This book, written by Daniel Yergin, was published in 1991. To say much has changed in the industry in the past 27 years would be a gross understatement. Still, the book continues to sell. It’s current Amazon ratings as of September 22 are impressive, indicating the number of books still being sold each month. It is #7 in the category of Books>Business & Money>Industries>Energy & Mining>Oil & Energy. A ranking that high in that category means the books probably is still selling at least 1,000 copies per month. For a 27-year-old book, that’s an impressive accomplishment.
This book won the Pulitzer Prize in 1992. The New York Times bubbles with enthusiasm for it, extolling all literates to read it. Before doing so, however, some words of caution.
Daniel Yergin doesn't hide his disdain for the oil industry or all those connected with it. Before cracking the cover, the reader should expect everything printed in it to be slanted against the petroleum industry, against capitalism in general, and importantly, against U. S. mineral rights owners.
The Pulitzer Prize no longer carries a high banner of respectability. Too many of the books awarded the Pullitzer in the past 30 years have had a progressive slant, so much so that some of them border on left-wing propaganda. In my opinion, this book belongs in the stack. It was not written objectively.
This book is also 869 pages long. If someone is going to tackle a non-fiction book that long, try Creature from Jekyll Island instead. Now that’s a non-fiction book every literate adult should read.
