OIL is the definitive, in-depth look at the politics, economics, technology, and personalities behind the frantic hunt for this vital natural resource over the last 20 years.</br></br> Twenty years ago oil cost about $7 a barrel. In 2008, the price soared to $148 and then fell to below $40. In the midst of this extraordinary volatility, the major oil conglomerates still spent over a trillion dollars in an increasingly frantic search for more. The story of oil is a story of high stakes and extreme risk. It is the story of the crushing rivalries between men and women exploring for oil five miles beneath the sea, battling for control of the world's biggest corporations and gambling billions of dollars twenty-four hours every day on oil's prices. It is the story of corporate chieftains in Dallas and London, traders in New York, oil-oligarchs in Moscow, and globe-trotting politicians, all maneuvering for power. With the world as his canvass, acclaimed investigative reporter Tom Bower gathered unprecedented first-hand information from hundreds of sources to give readers an authoritative 20-year history of the hunt and speculation for oil-the ultimate story of arrogance, intrigue, and greed.