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<p><span>This concise, accessible introduction to the history of oil tells the story of how petroleum has shaped human life since it was first discovered oozing inconspicuously from the soil. Brian Black brings a global perspective and a wide-ranging technical knowledge clearly explained for general readers, providing a sweeping, forward-looking survey.</span></p>

<p><span>Acknowledgments</span></p>
<p><span>Prologue </span></p>
<p><span>Introduction: Beginning as Black Goo </span></p>
<p><span>PART I: CULTURAL EXCHANGE, 1750–1890</span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: Drilling for Saltwater </span></p>
<p><span>1 </span><span>From Black Goo to Black Gold </span></p>
<p><span>2 </span><span>Crossing Borders to Increase Supply </span></p>
<p><span>3 </span><span>Modeling Big Oil </span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: Shipping Crude throughout the Globe </span></p>
<p><span>PART II: GOING MOBILE, 1890–1960</span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: Pumping Gas </span></p>
<p><span>4 </span><span>Hitting the Road </span></p>
<p><span>5 </span><span>Marching for Petroleum: Supply and Weapons </span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: “Want Fries with That?” </span></p>
<p><span>PART III: THE GLOBALIZATION OF PETROLEUM DOMINANCE, 1960–PRESENT</span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: Big Science Helps Big Oil </span></p>
<p><span>6 </span><span>Consuming Cultures </span></p>
<p><span>7 </span><span>To Have and Have Not </span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: NYMEX and the Commodity of Crude</span></p>
<p><span>PART IV: LIVING WITH LIMITS AND ENERGY TRANSITIONS, 1980–PRESENT</span></p>
<p><span>Infrastructure: Climate Change Reveals a New World Order </span></p>
<p><span>8 </span><span>“Extreme Oil,” Climate Change, and Geopolitics </span></p>
<p><span>Portrait of Addiction: U.S. Petroleum Use </span></p>
<p><span>Epilogue: Resource Curse: Time for an Oil Change? </span></p>
<p><span>Chronology of Petroleum in World History </span></p>
<p><span>Chronology of Spills </span></p>
<p><span>Notes </span></p>
<p><span>Bibliography </span></p>
<p><span>Index </span></p>
<p></p>
<p></p>

<p><span>Brian C. Black</span><span>, distinguished professor of history and environmental studies and division head of arts and humanities at Penn State Altoona, is the author or editor of several books, including the award-winning </span><span>Petrolia: The Landscape of America’s First Oil Boom </span><span>and </span><span>Gettysburg Contested: 150 Years of Preserving America’s Cherished Landscape</span><span>. His articles appear in the </span><span>New York Times</span><span>, the </span><span>Conversation</span><span>, </span><span>USA Today</span><span>, </span><span>Junior Scholastic</span><span>, and the </span><span>Christian Science Monitor</span><span>. </span></p>