguably, more exciting and fascinating than a Grisham novel. Infact it is just like a novel where the hero (or is it the villian?) is oil and other characters include the rest of the world. A must for anybody who is interested not just in oil industry but the socio-econo-geogoro-politico developments of the 20th centur

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Summary: Hereafter, you'll realize the strategic importance of oil.
Review: Mr. Yergin has managed to transform an otherwise corrosive subject into a useful by-product of information, thereby lubricating our minds and allowing its wheels to analyze how the supply and demand of this strategic commodity has affected every aspect of our twentieth century lives. From the owl-like visions of Mr. Rockefeller to the dodoesque ineptitude of OPEC, the information contained in what appears to be a derrick size book nevertheless manages to flow with the same slippery force as the counterpart it portrays. A must read for History buffs, oil moguls, grease monkeys, and patrons of the ubiquitous Octopus (yes, this means you!) Postscript: To whet the appetite of synthetic oil converts: Nazi Germany pioneered the extraction of synthetic fuel from shale in the 1930s. And for all you History buffs: Patton's tank corps ran out of fuel and was not resupplied, hence extending WWII in Europe for at least 3 additional months; can you imagine all the lives that could've been saved?. Finally, for all you patrons who believe you are at the mercy of the Octopus, I have news for you: OPEC embargoes and price hikes in the 1970s nearly wrecked not only their respective national treasuries, but nearly bankrupted several oil companies. READ IT AND LEARN !!!!

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Summary: Understanding the world
Review: This book is comprehensive and well written. It will give the reader a complete history of the development of the oil industry and how it has contributed to the shaping of world events. It is especially relevant to anyone seeking to understand what is happening in the Middle East

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Summary: Changed my view of the world
Review: Daniel Yergin has done an amazing job with The Prize. It is meticulously detailed and highly entertaining and enlightening.

Before reading this book, I was under the typical California liberal impression of the oil industry: that we went into foreign countries, took the oil rights and screwed everyone out of everything for the almighty dollar. What I learned surprised me: everything oil companies did was through painstakingly negotiated contracts with the government, which was supposed to last for decades but, due to foreign greed, forced new contracts with steeper terms every couple of years. In fact, most if not all of the oil would have remained rotting in the ground without these companies going in and developing them, for not only their profit but for the third world country's as well.

I want to add that while Mexico and Iran fully nationalized their industries despite clear legal obligations to the contrary, pretty much every other country refused to honor their commitments. It makes me glad to live in America, where contracts are enforcable and people, more often than not, mean what they say.

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Summary: Pioneering Monograph on a Vital Commodity
Review: Although the western world's dependence on fossil fuels requires us to deal with some of the world's most odious regimes because of our massive needs, we will be importing massive amount of oil for the foreseeable future. While there are alternative energy sources that show some promise, it will clearly take decades to develop them and the investment of many billions of dollars. So, we are left drilling deep in the earth so that we can extract the "black gold" that our industrialized societies run on. Unfortunately, some of the most massive oil reserves are located in the most politically volatile areas on earth and are controlled by autocratic regimes with populations that resent our presence and involvement in the region. How did we end up where we are today? This is the question that Daniel Yergen answers in his long, epic history of oil. He is a gifted writer and beginning with early oil discoveries in America and the growth of Standard Oil, John D. Rockefeller's colossal corporation, he adroitly sketched the businessmen, bureaucrats and diplomats that forged the oil business. He then artfully describes the discovery and race to develop the world's largest oil deposit in the Middle East, the vital importance of oil reserves to the warring powers during World War II, the emergence of OPEC and the current state of energy strategy. Yergin has a deep background in the energy business as well as a firm grasp of the complex strategic issues that face is and "The Prize" is a sweeping panoramic history of one of the world's most important commodities. Jeffrey Morseburg

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Summary: Rocked My World
Review: I read this meticulously-researched book many years ago, and it changed the way I see the world. I feel I have such a tremendous advantage over most other people because of my petro-insight. Now more than ever this is a must-read.