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The Prize (Abridged): The Battle for World Mastery Audiobook
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(4.01) - 2,356 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Deemed "the best history of oil ever written" by Business Week and with more than 300,000 copies in print, this is Daniel Yergin's Pulitzer Prize–winning account of the global pursuit of oil, money, and power.
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"I'm marking this as read, but I really only skimmed it and that was years ago (1999 I think) so at this point it's on my must-read-it-again list. It was part of my International Political Econ class in college which was a great class, but yikes on the amount of reading, so I ended up pulling out points here and there for our weekly summaries in order to move on to the other assigned readings. I had some friends who used to divide the readings among themselves and then tell each other what they had read - in retrospect I wish I had participated just because of the sheer amount of reading it was. I have an overall sense of some really perceptive scholarship and a number of revelations from this book on how international trade and economy have worked and the writing itself was not difficult to get involved in - rather than the dryness one might expect from a book with such great historical detail on one particular trade item, it was engagingly and interestingly written."
— Trice (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
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“Spellbinding…irresistible…monumental…must be read to understand the first thing about the role of oil in modern history.”
— New York Times -
“[A] splendid and epic history of oil…the story is brilliantly told…with its remarkable cast of characters.”
— Wall Street Journal -
“Impassioned and riveting…only in the great epics of Homer will readers regularly run into a comparable string of larger-than-life swashbucklers and statesmen, heroes and villains.”
— San Francisco Examiner -
“A masterly narrative…The Prize portrays the interweaving of nation and corporate interests, the conflicts and stratagems, the miscalculations, the follies, and the ironies.”
— James Schlesinger, former US Secretary of Defense and US Secretary of Energy
Awards
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A New York Times bestseller
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Winner of the 1992 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction
The Prize Listener Reviews
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" A readable, but dense, history of oil since its discovery in the 19th century in Pennsylvania. Lots of history gets a completely new twist when viewed from the energy perspective, and lots of what goes on today makes a bit more sense with the information from this book as background. Good read, but prepare to spend some quality time. "
— Josh, 2/19/2014 -
" Most interesting book I've ever read. Basically the history of the world since the discovery of oil. A must read. "
— Bill#5, 2/12/2014 -
" This book is engrossing, but so goddamn long and minute in detail, I don't know how I'm going to finish it. Perhaps I'll read it during the post-petroapokalypse, as a bit of irony. "
— Sasha, 2/7/2014 -
" This is a far more fascinating book than I thought when a friend loaned it to me and encouraged that I read it. While it bills itself as a history of oil, it could just as easily been marketed as a history of the twentieth century. "
— John, 2/3/2014 -
" Don't get me wrong, this book is a major undertaking. That said, it is a great way to truly find out about the history of oil as a product of value from A to Z (let's assume that we're not that far from Z...said hopefully while looking around the room shiftily). "
— Greg, 1/23/2014 -
" The most comprehensive book on history of quest for oil and how it came to dominate geopolitics. "
— Nirbodh, 1/21/2014 -
" In today's world, you have to understand the history of oil. This book reads like a novel. You can't put it down -- and it provides an important background to all energy discussions today. "
— UWCSEA, 1/12/2014 -
" One of the greatest reads I have ever come across. It made me want to become an oil man!! "
— Chuck, 11/22/2013 -
" Some very interesting sections in this book...some sections are downright scary. W "
— Neal, 11/1/2013 -
" The history of petroleum and its every tightening grip on the destiny of nations. Daniel Yergin writes quick moving vignettes that manage to capture the essential motivations and impact of the involved on the global level. It is also, a very good proxy of the history of the 20th Century. "
— P., 9/21/2013 -
" I am still working through this gigantic (800+ pages) achievement on our modern history of energy. If you don't believe that you are born yesterday and every problem must have an instant solution, then it is a must read. Read it some time after "Commanding Heights" also by Yergin. "
— David, 9/20/2013 -
" Great book on the history of oil and how it has shaped the world we see today. Enlightening content and a very readable style. I loved it though it was probably because I happened to be involved with some work in the oil industry at that time. "
— Vinay, 9/7/2013 -
" brilliant. extremely topical. great section about Saddam and iraq. "
— Dmitry, 9/4/2013 -
" a book of the scope and significance of CADILLAC DESERT. It's a 'biography' of the energy industry that has done so much to shape the United States and world. "
— Geoffrey, 8/11/2013 -
" Epic. Big book on a big topic. "
— Marcus, 6/6/2013 -
" great history lesson. reads like a novel. you will learn a lot about something very important. oil. "
— Michael, 2/12/2013 -
" I disagree with his politics. but have to hand it to his research. If you wish to read the history of oil, this is the book to read. "
— Just, 12/25/2012 -
" Monumental book on politics, history, economics and corporate America over a 150 year timespan through the lens of oil. "
— Henry, 12/3/2012 -
" Long, and extremely detailed. I must say I skimmed a fair portion of it, but the analysis is superb indeed. "
— May, 11/18/2012 -
" Not as interesting as it should be. The author was not discriminating enough in what he choose to include. Which is a shame, for parts of it are fascinating. I read 200 pages, and learned alot, but not enough to read the other 600 pages. "
— Rebecca, 9/14/2012 -
" Really long but worth the read. "
— Michael, 6/6/2012 -
" The book is a comprehensive history of oil - the discovery and ensuing geopolitical developments, conflicts, rising monopolies and so forth. Well-researched and a great read. Unputdownable. "
— Sarika, 10/14/2011 -
" The end-all-be-all of the history of OIL. Great book. Help you put the world in perspective, then and now. "
— Michael, 10/8/2011 -
" Must read for those who wish to speak about oil. "
— Mubashar, 8/27/2011 -
" A fascinating, hard-to-put-down history of the oil industry. Who knew that one industry could produce so many characters? "
— John, 7/16/2011 -
" A must read for anyone interested in why the 20th century turned out as it did. "
— Nathan, 7/5/2011 -
" Love it. Interesting & well researched without getting bogged down in statistics. A pleasant surprise. "
— Monica, 6/2/2011 -
" A fascinating and complete history of oil and the impact of it on the world's biggest events... It is actually a great read but really really long. I am at WWII which is pg 359 of 788... "
— Aki, 4/17/2011 -
" A must read for anyone interested in why the 20th century turned out as it did. "
— Nathan, 4/13/2011 -
" I didn't finish this, but NOT because it wasn't worth it! It's HUGE and very informative. I will return! "
— Perri, 4/5/2011 -
" a book of the scope and significance of CADILLAC DESERT. It's a 'biography' of the energy industry that has done so much to shape the United States and world. "
— Geoffrey, 3/30/2011 -
" A must read for anyone who are interested in Oil, Politics and history "
— Karl, 3/28/2011 -
" Fascinating, insightful, rich and compelling. This a great read and well deserving of the Pulitzer. Also very entertaining. "
— Maxpower, 3/10/2011 -
" The best non-fiction book I ever read. Its a history of almost everything that has happened since the discovery of oil and through the first Gulf War. "
— 11811, 2/15/2011 -
" Excellent! A must-read to understand the importance of oil in the last 150 years. "
— Martin, 2/14/2011 -
" One of the best non-fiction books ever "
— Brent, 1/13/2011 -
" Connected all the dots for the oil industry throughout history. A real tome, difficult to read but eventually worth it. I finished this book and it took almost two years to do it. Someone else purchased the book for me. I am glad I read it. "
— Larry, 1/9/2011 -
" Yergin's book is an excellent overview of the history of oil. This book provides a solid foundation for the political, economic, social, and military forces that have shaped the oil market since the first oil well was drilled for commercial production in Titusville, PA in 1859. "
— Luke, 12/28/2010 -
" Great book. A compressive history of oil industry from the very beginning till 1991. "
— Khalid, 11/26/2010 -
" The history of petroleum and its every tightening grip on the destiny of nations. Daniel Yergin writes quick moving vignettes that manage to capture the essential motivations and impact of the involved on the global level. It is also, a very good proxy of the history of the 20th Century. "
— P., 8/25/2010
About Daniel Yergin
Daniel Yergin, is a highly respected authority on energy, international politics, and economics. He received the Pulitzer Prize and the Eccles Prize for his bestseller The Prize: The Epic Quest for Oil, Money & Power. Chairman of Cambridge Energy Research Associates and the Global Energy Expert for the CNBC business news network, his books have been translated into thirteen different languages and adapted to a PBS documentary series on globalization.