Oil: A Concise Guide to the Most Important Product on Earth

Description

Matthew Yeomans begins his investigation into the role of oil in our lives by trying to spend a day without oil - only to stumble before exiting the bathroom (petroleum products play a role in shampoo, shaving cream, deodorant, and contact lenses). When Oil was published in hardback last year, it was quickly recognised as the wittiest and most accessible guide to the product that drives the US economy and under girds global conflict. The book sparked editorials and reviews across the country - The Sunday Times review described Oil as "a cracking good story...as Yeomans traces the oil industry's contributions to the history of the 20th century." Illustrated with maps and graphics - and now with a new afterword - Oil contains a brief history of petrol, and analysis of the American consumer's love-affair with the car, and a political anatomy of the global oil industry, including its troubled relationship with oil-rich by democracy-poor countries.

British journalist Matthew Yeomans has spent 13 years as a writer and editor for major U.S. publications, including The New York Times, The Village Voice, Doubletake, Details, Fortune, Slate, Travel and Leisure and Wired. He was a senior editor and columnist for The Industry Standard, and has written regularly about oil politics and its impact on global society. He lives in Cardiff and teaches Journalism at the University of Swansea.

"Compelling and provocative. . . . Should be required reading for all who care about the future of this country and the planet as a whole." -The Nation "A volatile mix of history, politics, economics, science, and foreign and military policy." -In These Times "Yeomans does a fine job integrating a wide array of information, from the mechanics of oil production to how the politics of oil helped shape the modern Middle East. . . . Surprisingly nuanced." -Newsday "An informed primer that weaves together commentary, anecdote, and fact." -Wired "A wake-up call. Highly recommended." -The Washington Post