Overview

'Dripping with delicious detail' - Aditya Chakrabortty Taking the reader on a journey through North East Scotland, Merseyside, South Wales, the Thames Estuary and London, this is the story of Britain's oil-soaked past, present and future. Travelling the country, the authors discover how the financial power and political muscle of an industry built the culture of a nation from pop music to kitchen appliances, and how companies constructed an empire, extracting the wealth of the world from Iran to Nigeria and Alaska. Today, the tide seems to be going out - Britain's refineries have been quietly closed, the North Sea oilfields are declining and wind farms are being built in their place. As the country painfully shifts into its new post-industrial role in the shadow of Covid, Brexit and the climate crisis, many believe the age of oil to be over. But is it? Speaking to oil company executives and traders, as well as refinery workers, filmmakers and musicians, activists and politicians, the authors put real people at the heart of a compelling story.

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9780745341095

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Reviews

'Has a richness of detail that is just delicious' * Aditya Chakrabortty *

'Told with passion and wit, this is a brilliantly original account of oil's lasting national imprint' -- Gavin Bridge, Professor of Geography, Durham University 'A marvellously rich account of how the oil industry has come to shape contemporary Britain' -- David Beetham, Emeritus Professor of Politics at Leeds 'Compelling. [...] Marriott and Macalister take on the roles of sleuth, archaeologist, and witness to tell a story of oil, money and politics which changed millions of people's lives' -- Madeleine Bunting, author of 'Love of Country: A Hebridean Journey' (Granta, 2017) 'A vivid, compelling and very human account of how big oil has infiltrated our lives, the people it's enriched and those it's abandoned' -- Caroline Lucas MP 'Truly remarkable. [...] a unique insight into Britain's role and experiences in an oil addicted world' -- Herbert Girardet, Executive Committee Member, Club of Rome 'This book superbly illustrates how the UK's toxic relationship with oil has defined our politics, our lives and our culture. An engrossing read' -- Jon King, Gang of Four 'Has a richness of detail that is just delicious' * Aditya Chakrabortty *

Author Information

James Marriott is the co-author of The Oil Road (Verso, 2012) and The Next Gulf (Constable, 2005). Terry Macalister is a journalist, author and filmmaker. He was Energy Editor at the Guardian, and is the co-author of Crude Britannia: How Oil Shaped a Nation, and an executive producer of The Oil Machine documentary. He is currently making a documentary about women climate prisoners.

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