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Published by W. W. Norton in April 2016.
Available to order from Powell's and other independent bookstores, as well as Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Target. As an e-book it's available from Amazon Kindle, Apple iBooks and Google Play. Also available outside the US from Amazon and other outlets. |
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The Oracle of Oil is the untold story of M. King Hubbert, one of the twentieth century's top scientists.
Known as "the father of peak oil," Hubbert made bold forecasts about crucial turning points in oil supplies—the timing of the peak of production—for both the United States and the whole world.
Despite holding one of the top research positions in the oil industry, and despite being one of the nation’s most respected geologists, his predictions were widely rejected.
When his predictions did come true, The New York Times and Washington Post both celebrated him as a "prophet." Some called him an "oracle."
But of course he was a scientist, through and through.
Throughout his life, he advanced controversial and unpopular ideas about energy and society, motivated by his concerns about the long-term fate of civilization.
He sought a society that shares resources fairly among citizens, and that plans ahead to avoid shortages.
During the Second World War, U.S. intelligence labeled him "the power" behind a radical movement called Technocracy.
President Ronald Reagan’s energy adviser once said about him: "That man did more damage to the thinking of Congress and this country than any one man I know."
Now, a quarter-century after his death, Hubbert and his ideas are again at the center of debate about the future of world oil supplies.
Some say he has been vindicated. Others say he's been proven wrong—so wrong that he should be "spinning in his grave."
The Oracle of Oil is the first biography of Hubbert's long and varied life.
It is also the story of energy in the modern age—and in the centuries to come.
photo of M. King Hubbert lecturing at Columbia University, circa 1935, courtesy of the American Heritage Center.
Known as "the father of peak oil," Hubbert made bold forecasts about crucial turning points in oil supplies—the timing of the peak of production—for both the United States and the whole world.
Despite holding one of the top research positions in the oil industry, and despite being one of the nation’s most respected geologists, his predictions were widely rejected.
When his predictions did come true, The New York Times and Washington Post both celebrated him as a "prophet." Some called him an "oracle."
But of course he was a scientist, through and through.
Throughout his life, he advanced controversial and unpopular ideas about energy and society, motivated by his concerns about the long-term fate of civilization.
He sought a society that shares resources fairly among citizens, and that plans ahead to avoid shortages.
During the Second World War, U.S. intelligence labeled him "the power" behind a radical movement called Technocracy.
President Ronald Reagan’s energy adviser once said about him: "That man did more damage to the thinking of Congress and this country than any one man I know."
Now, a quarter-century after his death, Hubbert and his ideas are again at the center of debate about the future of world oil supplies.
Some say he has been vindicated. Others say he's been proven wrong—so wrong that he should be "spinning in his grave."
The Oracle of Oil is the first biography of Hubbert's long and varied life.
It is also the story of energy in the modern age—and in the centuries to come.
photo of M. King Hubbert lecturing at Columbia University, circa 1935, courtesy of the American Heritage Center.