Petrolia: The Landscape of America's First Oil Boom (Creating the North American Landscape) [Hardcover]

Brian Black (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 17, 2000 | Series: Creating the North American Landscape

In Petrolia, Brian Black offers a geographical and social history of a region that was not only the site of America's first oil boom but was also the world's largest oil producer between 1859 and 1873. Against the background of the growing demand for petroleum throughout and immediately following the Civil War, Black describes Oil Creek Valley's descent into environmental hell. Known as "Petrolia," the region charged the popular imagination with its nearly overnight transition from agriculture to industry. But so unrestrained were these early efforts at oil drilling, Black writes, that "the landscape came to be viewed only as an instrument out of which one could extract crude." In a very short time, Petrolia was a ruined place—environmentally, economically, and to some extent even culturally. Black gives historical detail and analysis to account for this transformation.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A wonderful demonstration of the possibilities of historical studies of technology and culture... Just as Black offers Petrolia as the prototypical landscape of industrial sacrifice, his book will surely serve as the model for a new genre of holistic historical studies of people, place, technology, and culture.

(Peter Coates Technology and Culture )

Petrolia is an intimate portrayal of the history of a major event that has affected not only this nation but the entire world as well... This book provides an excellent example of geographic writing that reveals that all places have a quality of their own, and of the kind of literate writing that is needed in our profession today.

(E. Willard Miller Professional Geographer )

A clear, concise telling of Petrolia's fascinating story... Black does an excellent job of examining the oil boom's impact on many aspects of the life and culture of the region.

(Ralph Wilcox Vernacular Architecture Newsletter )

Although Black uses the development of Petrolia to make larger points about how resource extraction changes ecological interactions, he is also interested in the region as a specific place with a specific history... While other scholars have written about what happens when capital is used to extract a resource from one region for the benefit of another, Black tells the story of transformation in this oil-rich valley at a level of detail and care that is rich and interesting in its own right.

(Hugh S. Gorman Historical Geography )

About the Author

Brian Black is an associate professor of history and environmental studies at Pennsylvania State University, Altoona College, and editor of Pennsylvania History.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: The Johns Hopkins University Press (May 17, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801863171
• ISBN-13: 978-0801863172
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,527,608 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Bravo Brian Black, September 12, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Petrolia: The Landscape of America's First Oil Boom (Creating the North American Landscape) (Hardcover)

Never before have I read such an eloquent and informative journey through the oil boom of Pennsylvania. The photographic images that Dr. Black has chosen for his book are as captivating and clear as his text. An outstanding and brilliantly written book.

5 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Award-winner, December 7, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Petrolia: The Landscape of America's First Oil Boom (Creating the North American Landscape) (Hardcover)

PETROLIA recently was awarded the Giddens Prize as the best new writing on oil history, 1996-2000.