The Prize: The Epic Quest For Oil, Money & Power
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- Create Date：2021-04-13 11:56:21
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Daniel Yergin
- ISBN：1847376460
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Summary
"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。
Reviews
Lalit Jain
，
The book takes you to origin of Oil and how human quest to develop alternate source of energy （ coal） was essential。 Very informative style of writing and covering allMajor topics related to oil industry captured in flow。 Great analysis on how government and countries played their role on governing oil market and how oil Influenced the two world wars。A good read for all who has interest on history and quest for knowledge on events that shaped world as on day。Thanks to Author and his team for det The book takes you to origin of Oil and how human quest to develop alternate source of energy （ coal） was essential。 Very informative style of writing and covering allMajor topics related to oil industry captured in flow。 Great analysis on how government and countries played their role on governing oil market and how oil Influenced the two world wars。A good read for all who has interest on history and quest for knowledge on events that shaped world as on day。Thanks to Author and his team for details study on this important topic and sharing their knowledge in crisp， easy to read and in a relevant way。 。。。more
William Yip
，
This was a long but well-researched and informative book。 Sadly， we humans seem to have the memory of a goldfish and don't learn from history。 During the world wars， the tensions between superpower Britain and rising Germany and between the United States and Imperial Japan is reminiscent of tensions between the superpower United States and rising China。 The US disdained the product label "Made in Germany"。 There was an arms race in the latest military tech: ships and submarines。 There was disagr This was a long but well-researched and informative book。 Sadly， we humans seem to have the memory of a goldfish and don't learn from history。 During the world wars， the tensions between superpower Britain and rising Germany and between the United States and Imperial Japan is reminiscent of tensions between the superpower United States and rising China。 The US disdained the product label "Made in Germany"。 There was an arms race in the latest military tech: ships and submarines。 There was disagreement on the ratio of expenditures for the military and for social welfare。 People disliked being inconvenienced over gasoline conservation and Florida disregarded government policy due to wanting visiting vacationers （masking and social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic） and the policy needed to be enforced。 There was a not quite a conspiracy theory but close to one about the government hiding or hoarding gasoline。 After World War 2， Europeans were worried about US loans with a lot of the money flowing back to the loaner similar to the US taking on debt to purchase export goods， usually from China。 The leaders of the oil producing nations can't seem to learn how to budget， always running up debts and needing more injections of money。 Nigeria adopted a "Nigeria First" policy to protect its oil-based economy。 Richard Nixon said both sides were at fault regarding oil producers and consumers during a crisis。 Consumer nations always seemed to be surprised and caught off guard by crises in the Middle East and unprepared for oil shortages and price hikes。 Amazingly even though oil has only been recently discovered， it has caused significant changes to the world。 It causes nations to go to war and determines the victor， brings despair to the hardest men due to the lack of it， causes tensions between strong allies， causes poor nations to become very wealthy and small companies to become giant， causes the US to be wary of nations it could easily destroy， and causes leaders to gain global ambitions。 So many things rely on oil: vehicles， airplanes， industrial activity， plastics， and even national economies。 The science is certain that fossil fuels have contributed to climate change。 I did feel some hope reading about how nations quickly switched to oil from coal en masse when they saw oil offered more benefits to coal and after oil became cheaper。 With solar energy and wind energy becoming very cheap， cheaper than coal， perhaps there will be a switch to renewable energy from fossil fuels en masse。 。。。more
Oren Mizrahi
，
absolutely incredible and unbelievably well-researched。 yergin spent 10 years studying to write this book and i think that was probably an impressively short period of time。this was also the longest book i have ever read and i think yergin could have left some details out。 maybe it would have been better。 but it took me 3 months to finish。
Chasquis
，
Everybody who has the slightest interest in Capitalism， Pollution， Plague， Unrest， Holidays by the sea or the future of this world as we know it should read this book。 （There is a sequel， by the way。）Stand by， brace yourselves， it's going to get messy 。。。。 oil is not going to go away quietly， it's sulking in the corner while wind turbines proudly strut about waving their arms at each other， solar farms smugly sit in fields among the Borage and Daisies and Geothermal warms the hearts of the Alter Everybody who has the slightest interest in Capitalism， Pollution， Plague， Unrest， Holidays by the sea or the future of this world as we know it should read this book。 （There is a sequel， by the way。）Stand by， brace yourselves， it's going to get messy 。。。。 oil is not going to go away quietly， it's sulking in the corner while wind turbines proudly strut about waving their arms at each other， solar farms smugly sit in fields among the Borage and Daisies and Geothermal warms the hearts of the Alternative Society （as we used to call ourselves in the 70's。）The big fly in this ointment is Nuclear， it needs oil as a handmaiden， to power all the trucks and trains， ships and concrete mixers at the building phase， for a long time afterwards， in fact for as long as we need any kind of power because it's all connected。。。。man。。。Then there's all these Rockets， there seems to be about one a week going off， they need all kinds of shit to get them off the ground。 A world without oil？ Plastic tax？ Tar sands back-filled by next week？ Don't think so buddy。 。。。more
Connor Oswald
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Not a great history but does some highlighting of oil industry development。
Qaiser Kakakhel
，
An amazing and sweeping history of black gold。 One star missing due to glossing over the CIA involvement in the removal of Mossadegh in 1953。
Berry Muhl
，
Absolutely essential reading for anyone interested in either economics or in the recent history of the world。 Daniel Yergin makes fascinating reading out of what could easily be a very dense and dry topic。 An indispensable companion volume to The Commanding Heights， which I also heartily recommend。
Vivek
，
Hooter: If Oil was narcissistic and believed it was the centre of the world。 Oh wait。。。A very well researched 800 pages of the rise of commodity oil and how a lot of geo-political events across the past century and more can be traced to the single quest of oil。 Rockefeller， Nobels， Rothschild and so many brand names had a play in this space and Daniel does a wonderful job of keeping the flow interesting in a potentially very dry topic and thesis this could have turned out to be。 The detailed ove Hooter: If Oil was narcissistic and believed it was the centre of the world。 Oh wait。。。A very well researched 800 pages of the rise of commodity oil and how a lot of geo-political events across the past century and more can be traced to the single quest of oil。 Rockefeller， Nobels， Rothschild and so many brand names had a play in this space and Daniel does a wonderful job of keeping the flow interesting in a potentially very dry topic and thesis this could have turned out to be。 The detailed overview of World War I and World War II strategies centred around oil make for interesting perspectives that I wasn't aware of。 How the red line defined Middle East politics， the rise of ARAMCO and BAPCO - both household names from my childhood and how the Middle east was pissed that instead of water， this black liquid was popping up。 The way commodity oil has changed the world and in current times when oil prices are something households keep track of， this book makes for interesting reading of how oil indeed become the centre of the current world and how petrodollars still speak high volumes of its power。 Heads up！ You may need stamina to get through this big book with small print but if the economics of history interest you， this is a good informative read worth the hours poured in。 。。。more
Felicia Roff Tunnah
，
This book was a good history of oil but it needs a few chapters to cover the last 12 years。 Really needs an update on EVs and which countries have taken to electric Transporation and it’s impact on oil economies and politics。
Masoud
，
This book is not just a story of oil from the beginning， but an epic journey full of historical insights from the first exploration in Pensylivena in the mid of 19th to the end of the 20th century。 The main feature of the book is that the author provided a narrative of the critical role of in strategies of nations。 It also shows the entanglement and conflicts of corporate with national interests that shaped our modern world and had a profound effect on global business in the 20th century。The las This book is not just a story of oil from the beginning， but an epic journey full of historical insights from the first exploration in Pensylivena in the mid of 19th to the end of the 20th century。 The main feature of the book is that the author provided a narrative of the critical role of in strategies of nations。 It also shows the entanglement and conflicts of corporate with national interests that shaped our modern world and had a profound effect on global business in the 20th century。The last paragraph of the book’s Epilogue:“Creativity， dedication， entrepreneurship， ingenuity， and technical innovation have coexisted with avarice， corruption， blind political ambition， and brute force。 Oil has helped to make possible mastery over the physical world。 It has given us our daily life and， literally， through agricultural chemicals and transportation， our daily bread。 It has also fueled the global struggles for political and economic primacy。 Much blood has been spilled in its name。 The fierce and sometimes violent quest for oil—and for the riches and power it conveys—will surely continue so long as oil holds a central place。 For ours is a century in which every facet of our civilization has been transformed by the modern and mesmerizing alchemy of petroleum。 Ours truly remains the age of oil。” I’m looking forward to reading the author’s proceeding book: The Quest: Energy， Security， and the Remaking of the Modern World 。。。more
Joonas Viitanen
，
Tätä kattavampaa teosta aiheesta kuin aiheesta saa hakea。 Ehkä informaatiotiivein kirja minkä olen lukenut， mitään olennaista ei ole jätetty pois ja tärkeisiin asioihin palataan riittävän usein jotta ne muistaa vielä jatkossakin。 Tarina liikkuu silti hyvällä tahdilla eikä jää junnaamaan paikoilleen。 Yergin ei vaikuta liioittelevan tai vähättelevän tapahtumia kirjan narratiiviin sopiviksi， vaan lähteiden ja sitaattien avulla antaa hyvin puolueettoman kuvan joka ei kuitenkaan ole kuivan tietokirja Tätä kattavampaa teosta aiheesta kuin aiheesta saa hakea。 Ehkä informaatiotiivein kirja minkä olen lukenut， mitään olennaista ei ole jätetty pois ja tärkeisiin asioihin palataan riittävän usein jotta ne muistaa vielä jatkossakin。 Tarina liikkuu silti hyvällä tahdilla eikä jää junnaamaan paikoilleen。 Yergin ei vaikuta liioittelevan tai vähättelevän tapahtumia kirjan narratiiviin sopiviksi， vaan lähteiden ja sitaattien avulla antaa hyvin puolueettoman kuvan joka ei kuitenkaan ole kuivan tietokirjamainen。 Loistava opus！ 。。。more
Lenka
，
This took a while！ My only wish is that the book spent a bit less time emphasising all the personal details of the men involved: their personal traits， how they dressed， the style of their beard， what time they got up and what they had for breakfast。 I appreciate a level of biographical detail but this was just too much， especially as it repeats over and over， every oil man seeming to be either a perfect stereotype， brash， self-confident and risk-taking， or its complete antithesis， the quiet mas This took a while！ My only wish is that the book spent a bit less time emphasising all the personal details of the men involved: their personal traits， how they dressed， the style of their beard， what time they got up and what they had for breakfast。 I appreciate a level of biographical detail but this was just too much， especially as it repeats over and over， every oil man seeming to be either a perfect stereotype， brash， self-confident and risk-taking， or its complete antithesis， the quiet mastermind。 。。。more
Mr Shahabi
，
A very rich informative book that trace back the trails of War all the way to the lay oil drop， nation rose and fell because of the black goldIt gives a detailed account on the men behind the curtains like Gulbankian （Mr 5%） and many other， but the bottom line is that yeah， the he goddamn imperial capitalistic greed in stealing the wealth of nations is at full exposure
James T
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One of the definitive works on the history of energy。 This book covers the production and use of oil from circa the mid 1800s to early 1991。 （At time it was written， Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait。）。 Dr。 Yergin has followed The Prize with two additional books on energy， in chronological sequence。 Next up is The Quest （2011）， followed by The New Map （2020）。 The author， Daniel Yergin， is one of the world's leading experts on oil issues。 This book is lengthy， it is well written， and IMO it One of the definitive works on the history of energy。 This book covers the production and use of oil from circa the mid 1800s to early 1991。 （At time it was written， Saddam Hussein had just invaded Kuwait。）。 Dr。 Yergin has followed The Prize with two additional books on energy， in chronological sequence。 Next up is The Quest （2011）， followed by The New Map （2020）。 The author， Daniel Yergin， is one of the world's leading experts on oil issues。 This book is lengthy， it is well written， and IMO it is one of the definitive works on the subject for the period it covers。 To be clear， while "oil" is the subject， oil touches so many things that the real subject matter becomes sprawling。 Just for example， the abilities of armies to move （or not move） during WWII often depended on the presence （or absence） of adequate supplies of oil。 Hence， one reads of how Patton and Rommel， at various times， found their operations hindered because they couldn't get enough petrol to fuel their tanks。 Similarly， Japanese strategy in the Pacific Theater -- including the decision to attack Pearl Harbor -- had oil as a key part of its calculus。 Hitler's synthetic fuel operations （liquid fuel from coal） performed brilliantly until the Allies finally located and bombed them。As the Middle East became ascendant in oil production， the OPEC nations gained power that they used in various ways -- most notably during the embargo of the early 1970s。 Further， geopolitical events such as the Iranian Revolution and the Iran-Iraq war had consequences for world markets。 Some "oil shocks" have occurred so suddenly and violently that they've befuddled oil companies as well as the governments of consuming and supplying nations。 More broadly， questions of supply versus demand， free market versus regulation， multinational oil company versus independent producer， and exporter versus importer have arisen time and time again in ways that challenge the world economy。 Power had shifted from resource-supplying nations to consuming nations （and oil companies）， and back again。 Surplus has given way to shortage， which in turn has given way to glut。 Prices have skyrocketed and they have plummeted -- with at times severe consequences for national economies and potentially billions of people。Dr。 Yergin covers all of these issues and more in The Prize。 The price of the book is well worth it for a front row seat to some fascinating and important history， as told by a knowledgable and acute observer。 。。。more
Kristen
，
Ridiculously long， overly detailed in some respects while lacking in others—I could have used fewer details about the lives and characters of dozens of oil entrepreneurs and more information about Soviet oil， consumption in non-western companies， the chemistry of oil itself， and refining and marketing processes used for different petroleum products。 Those criticisms aside， this is probably one of the most important books I’ve read。 The full month I spent on it was worthwhile to gain a new unders Ridiculously long， overly detailed in some respects while lacking in others—I could have used fewer details about the lives and characters of dozens of oil entrepreneurs and more information about Soviet oil， consumption in non-western companies， the chemistry of oil itself， and refining and marketing processes used for different petroleum products。 Those criticisms aside， this is probably one of the most important books I’ve read。 The full month I spent on it was worthwhile to gain a new understanding of world politics and global economics， by viewing worldwide events of 150 years through the lens of oil。 。。。more
Alex
，
This book is 200 years of current events as told by oil。 It really is that ambitious。 The sheer scale of Yergin's endeavor means that he must move along—whole theaters of war are covered in only a handful of pages， for example。 That constant change in subject matter makes it difficult to settle into a flow of reading。 It's start-and-stop， constantly adjusting to a new frame， as a new storyline begins every few pages。 Still， they're good stories。 I had a lot of fun picking my way through。 This book is 200 years of current events as told by oil。 It really is that ambitious。 The sheer scale of Yergin's endeavor means that he must move along—whole theaters of war are covered in only a handful of pages， for example。 That constant change in subject matter makes it difficult to settle into a flow of reading。 It's start-and-stop， constantly adjusting to a new frame， as a new storyline begins every few pages。 Still， they're good stories。 I had a lot of fun picking my way through。 。。。more
Dee Paisley
，
Remarkably readable historical description of the struggle for oil power puzzle。
Deirdre
，
Great book on history of oil industry
Bruno Pascon
，
Being an energy consultant， it would be impossible for me not to love this book。 But even for the readers that are not somehow connected to the industry， I deeply recommend this book。 It is a masterpiece of geopolitics and world-history （connected to oil） since 1859 to date。 It should be mandatory for every energy planner to read this book as well as the subsequent energy-related works from Mr。 Yergin。 I will put a pause on this marvelous writer and researcher and will read the work of Vaclav Sm Being an energy consultant， it would be impossible for me not to love this book。 But even for the readers that are not somehow connected to the industry， I deeply recommend this book。 It is a masterpiece of geopolitics and world-history （connected to oil） since 1859 to date。 It should be mandatory for every energy planner to read this book as well as the subsequent energy-related works from Mr。 Yergin。 I will put a pause on this marvelous writer and researcher and will read the work of Vaclav Smil。 I believe these gentlemen are pivotal to energy security and planning thinking for the 21st century。 。。。more
Mauro Cunha
，
Good book。。。 but don't touch the Portuguese translation ！ It is a torture。 Good book。。。 but don't touch the Portuguese translation ！ It is a torture。 。。。more
Nguyễn Linh
，
Lịch sử của dầu mỏ là lịch sử của ánh sáng và bóng tối， của những ánh sáng văn minh hoa lệ và của máu。 Hơn 100 năm qua， chưa bao giờ cuộc sống của con người xa rời dòng chảy đen ấy， chưa bao giờ chúng ta có thể tưởng tượng được cuộc sống khi thiếu vắng chúng。 Và một cuốn sử thi đồ sộ ra đời！Thiên sử thi đồ sộ ấy không kể về nước thánh và bàn tay vàng Midas mà kể về phép màu nhiệm của thế giới đương đại， về Dầu mỏ， tiền bạc và quyền lực。 Cuốn sử thi bao chứa không chỉ lịch sử của dầu mỏ mà gói tr Lịch sử của dầu mỏ là lịch sử của ánh sáng và bóng tối， của những ánh sáng văn minh hoa lệ và của máu。 Hơn 100 năm qua， chưa bao giờ cuộc sống của con người xa rời dòng chảy đen ấy， chưa bao giờ chúng ta có thể tưởng tượng được cuộc sống khi thiếu vắng chúng。 Và một cuốn sử thi đồ sộ ra đời！Thiên sử thi đồ sộ ấy không kể về nước thánh và bàn tay vàng Midas mà kể về phép màu nhiệm của thế giới đương đại， về Dầu mỏ， tiền bạc và quyền lực。 Cuốn sử thi bao chứa không chỉ lịch sử của dầu mỏ mà gói trong đó cả lịch sử nhân loại， của tất cả những con người xoay quanh chúng。Từ vùng đất hoang lạnh nơi Pennsylvania đến vùng lửa nóng ở Trung Đông， những bước chân nhuốm màu đen rung chuyển địa chính trị thế giới。 Chính từ những dòng chảy dầu mỏ， một thế giới mới đã hình thành， những con người trở thành tỷ phú， những cuộc chiến nổ ra và những công cụ quyền lực thao túng thế giới bắt đầu vận hành không ngừng nghỉ。 Ở bức tranh toàn cảnh ấy， từ Winston Churchill đến Saddam Hussein， từ nước Mỹ vươn lên siêu cường đến sự sụp đổ của Liên Xô， dòng chảy của dầu không còn giới hạn bởi biên giới và quốc gia， những đốm lửa bùng cháy lên Bái Hỏa giáo năm nào đã thành một thứ tín ngưỡng đối với tiền bạc。 Ở bức tranh toàn cảnh ấy， những con người vĩ đại ghi dấu mình bằng những sự kiện lớn lao còn những người bình thường thì ngày ngày đổ xăng và làm những công việc thường nhật nhưng vĩ đại。Gấp lại cuốn sách， gấp lại một trong những thước đo thấu suốt nhất về thế kỷ đã qua vào những giây phút cuối cùng của năm 2019， mình còn có nhiều điều phải nói hơn nữa về cuốn sách này， trong một bài khác， nhưng cảm xúc về nó trong mình còn lâu hơn nữa， giống như phong vũ biểu của thế giới đương đại， kể cả khi chúng ta không cầm trên tay， chúng ta vẫn lấy nó làm quy chiếu cho sự ấm lạnh của lịch sử。。。。 。。。more
Mara
，
This book represents the minimum amount of background knowledge anyone interested in energy and geopolitics of petroleum needs。 I don't say that to mean it is easy。 It's not。 This is a hearty book， but one of the most important books I have ever read。 Much more of the history of the past 170 years makes sense with this backbone history of oil。 This book represents the minimum amount of background knowledge anyone interested in energy and geopolitics of petroleum needs。 I don't say that to mean it is easy。 It's not。 This is a hearty book， but one of the most important books I have ever read。 Much more of the history of the past 170 years makes sense with this backbone history of oil。 。。。more
Kate
，
First off， I finished this book。 Yay， me。 There were times when I wanted to give up， and times when it was a slog。 But overall， I had to give it 4 stars for just the sheer scope and the vast knowledge and understanding I gained reading it。 Pieces of it， especially the more business-oriented sections about mergers and acquisitions， I found essential but very boring and difficult to get through。 But the pieces about how oil contributed to geopolitical dealings and warfare were incredibly enlighten First off， I finished this book。 Yay， me。 There were times when I wanted to give up， and times when it was a slog。 But overall， I had to give it 4 stars for just the sheer scope and the vast knowledge and understanding I gained reading it。 Pieces of it， especially the more business-oriented sections about mergers and acquisitions， I found essential but very boring and difficult to get through。 But the pieces about how oil contributed to geopolitical dealings and warfare were incredibly enlightening and easier to read。 The WWII section in particular brought a new perspective on the war that I had known about in outline， but had never read about in such great detail。 There were a few great short bios woven in of important business and political figures， but I wish there had been a little more of that。 I compare every epic history book to the master， Robert Caro， and this book was not a Caro-level work for me。 But overall， a great book for understanding how oil has impacted business， the economy， and geopolitics for 150 years。 。。。more
Ian Wagner
，
Solid， engaging overview of the history of oil。
Bill Forsyth
，
Outstanding book that is as much the history of oil in modern times as the history of modern times in the context of oil。It puts on display how tightly business and government are interwoven when a particular category of product becomes so valuable and powerful as to be of strategic importance to the survival of nations。This is a book that provides valuable lessons on business， and diplomacy， with mini-biographies of both businessmen and diplomats scattered throughout。We watch as maverick entrep Outstanding book that is as much the history of oil in modern times as the history of modern times in the context of oil。It puts on display how tightly business and government are interwoven when a particular category of product becomes so valuable and powerful as to be of strategic importance to the survival of nations。This is a book that provides valuable lessons on business， and diplomacy， with mini-biographies of both businessmen and diplomats scattered throughout。We watch as maverick entrepreneurs risk it all and win， while corporate men compete， and staid intellectuals influence policy， and all three battle each other。 All in all the book was highly entertaining， and a tour de force worthy of consumption especially by those interested in business， entrepreneurship， capitalism， diplomacy， government policy， and history。 。。。more
Cip
，
Brilliant。 It amplifies the truism that resources （oil in this case） are at the heart of politics and consequently power。
Shankar P S
，
This is a very long book。 The reason for this is that the book covers the entire history of the Oil industry from the beginning of 1850s to 1990。 The author has done meticulous research on topic。 He has covered the impact of oil during each decade。 The reader will learn several unknown facts about the industry and how Oil affected world events。 An enlightening read。
Thomas Nelson
，
A very worthwhile investment of time。
Barry J
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This is a wonderful - but tough - read。 It is long。 It covers every imaginable event。 It has more information than anyone would typically need。 But it is beautifully written。 You don't want to miss a single word， but you realize you only have so much time to read it。 Just keep on checking it out until you have time to read it all。 Bravo， Mr。 Yergin。 An unmitigated pain in the butt to read through， but worth every interminable hour。Now I understand。 This is a wonderful - but tough - read。 It is long。 It covers every imaginable event。 It has more information than anyone would typically need。 But it is beautifully written。 You don't want to miss a single word， but you realize you only have so much time to read it。 Just keep on checking it out until you have time to read it all。 Bravo， Mr。 Yergin。 An unmitigated pain in the butt to read through， but worth every interminable hour。Now I understand。 。。。more
Joe Byram
，