Introduction to the Global Oil & Gas Business Review

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(More customer reviews)I just finished reading this book, which is totally focused on the economics of the industry. That's not surprising, considering that Van Vactor is an economist. If you are looking for anything about how the industry works from a technological or production point of view, you won't find it here.
However, you will find a good deal of very readable information about the peak oil theory; why many people believe that the liquid, flowing nature of oil is a good model for the entire oil industry; the role of OPEC in oil pricing; how NYMEX became the world's top oil-trading exchange; and alternatives to oil for transportation.
I did find a huge number of copy-editing errors in this book. I don't blame the author for this. Authors have little control over what happens to their manuscript once the publisher gets it.
I blame the publisher, PennWell. It seems that, like many other publishers, PennWell has decided that it can do without copyeditors. The result includes so many errors, such as missed words, doubled words, incorrect units (for energy, etc.), sentences without verbs and misplaced or missing or extra commas that I was sometimes at a loss to figure out what the words on the page meant. Commas matter. Verbs matter.
As informative and generally readable as this book is, it could really stand being re-published after a good copy-edit job.
Bridget Mintz Testa

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To the casual observer, the oil business seems constant and unchanging. The familiarity of the oil industry's retail outlets masks extraordinary changes in how the industry engages in its four primary sectors of activity: finding and producing crude oil, transportation, refining, and marketing.In his new book, noted energy economist Dr. Samuel A. Van Vactor chronicles the oil industry's transformation over the last century and discusses the future of an industry that has been pronounced dead or dying by its critics on numerous occasions since the early development of coal and the steam engine.New professionals, industry executives, government officials, and academicians will find Introduction to the Global Oil & Gas Business to be a concise introduction to the industry and an invaluable source of information.

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Oil: Money, Politics, and Power in the 21st Century Review

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(More customer reviews)This book was advertised as a sequel to the Prize by Daniel Yurgin and that is what I expected. However it is really quite a different read and lacks the big historical perspective of the Prize. The information contained in the book on the actions and thinking of the modern (post 1990) oil companies is very revealing however and provides unusual insights about them over the past 20 or so years. Those views are very helpful in understanding a number of moves made by the various companies lately. I found their adventures into post Soviet Russia very instructive. The author seems to have had very good connections into BP (as well as most of the others) which are helpful in understanding the recent turmoil surrounding that company's problems. I also found the descriptions of international oil trading useful in understanding much of the volatile price moves in oil over the past decades. The style of the book causes one to repeat going through various time lines, but the details conveyed were worth it. This is a must read for anyone interested in gaining a better insight into how the modern oil industry works and reflects the investigative journalism approach of the author. Excellent details on the various leaders of the companies too.

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Short Review

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(More customer reviews)"Wall Street" meets "The Office," says the book jacket of Cortright McMeel's novel. I'm not sure about that. Though I know where the publicists are coming from, for me it's more "Wall Street" meets "The Sopranos" (or "Dexter"). By that I'm referring to the novel's ferocious bite, its view of the world tinted by dark humor.
In his debut novel, McMeel features a group of Boston-based energy traders, a stunning cast of larger than life individuals bound with impulses they can't control. All seem to have a knack for putting themselves in thorny situations.
McMeel's writing style is crisp and clean, the short paragraphs and compact scenes bursting with energy (no pun intended). The fluid prose, as well as the sharp, dead-on dialogue, makes for an extremely pleasant reading experience. Some of the scenes are wildly entertaining, while others are disturbing, filled with moments of genuine drama. It's a particularly harrowing universe that's been created, but McMeel's sharp tongue-in-cheek humor (hence "The Office") and eye for people's quirks and foibles counterbalance the darkness.
At times absurd and always trenchant, "Short" is a powerful, multi-layered novel that's going to take you for one hell of a ride.


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Oil's Endless Bid: Taming the Unreliable Price of Oil to Secure Our Economy Review

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(More customer reviews)This book will provide an excellent educationo n the nature of the crude oil markets and how trading in those markets has evolved over the years. I completely disagree with the reveiwer that was dismissive of the points Dan made in his books. The changing of the rules that has allowed an exponential increase in the betting on oil prices does not provide real world economic benefit other than to the profitting trading firms. THe futures markets for commodites provide the business and social stabilizing function of price discovery just as the capital markets for bonds and stocks exist for capital formation. The speculation aspect has always existed in human nature and these markets; but the evidence clearly depicted in this book shows the speuclative aspect of the market has overwhelmed the ecnomic useful aspects of these markets. I learned a lot from Dan's book and I encourage you to read it. I would also suggest in addition to this book Oil 101 by Morton Downey; it comptements this book very well if you are interestsed in the energy markets. Dan's financial commentary is available at TheStreet.com and I have found his videos and columns helpful in my investment advisory business. As an added bonus; Dan has great personal stories!

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