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Breaking Rockefeller

The Incredible Story of the Ambitious Rivals Who Toppled an Oil Empire

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Breaking Rockefeller

By: Peter B. Doran
Narrated by: Peter B. Doran
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About this listen

The incredible tale of how ambitious oil rivals Marcus Samuel, Jr., and Henri Deterding joined forces to topple the Standard Oil empire.

Marcus Samuel, Jr., is an unorthodox Jewish merchant trader. Henri Deterding is a take-no-prisoners oilman. In 1889 John D. Rockefeller is at the peak of his power. Having annihilated all competition and possessing near-total domination of the market, even the US government is wary of challenging the great "anaconda" of Standard Oil. The Standard never loses - that is, until Samuel and Deterding team up to form Royal Dutch Shell.

A riveting account of ambition, oil, and greed, Breaking Rockefeller traces Samuel's rise from outsider to the heights of the British aristocracy, Deterding's conquest of America, and the collapse of Rockefeller's monopoly. The beginning of the 20th century is a time when vast fortunes were made and lost. Taking listeners through the rough and tumble of East London's streets, to the twilight turmoil of czarist Russia, to the halls of the British Parliament, and right down Broadway in New York City, Peter Doran offers a richly detailed, fresh perspective on how Samuel and Deterding beat the world's richest man at his own game.

©2016 Peter B. Doran (P)2016 Penguin Audio
Business Business & Careers United States Imperialism
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Critic reviews

Breaking Rockefeller emulates the best oil literature, in which geology and geopolitics go hand in hand.” (The Wall Street Journal)

“[Marcus Samuel and Henri Deterding’s] story, though not new, is grippingly retold in Breaking Rockefeller.... The guts, greed and gusto of this cast of characters are what give the book its vigor.... The book is timely in an era when America’s shale revolution has upset the OPEC cartel’s efforts to control the world’s oil markets, and Eastern Europe struggles to free its gas markets from dependence on Russia’s Gazprom. It is a vivid reminder of the dangers of monopolies, and of the merits of no-holds barred competition and technological upheaval.” (The Economist)

“It is the author’s love affair (it can be called nothing less) with oil itself that most effectively entices the reader to make her way through these pages.... When Doran talks about [oil], it is with a sensuality of language comparable to that of the most decadent of gourmets.... Peter Doran’s writing style is lively, accessible and sometimes slightly breathless. Each one of his chapters ends with a dramatic, almost apocalyptic-sounding statement that leads neatly to the next one. It works. Even the most ardent of fossil fuel haters will find Breaking Rockefeller hard to resist.” (The Post and Courier)

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