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Summary: A vivid painting of the world's biggest business - & more
Review: "The Color of Oil" paints a vivid picture of the world's biggest business. Economides and Oligney (not least with Izquierdo's paintings) have masterfully blended "colorful" personal experiences with historical and contemporary facts about the technology, money, and politics of the oil business. The text builds up excitement just like a novel "based on a true story", yet it IS a true story! One that has more imagination than fiction. Kudos to Economides and Oligney for creating a work of art.
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Summary: A great gift!
Review: A wonderful book for those in the industry and those who would like more information about the world's biggest business! I do not work in the oil industry but haved lived in Houston all my life. Therefore, I felt I should know something about the industry that keeps this town employeed. I was amazed at how well the book is done. I really feel like I have a much better appreciation for the oil industry. I passed the book on to my friends who work in the industry, and they also felt like they learned something from it. As one of them said, "It made me feel like screaming 'Yes!' Someone finally understands this business." I am buying more as gifts for those hard to buy for people.
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Summary: A layman's perspective - fantastic
Review: As a mother and wife with little involvement with the oilindustry, I picked up a copy of the book hoping to gain some insightinto the current oil crisis.I expected the book to be full of technical jargon, but must confess, I was pleasantly surprised. It gave me a clear and concise perspective of the oil industry, and was an enjoyable read too. Personal anecdotes from the authors at the start of each chapter and the fine original art, really set this book apart. I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to get a better understanding of the world of oil, who is NOT in any way involved or qualified in the oil industry.
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Summary: Well-written and entertaining.
Review: I decided to read "The color of oil" as an introduction to the oil-industry. The authors (Economides and Oligney) are both "oil-guys", so I was a little skeptical to what level the language would be on. But fear not, the book is kept on an accessible level, even for the lay reader. The authors explains why and how vulnerable the industry is, about the more resent but also the past oil-crisis, how little it takes for the oil-price to spin out of control, governmental interference and how the politics in the industry works (or don't...) etc. Together with this comes, quite naturally, a large dose of American history. To the authors' credit, they strike the perfect balance between facts, technical jargon, and personal anecdotes, which makes "The color of oil" an easy and entertaining read. I found it to be a great overview over the industry. I picked up lots of new facts from this book, and I am most certain that I will cite this book in the future. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to fill in (or update) on the knowledge of the oil industry.
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Summary: Not that interesting
Review: I have been dragging my feet to finish reading this book. It is not well-organized and full of opinions without solid arguments. Therefore, it is dry and hard to read. To the author's credit, a lot is covered in this thin book. If it had been expanded, the reader could have enjoyed it more.
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Summary: Rose Colored Glasses for a Dying Industry
Review: I liked Economides book. It was well-written, entertaining and concise. Unfortunately, it simply did not reflect the reality of the future of oil, since the major forecasts for oil production all indicate that by 2030, yearly oil production will probably be no more than 30% of today's totals. You can check out Hubbert Peak for more information. Since the only energy security we as a nation can be assured of is an energy futre that we control from within our borders, if you want to read a book that more accurately reflects the reality of energy and the future we must build, read Power Surge: Guide to the Coming Energy Revolution by World Watch Institute.
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Summary: The Color of Oil puts the oil industry into perspective.
Review: I worked closely with the authors as they prepared their chapters for my magazine, Petroleum Engineer International, which later merged with two sister magazines and is now called Hart's E&P. Each month we would publish another Color of Oil in our magazine, and responses to the series from our subscribers were very positive. I very much enjoyed the personal anecdotes that Michael and Ron placed at the beginning of each chapter. Many times oil companies are characterized as greedy, gargantuan polluters, but the oil industry is still made up of people who are facing incredible odds trying to provide oil -- the lifeblood of civilization as we know it today. The chapters that appeared in our magazine have now been compiled into a book that is certain to hit the bestseller lists. Why? Because it is an important work that places the proper perspective on a huge industry. Economides and Oligney have looked at oil from historical, technical, cultural, economic and environmental points of view such that the general public will truly understand -- and this has been sorely lacking to date. I'm proud to have played a role in making the book easier to read. (Michael and Ron didn't want me to touch their prose, but after they saw how much easier it was to read after I did, they eventually let me have my way with it.) I made them spell my name right in the acknowledgments, too. I would recommend that you read the Color of Oil whether you are in the business or not -- especially if you're not! After you read it, you will understand how things got to be the way they are. Maybe you will have a little more appreciation for the people and the technologies that make your lives much easier.
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Summary: Best overall view of a powerful industry
Review: Michael Economides and Ron Oligney have taken the world of "big oil" and made all of its components easy to understand and an entertaining read for those with industry knowledge and for those without any oil industry background. From the history to the current politics to technical explanations for exploration and drilling technologies, the entire book brings all of the elements of oil together and logically tells the story of a business that the entire world is dependent upon for survival. A great read considering the current issues with oil prices.
Rating:
Summary: Best overall view of a powerful industry
Review: Michael Economides and Ron Oligney have taken the world of "big oil" and made all of its components easy to understand and an entertaining read for those with industry knowledge and for those without any oil industry background. From the history to the current politics to technical explanations for exploration and drilling technologies, the entire book brings all of the elements of oil together and logically tells the story of a business that the entire world is dependent upon for survival. A great read considering the current issues with oil prices.
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Summary: The Colorful Consultants of Crude
Review: Most people wouldn't choose a book on the oil industry to curl up with when they want a good read. But most people haven't crossed paths with Michael Economides and Ron Oligney, authors of "The Color Of Oil". Subtitled "The History, the Money and the Politics of the World's Biggest Business," the book is divided into nine chapters, which are color-coded to symbolize primary themes. The lead chapter is "Green: The money, wealth and economics of oil." Another segment called "Black" deals with the physics of finding and producing oil. "Red, white and blue" outlines the history of the oil industry in the United States. A separate "Red" section chronicles the wars waged in pursuit of oil. And "Colors of the Rainbow" deals with the vastly different cultures of the world's oil producing nations. The book, written from personal experience is filled with stories and incidents the two have encountered in their careers. And like the authors, it provides a unique perspective that differs from conventional wisdom.
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