Book

Olien, Diana Davids and Roger M. Olien. Oil in Texas: The Gusher Age, 1895-1945. Texas, $39.95.

Journal of American History: “excellent…the preeminent scholars of the petroleum industry today..a welcome addition to the literature in the field. Not since 1949…has anyone attempted a comprehensive discussion of this type…The book is very well crafted and organized so it is easy to floow the authors’ discussion of this complex topic…they explain technical terms and procedures in ways the casual reader can easily understand. There will be no need for a similar volume any time soon.” Pacific Historical Review: “Oil in Texas is an impressive survey of Texas oil during the first half of the twentieth century…This book is thoroughly researched, and the authors have written a concise, well-organized, and readable narrative of the role of oil in Texas history.” Southwestern Historical Quarterly: “This is an excellent book, providing the reader with the first comprehensive study of the subject since Carl Coke Rister’s Oil: Titan of the Southwest…It is easy to follow…The authors have made a valuable contribution.” Journal of Southern History: “This is a fine book and clearly the best place to start any investigation of the role of oil in Texas history. It would have benefited from am ore nuanced discussion of the role and position of oil in the overall economy and from a more critical assessment of the environmental impact of the industry…Still, no other volume comes close to packing the same information and level of analysis between two covers. This work is a must-read for all those interested in Texas and in business and economic history.”