Breaking Rockefeller

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

By: Peter B. Doran

Narrated by: Peter B. Doran

Length: 9 hrs and 54 mins

Publisher's Summary

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

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)

Tale of business, cultures, dances as it teaches

Effervescent. Sprightly. Colorful. Listenable. Relentlessly. I kid you not. You will not find a greater delight in business history than here. The author zooms from personality to personality, place to place with a grace rarely seen. Each sentence is crafted with clever bits, and the author reads the book to perfection -- dividing the sentences into segments that impart meaning as clear as a bell. Each level and layer of meaning overlays seamlessly -- from the dynamics of competition and entrepreneurship to the delights, quirks and neuroses a Yank or Swede or Siamese or Indian or Brit at any level might experience as the 1800s progressed. Personalities are finely and wittily etched, along wilth their links and their parts in their times. We readily grasp why each player acts as (s)he does. We see the games great and small. Instantly we are whisked into another scene, a boardroom, a dinner, a ship's deck, a sailor's holiday, a tourist's seaside jaunt, and instantly we can feel as if we know and inhabit the participants' minds. And it all fits a magnificent puzzle with business pulsing at its heart. This is obviously a labor of love on the author's part at every level. It shows that quality great and small. One might read a dozen academic texts and never grasp the totality of what is here. It's like Niall Ferguson but with a much more demanding editor cutting out the chaff. If this has any shred of interest for you, you won't regret it.

Great History of Oil Business

I loved all the details about all the big players in the oil industry. I had no idea how much impact the oil industry had on the world, inventions and lives in general. Great book, full of fascinating information about pivotal people in the world!

Horrible narration

Story was very good. But the narration was not. He has too many infections. And it bothered me a lot.

Interesting book, very misleading title.

This book was poorly titled. The content feels more like 70% about the history of Royal Dutch Shell and 30% standard oil. In reality this book is just an interesting history/account of the oil industry from a few specific perspectives. Very little to do with Rockefeller, virtually no discussion on the Sherman act.

Great story teller

Peter bring to life the characters and personalities that changed the world with their passions and greed.

informative and entertaining

I very much enjoyed this book. the author does a great job of making a bygone era come to life. I knew about Rockefeller from his philanthropy but I did not know the story of his business this was very eye-opening. it was wonderful to hear how his competitors finally got the upper hand and to learn the history of the shell Corporation. I especially like that the author narrated his own book and was able to put emphasis where it was most needed. if you have any interest in learning more about the past economy or our current economy this is a great read, I highly recommend it!

great

this is an extent book that does a good job of painting the early 20th century the last chapter falls off into a short anti "Jones act" (nothing wrong with that but I just wasn't expecting it) story, but EVERTHING else was awesome