Customer Reviews

The Age of Oil: What They Don't Want You to Know About the World's Most Controversial Resource

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3 star:		(1)
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The Prize is still the classic book on the history of the Oil industry, but Yergin's masterpiece is around 20 years old. With The Age of Oil Maugeri has written a worthy sequel/successor.

The first part of the book concentrates on the history of the industry including the powerplay of the nations and the Seven Sisters. He writes a good and readable prose and the addition of 20 years history makes it an interesting read.

The second part is the more controversial one. He argues quite convincingly that there is no shortage of Oil and that Peak Oil theorists are basically doing not much more than repeating history ( we saw similar movements around Harold Ickes in the 40's and at the time of the big oil shocks. In all instances always followed by a wide over supply).

At the same time he argues also that there is no divine right for low prices and that with more people demanding energy prices will go up ( which we are seeing today). The Governments will have to be increasinly active in promoting more careful consumption habits and that is a wise thought.

In short, a good and comprehensive overview provided by a top class industry insider.

This book is a must read for anyone wanting to have an intelligent discussion about oil. The best part is all the predictions about running out of oil as early as 1920.

well narrated, and organized. interesting read - some would say a must-read for anyone interested in the subject, I would almost agree with that.
yet, I find that the book could be better edited. some sentences are too wordy / awkward, making the book a difficult read a times.