The Prize reveals how and why oil has become the largest industry in the world, a game of huge risks and monumental rewards. Oil has played a critical role in world events, from Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor an Hitler’s invasion of Russia to the Suez crisis and the Yom Kippur War. It has propelled the once poor nations of the Middle East into positions of unprecedented world power. And even now it is fueling the heated debate over energy needs versus environmental protection. With compelling narrative sweep, The Prize chronicles the dramatic and decisive events in the history of oil. Its is peopled by a vividly portrayed gallery of characters that make it a fascinating story—not only the wildcatters, rogues, and oil tycoons, but also the politicians and heads of state. The cast extends from Dad Joiner and Doc Lloyd to John D. Rockefeller and Calouste Gulbenkian, and from Winston Churchill and Ibn Saud to George Bush, the oil man who became President, and Saddam Hussein.