Except, perhaps, for not reminding his readers that the Garden of Eden was near some of the oldest known sources of petroleum, Yergin touches all possible bases in his striking history of "the age of oil." Generalizations are made vivid by specifics, quotations and anecdotes as he looks at the business, strategic and technological aspects of the story. The 1980s are dealt with at length, and Saddam Hussein and George Bush are not neglected.